THE EUCHARIST

The Facts Behind the Ritual

PEOPLE the world over observe the ceremony regularly—whether several times a year, weekly, or even daily. Yet, it is called a mystery of faith, and many of those who practice it do not claim to understand it. It is viewed as sacred and is even supposed to be miraculous.

The ceremony is the Eucharist—that part of the Catholic Mass when the priest says a blessing over the bread and wine and the congregation is invited to receive Christ in Holy Communion.* Pope Benedict XVI said that for Catholics, this ceremony is “the sum and summary of our faith.” Not long ago, the church observed the “Year of the Eucharist” as part of an effort to “reawaken and increase eucharistic faith.”

Even Catholics who struggle with their faith feel strongly about this ritual. For example, in a recent essay in Time magazine, a woman described as a young, progressive Catholic wrote: “Whatever our issues with the tenets of Catholicism the religion, we still cling to what unites us in Catholicism the faith: our devotion to the celebration of the Eucharist.”

What, though, is the Eucharist? Are Christ’s followers required to observe it? Let us first consider how the tradition of the Eucharist developed. Then we can focus on a more important question: Does the Eucharist really reflect the observance instituted by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago?