1.

0 INTRODUCTION

The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. It is

a celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is also known as

the Lord's Supper, the Mass, or Holy Communion. It is a time for believers to come together to

receive the body and blood of Christ, both as a sign of their faith and as a means of experiencing

the grace and presence of God. In this paper, we will examine the holy Eucharist as a sacrament

by considering the definition of a sacrament, the list of the seven sacraments in the Roman

Catholic Church, the meaning of the holy Eucharist, the Eucharistic liturgy, and the connection

between the Eucharist and other sacraments.

2.0 CONTEXTUAL CLARIFICATION

2.1 THE DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT

A sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace ordained by Jesus Christ himself, through which

graces are given to our souls. The seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church are:

 Baptism

 Confirmation

 Holy Eucharist

 Penance

 Anointing of the sick

 Holy orders and,

 Matrimony

3.0 THE SCRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word eucharistein, which means “thanksgiving.” It is

the memorial sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood, presented under the form of bread and wine,

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which is offered to the Father for the forgiveness of sins. The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

also known as Holy Communion or the last the lords super, is one of the seven sacraments of the

Catholic Church. It is a celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Chris. The

sacrament of the holy Eucharist is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ together with its soul

and divinity under the appearances of bread and wine. The process this change into the true body

and blood of Christ is known as transubstantiation. This means that the bread and wine are no

longer mere symbols but actually become the physical presence of Christ.

The sacrament of the holy Eucharist was instituted by Christ himself on holy Thursday the same

he instituted the sacred priesthood, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup,

gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the

covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” 1. According to the

catechism of the Catholic Church, the holy Eucharist completes the Christian initiation, “Those

who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more

deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own

sacrifice by means of the Eucharist”2.

4.0 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

According to the teachings of the holy Roman Catholic Church the Eucharist is the Centre of

worship. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and

indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist

and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of

the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” 3. The Eucharist is the source because it enables us
1
Matthew 26:26-28 (New American Bible. Revised Edition).
2
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322.
3
CCC, 1324.

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to make present and offer anew Jesus Christ’s one redemptive sacrifice of Calvary, which began

with his passion4. It is the summit, because the Eucharist is truly a foretaste of heaven, in which

we partake of Jesus’ body and blood as heaven and earth become most profoundly one.

The Eucharist is the “efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and

that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both

of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and

through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit." Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration “we already

unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all…

the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: Our way of thinking is attuned to the

Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking"5

5.0 THE LITURGY OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

According to the catechism of the church “the liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a

fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day.

It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity: the gathering, the liturgy of the Word,

with readings, homily and general intercessions and the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the

presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion. The liturgy

of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form one single act of worship; the Eucharistic

table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord”6.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the preparation of the gifts and the altar. As the

ministers prepare the altar, representatives of the people bring forward the bread and wine that

will become the body and blood of Christ. The celebrant blesses and praises God for these gifts

4
CCC, 1362-68:1341.
5
CCC, 1325-27.
6
CCC, 1346.

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and places them on the altar, the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice. In addition to the bread and

wine, monetary gifts for the support of the church and the care of the poor may be brought

forward. The Prayer over the Offerings concludes this preparation and prepares all for the

Eucharistic Prayer7

5.1 THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

The Eucharistic Prayer is the heart of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In this prayer, the celebrant

acts in the person of Christ as the head of his body, the Church. He gathers not only the bread

and the wine but also the substance of our lives and joins them to Christ's perfect sacrifice,

offering them to the Father. "The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer—the prayer of

thanksgiving and consecration—we come to the heart and summit of the celebration. In the

preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his

works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. The whole community thus joins in the unending

praise that the Church in heaven, the angels, and all the saints sing to the thrice-holy God"8

5.2 THE COMMUNION RITE

The Communion Rite follows the Eucharistic Prayer, leading the faithful to the Eucharistic table.

"The rite begins with the Lord's Prayer. In this prayer, the people join their voices to pray for the

coming of God's kingdom and to ask God to provide for our needs, forgive our sins, and bring us

to the joy of heaven"9. The catechism of the Catholic Church notes that "in the communion,

preceded by the Lord's Prayer and the breaking of the bread, the faithful receive "the bread of

7
The Eucharist, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://www.usccb.org/eucharist. Retrieved on
May 7, 2023.
8
CCC 1352 P313
9
Liturgy of the Eucharist, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-
worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist. Retrieved on May 7, 2023

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heaven and the cup of salvation, the body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for the life of

the world"10.

The Rite of Peace follows. The celebrant prays that the peace of Christ will fill our hearts, our

families, our church, our communities, and our world. After this rite comes the proclamation of

John the Baptist as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" 11. Because sharing at

the Eucharistic Table is a sign of unity in the Body of Christ, only those in communion with the

Catholic Church may receive Holy Communion.

6.0 THE EUCHARIST AND THE OTHER SACRAMENTS

6.1 THE EUCHARIST AND CHRISTIAN INITIATION

The Eucharist, the fullness of Christian initiation. If the Eucharist is truly the source and summit

of the Church's life and mission, it follows that the process of Christian initiation must constantly

be directed to the reception of this sacrament the synod fathers try to see if the link between three

sacraments of initiation which is baptism, confirmation has sufficiently recognized. “The

sacrament of Baptism, by which we were conformed to Christ, (47) incorporated in the Church

and made children of God, is the portal to all the sacraments. It makes us part of the one Body of

Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), a priestly people. Still, it is our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice

which perfects within us the gifts given to us at Baptism” 12. There is need for attention regarding

the order of the sacraments of initiation because of the variation in the rite of initiation of

children and adult between the ecclesial customs of the East and the practice of the West
10
Liturgy of the Eucharist, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-
worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist. Retrieved on May 7, 2023

11
John 1:29 (NAB).

12
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caristas: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and
Summit of the Churche’s Life and Mission (22 February, 2007), no 18.

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regarding the initiation. However, the Eucharist must be at the Centre, as the goal of the whole

process of initiation.

6.2 THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

The intrinsic relationship the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation as The Synod Fathers

rightly stated “that a love for the Eucharist leads to a growing appreciation of the sacrament of

Reconciliation”13. The relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation

always brings to mind that sin does not affect an individual along but also the community he or

she was initiated into at baptism. The effect this therefore the sacrament of reconciliation as the

Fathers of the Church would say “Is laboriosus quidam baptismus; they thus emphasized that the

outcome of the process of conversion is also the restoration of full ecclesiaal communion,

expressed in a return to the Eucharist”14.

6.3 THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK

The disciples were not just sent out by Christ to heal but he also instituted the sacrament of the

anointing of the sick. If the Eucharist shows how Christ's sufferings and death have been

transformed into love, the Anointing of the Sick, for its part, unites the sick with Christ's self-

offering for the salvation of all, so that they too, within the mystery of the communion of saints,

can participate in the redemption of the world. The relationship between these two sacraments

becomes clear in situations of serious illness: "In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the

Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum (food for the

journey)."15On their journey to the Father, communion in the Body and Blood of Christ appears

as the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection: as the gospel according to St. John states

13
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caristas, no 20.
14
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Carista, no 21.
15
Benedict XVI, Scramentum Carista, no 22.

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“Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the

last day"16

6.4 THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

The sacrament of the holy orders the priest is acting In persona Christi capitis (in the person of

Christ the head). The intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Holy

Orders clearly emerges from Jesus' own words in the Upper Room: "Do this in memory of

me"17 .On the night before he died, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and at the same time established

the priesthood of the New Covenant. He is priest, victim and altar: the mediator between God the

Father and his people, the victim of atonement who offers himself on the altar of the Cross. The

Church teaches that priestly ordination is the indispensable condition for the valid celebration of

the Eucharist. Indeed, "in the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who

is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, and High Priest of the

redemptive sacrifice"18 therefore, priests are to be conscious of the fact that in their ministry they

must never put themselves or their personal opinions in first place, but Jesus Christ. Any attempt

to make themselves the Centre of the liturgical action contradicts their very identity as priests.

6.5 THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

The Eucharist, a nuptial sacrament according to Pope John Paul II. The Eucharist, as the

sacrament of charity, has a particular relationship with the love of man and woman united in

marriage. A deeper understanding of this relationship is needed at the present time. Pope John

Paul II frequently spoke of the nuptial character of the Eucharist and its special relationship with

the sacrament of Matrimony: "The Eucharist is the sacrament of our redemption. It is the

16
John 6:54 (NAB).
17
Luke 22:19 (NAB).
18
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Carista, no 23-24.

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sacrament of the Bridegroom and of the Bride…the entire Christian life bears the mark of the

spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a

nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath which precedes the wedding feast, the

Eucharist."19

7.0 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, despite the debates by other Christian denominations about the Eucharist, such

debates include their beliefs that the Eucharist is a metaphorical representation of the sacrifice of

Christ. The Eucharist remains an important sacrament in the Catholic Church and a source of

faith, hope, and love for millions of believers worldwide. It is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice, a

means of experiencing His presence, and a call to live out His message in the world. This

discussion has been able to define what a sacrament is and the list of the seven sacraments of the

church. This paper also discussed the relationship between the sacrament of the Eucharist and the

other sacraments in order to attain the goal of a critical analysis of the sacrament of the holy

Eucharist.

OUTLINE

19
Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caristas, no 27-29.

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INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………... 1.0

CONTEXTUAL CLARIFICATION…………………………………………………………... 2.0

THE DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT………………………………………………………

2.1

THE SCRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST……………………………………………………..

3.0

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST…………………………………………

4.0

THE LITURGY OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST………………………………………………..

5.0

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER……………………………………………………………….. 5.1

THE COMMUNION RITE……………………………………………………………………..

5.2

THE EUCHARIST AND THE OTHER SACRAMENTS……………………………………...

6.0

THE EUCHARIST AND CHRISTIAN INITIATION………………………………………….

6.1

THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILLIATION…………………….

6.2

THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT OF ANOITING OF THE SICK……………….

6.3

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THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT HOLY ORDERS……………………………...
6.4

THE EUCHARIST AND THE SACRAMENT MATRIMONY……………………………… 6.5

CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………… 7.0

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caristas: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist as

the Source and Summit of the Churche’s Life and Mission (22 February, 2007).

New American Bible. Revised Edition.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322.

The Eucharist, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://www.usccb.org/eucharist.

Retrieved on May 7, 2023.

Liturgy of the Eucharist, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-

eucharist. Retrieved on May 7, 2023

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THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST

BY

TYOWUA TERZUNGWE MATTHEW

DU/361

BEING A TERM PAPER SUMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND

RELIGIOUS STUDIES, DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY SAMONDA IBADAN, IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS (B.A) DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY

INTRODUCTION TO LITURGY 1

TH 151

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REV FR, DR.STAN U. UKWE OP

JUNE, 2023

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