The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist

Church tradition teaches that the origins of the Eucharist are to be found in the Last Supper of Jesus and how the early community obeyed Jesus’ command to ‘break bread’ in His name (Acts 2: 42). This remembering of the Last Supper became a central ritual for Christians when they gathered together. In the earliest times, the Eucharist was celebrated along with a shared meal in the homes of local Christians.

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes a Eucharist celebrated in connection with a common supper shared in the homes of the Early Christians. This supper included the blessing of the bread and wine, the breaking of the bread, and Communion. As the numbers of Christians grew, the Eucharist as a sacred meal separated from the common meal.

Believers today still remember and celebrate the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. For Jews, this time is the beginning of the Jewish Passover Festival. The bread and wine are symbols of nourishment and food for the Christian journey. Believers take part in the Eucharist to give thanks to God, and share this meal as a community. In community believers gain strength from each one who has gathered.

The obligation for all Catholics to attend and participate in Sunday Mass is built on the belief that without the Eucharist we cannot effectively be the Church for ‘cut off from Christ we can do nothing’. This obligation is based on two commands:

  1. The command of Jesus: ‘Do this in [memory] of me’ (Luke 22: 19), which he gave to his followers at the Last Supper;
  2. The third of the Ten Commandments: ‘Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy’ (Exodus 20: 8), which is now celebrated on a Sunday to remember the Resurrection of Jesus on that day.

The Eucharist deepens union with Christ and calls us into communion with one another. The Eucharist remits sin and calls us to a deeper conversion in Christ.

So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. (John 6:53–56)

When people see a gathering of Church members, such as at Mass, they see the Body of Christ. This is a sign of the invisible reality that these people are in spiritual union with Christ. People throughout the world gather for Mass. This is because the Church includes people from different nationalities, cultures, and ethnic groups. Catholics all over the world are a sign of Jesus drawing together people of all nationalities, bringing them closer to God and to each other.

The four qualities of the Church are that, as a community, it is:

  1. One
  2. Holy
  3. Catholic
  4. Apostolic.

Catholics express their belief in these central teachings about the qualities of the Church when they pray the Apostles’ Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is an early formulation of the Church’s basic beliefs dating from the time of the apostles. The Nicene Creed draws from the wisdom of the first two ecumenical Councils in 325 and 381 A.D.

How should I prepare for the Eucharist?

Guidelines for the Reception of Communion

On November 14, 1996, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) approved the following guidelines on the reception of Communion. The guidelines seek to remind all those who may attend Catholic liturgies of the present discipline of the Church with regard to the sharing of Eucharistic communion.

For Catholics

As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should be conscious of no grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour prior to mass. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (CIC, can. 916). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.

Thoughtful Contemplation

Canon 916: A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or
receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there
is a grave reason, and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case, the person is to
remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, which includes the
resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

Canon 917: A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can
receive it a second time on the same day only within the Eucharistic celebration in
which the person participates.

Canon 919 § 1: A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain
for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink except for
only water and medicine.

Canon 919 § 3: The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive
the Most Holy Eucharist, even if they have eaten something within the preceding
hour.

For Our Fellow Christians

We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they all may be one” (Jn 17:21).

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (CIC, can. 844 §4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (CIC, can. 844 §3).

For Those Not Receiving Holy Communion

All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For Non-Christians

We also welcome those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ to this celebration. While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and unity of the human family.

You can read more from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, order your own copy, or read questions about it at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.