Introduction
When we think of how the Mass or the Eucharist is presented in the Bible, likely the first passages that come to mind are the gospel accounts of the Last Supper, when Jesus celebrated the Jewish Passover and broke bread with his Apostles. This isn’t surprising, as it is from these gospel accounts that we find the words of Jesus that the priest repeats at each Mass. But what Bible passage on the Eucharist would you look up next? For many of us, finding that second passage about the Eucharist might prove more difficult. We might even wonder if there is another passage about the Eucharist in the Bible.
Over the sessions of this study, Dr. Brant Pitre will show us that prefigurements of, and teachings about, this sacrament are found in numerous books of both the Old and New Testaments. The Eucharist was not a sudden revelation of Jesus at the Last Supper, but rather something prepared for by Jesus in his teaching and miracles, prefigured in numerous events throughout the Old Covenant, participated in by the early Church in the days immediately following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and consistently taught on by the Church beginning with such apostolic giants as St. Paul.
In this opening session, Dr. Pitre will introduce us to the Eucharist. We’ll discover why the Church refers to the Eucharist as the “source and summit of the Christian life.” And we’ll look at various names for this sacrament. Dr. Pitre will reflect on eight different names—how many can you think of?
Sharing
- Describe a time when you shared a meal with someone or a group of people to celebrate important event or milestone, such as a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or graduation. What made the meal memorable?
Personal responses from participants. Looking ahead to our study, the Old Testament Passover celebrated the freedom of God’s people in the Exodus. At each Mass we celebrate Jesus’ Last Supper and his death and resurrection.
- Why do you think sharing meals with other people is important in most cultures? How can they help people be present to one another and communicate better?
Personal responses from participants. One response might be that even today, but especially in ancient cultures, meals were shared with family. Friends who join the family meal become part of the family in some way. Family members share a common bond and care for one another, and the intimacy of family and friends gathered around one table for a meal shows this bond.
Part 1: Introducing the Eucharist
Finding the Eucharist in Sacred Scripture is a journey from Genesis to Revelation; need to study both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life”. The Mass is the most visible sign of what it means to be a Catholic.
4 key reason/explanations why it’s the “source and summit”
- The Eucharist is Jesus: not a something but a Someone; we receive Jesus Christ himself; CCC 1324
- The Eucharist is a Trinitarian mystery; we participate in the life and love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; offered to the Father in and through Christ, in the Holy Spirit; CCC 1325,260
- The Eucharist gives us a taste of heaven and of the ned of time: points us both upward and forward; foretaste of eternal life; CCC 1326.
- The Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: what we believe about the Eucharist shapes our worldview; CCC 1327
Part 2: The Breaking of the Bread
We have several names for the Eucharist
- Each comes from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition
- These helps illustrate the many facets of the inexhaustible mystery, like the facets of a beautiful diamond
The names for this sacrament
- Eucharist (Luke 22:19)
- From the Greek word eucharistesas meaning “thanksgiving”
- Jesus giving thanks at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion
- The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20-22)
- Name that is directly given to us in the New Testament
- Term used by early Christian communities to signify gathering to eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Lord
- The Breaking of the Bread (Acts 2:41-42)
- The earliest name for the Eucharist in the apostolic churches
- After Peter preaches and brings 3,000 souls to Christ in one day, Scripture tells us that they devoted themselves to “the breaking of bread and the prayers”
- The Memorial (Luke 22:19)
- During the words of institution, Jesus says “Do this in remembrance of me”
- The Greek word anamnesis literally means “to remember”; the Eucharist is not only an intellectual remembering, but a true making present of what took place in the Upper Room
Part 2: Questions
- What is the name used for the Eucharist in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22? What can we learn about the Eucharist from this name?
In this passage St. Paul calls the Eucharist “the Lord’s supper.” From this verse, we learn that the Eucharist is meant to be a kind of meal—a sharing at the altar of the Lord. As Dr. Pitre will also explain, sharing the meal of an altar indicates the language of sacrifice, which is another term for the Mass. The meal of the Eucharist is the sacrifice of Christ; this reality will be explained in further detail as our study progresses over the ten sessions.
- What is the name used for the Eucharist in Acts 2:41-42? What can we learn about the Eucharist from this name?
St. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, calls the Eucharist “the breaking of bread.” From this verse we learn that the early Christian Church began celebrating the Eucharist immediately after Christ’s resurrection and ascension. Thus the celebration of the Mass goes back to the earliest days of the Church (and as we’ll learn in this study, the prefigurements of the Mass in the Old Testament go back even further!).
- What names for the Eucharist come from Jesus’ words in Luke 22:19? What can we learn about the Eucharist from this?
There are two names for the Eucharist found in Luke 22:19. First, St. Luke describes what Jesus is doing: “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them” In other places, emphasis added is in parenthesis (emphasis added). The Greek word used here for “given thanks” or “thanksgiving” is eucharistēsas, from which the word “Eucharist” is derived. In this same verse we also find the words of Jesus, who says, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance [anamnesis] of me.” The Greek word anamnesis can be translated as “remembrance” or “memorial”; this is where we get the term “The Memorial” to refer to the sacrifice of the Eucharist. From this verse, then, we can learn three very important realities: (1) that Jesus is saying and doing something very intentional at the Last Supper, (2) that the name “Eucharist” has a biblical foundation in the Greek text of the New Testament, and (3) that this thanksgiving and memorial of Jesus is both commanded and intended by him, when he says “Do this…”.
Part 3: The Medicine of Immortality
The names for this sacrament (continued):
- The Holy sacrifice of the Mass
- The Eucharist is the making present of the one sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary
- In the Old Testament, food received from an altar is a sacrifice (Hebrews 13:9-15)
- Holy Communion (1 Corinthians 10:15-17)
- Term from St. Paul in the original Greek koinonia, which means “communion,” “fellowship,” or “participation”
- Christ wants something deeper than a personal relationship with us
- The Medicine of Immortality
- Term given by St. Ignatius of Antioch
- Eucharist is a “medicine” that will extend our supernatural life
- The Holy Mass
- The “Mass” is the mission of every Catholic; we are called to receive Christ, and then go out to share and proclaim him to the world
- The Eucharist brings us into intimate communion with Jesus Christ
Part 3: Questions
- Is “the medicine of immortality” a term you have heard for the Eucharist before? How does the Eucharist give us eternal life?
The Eucharist gives us eternal life because it is Jesus himself. And Jesus tells us: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
- What makes the Mass a “mission”? How does the Eucharist empower us to participate in this mission?
As Catholics, we are called by God to go out and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20). Jesus, who is himself the good news, is united with us and dwells within us in the Most Holy Eucharist. By believing in and allowing this reality to transform our entire lives, we can become better witnesses to Jesus’ saving power and, with God’s grace, help bring the world to greater knowledge and love of God.
Sharing Questions
- Pitre describes eight different names for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Which of these strikes you the most? Why?
- What is one topic or term that you learned from this video segment? What has been your personal experience of the Mass up to this point in your life?
Reference
- Formed.org (Lectio: Eucharist, Part 1: Source and Summit)