The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is described as a mystery of faith and love by theologians. Catholics believe in transubstantiation, which means that the bread and wind offered in the Holy Mass as the body and the blood of Jesus Christ is truly Christ’s body and blood.
It is not a symbol, and it is not simply a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, but rather a non-bloody re-enactment of it. Many Eucharistic Miracles have been reported over the centuries wherein the sacred host begins to drip human blood at the moment of consecration. This has been taken by many believers as a miraculous sign of the actual Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
The Eucharist as the Sole Summit of the Christian Life
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that all other sacraments are inextricably bound to the Holy Mass, the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The lifeblood of every Catholic believer lies in the understanding and reception of the Holy Eucharist, because Catholics believe that they are receiving the actual and true body and blood of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Mass and the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a sacrament of thanks and praise for the sacrifice made by Christ at Calvary. In addition to this purpose and function, the Holy Mass is always offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead.
Catholics usually offer the Mass for specific intentions, for those who have died or for the healing of a particular person who has fallen ill.
The Universality of the Holy Mass and Sacrament of the Eucharist
In the spirit of unity, the Church celebrated the Holy Mass in every church in the world in the original Latin. This meant that the Liturgy of the Mass was the same in every part of the world on any given day.
After Vatican II, the Catholic Church made it lawful to celebrate the Holy Mass in the native tongue of every country. However, the Liturgy of the Mass – the scriptural readings, the prayers of the faithful - remains the same in every Holy Mass on any given day in every corner of the world.
Catholic means "universal," and the worship of the church remains universal through the Liturgy which is the same anywhere you may go in the world.
Scriptural Basis for the Sacrament of the Eucharist
The Scriptural basis for the Sacrament of the Eucharist is found in John 6:51, 54, 56, where it says, “Jesus said: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and... abides in me, and I in him."
Catholics believe this scripture literally, not figuratively or symbolically, as is the case for most Protestant denominations.
There are a total of Seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Matrimony, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick.
Sources:
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
- The Sacraments: Readings in Contemporary Sacramental Theology, Edited By Michael J. Taylor, S.J.
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