The Holy Eucharist

The Holy Eucharist goes by many names: Mass; The Lord's Supper; The Breaking of Bread; Holy Communion etc. All of these names give emphasis to a particular part of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Just as our bodies require food and drink for physical nurture and growth, so for nurture and growth our souls need “soul” food. Sensing this deep need of the human soul, and aware of his approaching death on the cross, Jesus shared a farewell meal with his beloved companions. This meal, called the Last Supper, becomes the First Supper for the Christian Church. In this sacred meal Jesus takes ordinary table bread and wine, gives God thanks (Eucharist is a Greek word for thanksgiving), beseeches God to bless it, and distributes it with these astounding and eternal words: “This bread is my body. This wine is my blood. Every time you eat this bread and drink this wine in my name, I will be present with you.”

And, so it is for people of faith. Ordinary bread and the wine become, by the grace of God, the body and blood of the Christ. In this timeless, eternal food, the Christ of faith is present with us. It is his spiritual "Real Presence." How does that happen, exactly? I don’t know. It is Holy Mystery. But this I can say: for 2000 years, since that First Supper, Christ has touched and fed and revealed himself in the breaking of bread. By grace that is amazing, souls are fed and nurtured and changed by this sacrament of his Holy and Risen Presence.