SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

PURPOSE

►Catechism of the Catholic Church #1322-1323

The holy Eucharist completes 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.
 
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"

For a CCC link and printer friendly USCCB document related to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, please explore the sidebar. Also in the sidebar is a video from Busted Halo on the Eucharist.

FAITH DOCTRINE REFERENCES

 
►CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
 
HOLY COMMUNION/EUCHARIST REFERENCES
 
Eucharist, 1322-1419
as an act of thanksgiving, 1359
as a memorial, 1357, 1362
as presence, 1373-75
as sacrifice, 1362-72
as source and summit of Church life, 1324
See also Consecration; Sacrament(s); Transubstantiation
effects of the Eucharist
        cleanses and separates us from sin, 1393-95, 1436, 1846
        commits us to the poor, 1397
        communicates the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity, 950, 2845
        establishes the community of believers, 805, 1396, 2637
        as a foretaste of the future life, 1000, 1326, 1402-05, 1419
        as growth in Christian life, 1392, 1397, 1644
        as an increase of the grace received in Baptism, 1392
        as the source of conversion and penance, 1436
        as spiritual food, 1212, 1275, 1436, 2837
        transforms man through Christ, 1074
        unites with Christ, 790, 1003, 1391
        unites Christians, 1398
        unites with the heavenly liturgy, 1370
        we participate in Christ's sacrifice, 1322
Eucharistic celebration
        commanded by Jesus, 1341-44, 1356
        elements in the Mass
                anaphora, 1352-54
                collection, 1351
                communion, 1355, 1382, 1570
                epiclesis, 1105, 1353
                fundamental structures, 1346
                gathering of the Christian faithful, 1348
                Liturgy of the Word, 1349
                presentation of the gifts, 1350
        Eucharistic communion
                access to Eucharist prohibited, 1650
                first Holy Communion, 1244
                frequency of, 1388-89
                minister of, 1411
                necessary preparation for receiving, 1385-87
                requirements for receiving, 1355, 1415
                sacrilege against, 2120
                under two species, 1390
        Eucharistic signs
                altar, 1383
                bread and wine, 1333-35
        Liturgy of the Word because of the impossibility of celebrating the Eucharist, 2183
        necessity of the Eucharist and receiving Communion, 1384
        participation in, 2042, 2181-82
        place for celebration of, 1180-81
        places reserved for, 1181, 1379
        Sunday, 2177, 2181
        and the unity of Christians, 838, 1398-1401
history of the Eucharist
        ancient celebration of the Lord's Day, 1342-43, 2178
        Mass of all ages, 1345
        origins of the Eucharistic celebration, 2176
        prefigurings of the Eucharist, 1094, 1335
        structure of the Eucharistic celebration preserved throughout the centuries, 1346
identity of the Eucharist
        act of thanksgiving and praise to the Father, 1358-61
        communion of the Lord's body and blood, 1097, 1382
        memorial of Christ's sacrifice, 611, 1337, 1357-58, 1362-72, 1382
        memorial of the New Covenant, 1621
        mystery of Christ's action, 2718
        presence of Christ, 1357-58
        presence of the coming Kingdom, 1405, 2861
        sacrament of
                Christian initiation, 1212, 1533
                communion, 1382, 1395
                Redemption, 1846
                sacraments, 1169, 1211
        source of charity, 864, 1395
        source and summit of Christian life, 1324-27
institution of the Eucharist
        "Do this in memory of me," 1341-44
        Jesus and, 1337-40
        purposes of, 610, 1341
minister of the celebration of the Eucharist. See Bishop; Priest/priesthood
names of the Eucharist
        the Breaking of Bread, 1329
        Daily bread, 2837
        the Eucharist, 1328
        the Eucharistic assembly, 1329
        Holy Communion, 1331
        the holy and Divine Liturgy, 1330
        Holy Mass, 1332
        the Holy Sacrifice, 1330
        the Lord's Supper, 1329
        Memorial of the Lord's Passion
        and Resurrection, 1330
        the Most Blessed sacrament, 1330
        the sacrament of sacraments, 1169, 1211
        the sacrifice of the Mass, 1330
        the sacrifice of praise, 2643
presence of Christ in the Eucharist
        enduring Eucharistic presence of Christ, 1377
        in the Eucharistic assembly, 1348
        in the Eucharistic species, 1373
        faith in Christ, 1381
        in the Liturgy of the Word, 1088, 1349
        in the priest, 1348
        significance of, 1380
        transubstantiation of Christ declared by the Tridentine Council, 1376
        true and mysterious, 1357, 1373-77
        true, real, and substantial, 1374
        veiled presence of Christ in the Eucharist, 1404
        worship of latria and the adoration of, 1378-79
 
Communion
among men, 357, 775, 1445, 1702, 2419
between the divine persons, 267, 738, 1693
between man and woman, 371-72, 383, 2331-32
of the bishop with the Christian faithful, 84, 1301
catechesis and communion with Christ, 426
of charisms, 951
of charity, 953
the Church and (see Church)
of the Church of heaven and earth, 954-59
with the dead, 958, 1684, 1689, 1690
ecclesial communion
    and the family, 2204-05
    and schism, 2089
    and sin, 1440, 1446, 1448, 1455
Eucharistic (see Eucharist)
in faith, 154, 185, 188, 949, 1102, 1209
friendship as spiritual, 2347
of the Holy Spirit, 734, 1097, 1108-09
liturgy and, 1071, 1136
of man
    with Christ, 533, 725, 787, 790, 1331
    with the divine persons, 259, 732, 737, 850, 1107
    with God, 27, 45, 54, 154, 613, 780, 1489, 1804
    with the mysteries of Jesus, 519-21
prayer as, 2565, 2655, 2682, 2689, 2713, 2799, 2801
of the sacraments, 950
sacraments at the service of, 790, 1126, 1533-35
of spiritual goods, 949, 952
of the Supreme Pontiff with the bishops, 85, 100, 816, 892, 895