Eucharist

1
Eucharist

• The Sacrament of Thanksgiving

2
What does Jesus say?

• And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and
  gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which
  is given for you do this in remembrance of Me."
  Luke 2219

3
What does Jesus say?

• The Jews then complained about Him, because He
  said, "I am the bread which came down from
  heaven. Jesus therefore answered and said to
  them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. Most
  assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me
  has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.
  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and
  are dead. This is the bread which comes down from
  heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am
  the living bread which came down from heaven. If
  anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever
  and the bread that I shall give is My flesh,

4
What does Jesus say?

• which I shall give for the life of the world."
  The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves,
  saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to
  eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I
  say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
  of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in
  you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood
  has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the
  last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My
  blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and
  drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
  Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard
  this, said, "This is a hard saying who can
  understand it?" From that time many of His
  disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want
  to go away?" John 635-67

5
How did the Apostles understand?

• For I received from the Lord that which I also
  delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on the same
  night in which He was betrayed took bread and
  when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,
  "Take, eat this is My body which is broken for
  you do this in remembrance of Me." In the same
  manner He also took the cup after supper, saying,
  "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This
  do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
  Me." For as often as you eat this bread and
  drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
  till He comes.

6
How did the Apostles understand?

• Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this
  cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
  guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let
  a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the
  bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and
  drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks
  judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's
  body. For this reason many are weak and sick
  among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge
  ourselves, we would not be judged. 1
  Corinthians1123-31

7
How did the Apostles understand?

• The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
  the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread
  which we break, is it not the communion of the
  body of Christ? For we, though many, are one
  bread and one body for we all partake of that
  one bread.

1Corinthians 1016-17
8
How did the Apostles understand?

• And they continued steadfastly in the apostles'
  doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of
  bread, and in prayer. So continuing daily with
  one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
  house to house, they ate their food with gladness
  and simplicity of heart, Acts 242, 46

9
How did the Apostles understand?

• Now on the first day of the week, when the
  disciples came together to break bread, Paul,
  ready to depart the next day. Acts 207

10
How did the Apostles understand?

• For no one ever hated his own flesh, but
  nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does
  the church. For we are members of His body, of
  His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a
  man shall leave his father and mother and be
  joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
  flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak
  concerning Christ and the church. Eph 529-32

11
Old Testament references

• the offering of Melchizedek Then Melchizedek
  king of Salem brought out bread and wine he was
  the priest of God Most High. Genesis 1418
• For this Melchizedek, translated "king of
  righteousness," and then also king of Salem,
  meaning "king of peace," without father, without
  mother, without genealogy, having neither
  beginning of days nor end of life, but made like
  the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
  Hebrews 71-3

12
Old Testament references

• The Manna in the wilderness after crossing the
  red sea Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to
  be unaware that all our fathers were under the
  cloud, all passed through the sea, all were
  baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
  all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank
  the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that
  spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock
  was Christ. 1 Corinthians 101-4

13
Old Testament references

• Wisdom has built her house she has hewn out its
  seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and
  mixed her wine she has also set her table. She
  has sent out her maids, and she calls from the
  highest point of the city. "Let all who are
  simple come in here!" she says to those who lack
  judgment. "Come, eat my food and drink the wine I
  have mixed. Proverbs 91-5

14
Old Testament references

• For from the rising of the sun, even to its
  going down, My name shall be great among the
  Gentiles In every place incense shall be offered
  to My name, And a pure offering For My name
  shall be great among the nations, Says the LORD
  of hosts. Mal 111

15
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• St. Ignatius to the Philadelphians Let us stand
  aloof from such heretics. They abstain from the
  Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess
  not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior
  Jesus Christ, which suffered or our sins, and
  which the Father, of His goodness, raised up
  again. Those, therefore, who speak against this
  gift of God, incur death in the midst of their
  disputes. But it were better for them to treat it
  with respect, that they also might rise again. It
  is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof
  from such persons, and not to speak of them
  either in private or in public, but to give heed
  to the prophets, and above all, to the Gospel, in
  which the passion of Christ has been revealed
  to us, and the resurrection has been fully proved.

16
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with
  Trypho, a Jew Hence God speaks by the mouth of
  Malachi, one of the twelve prophets, as I said
  before, about the sacrifices at that time
  presented by you I have no pleasure in you,
  saith the Lord and I will not accept your
  sacrifices at your hands for, from the rising of
  the sun unto the going down of the same, My name
  has been glorified among the Gentiles, and in
  every place incense is offered to My name, and a
  pure offering for My name is great among the
  Gentiles, saith the Lord but ye profane it. So
  He then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who
  in every place offer sacrifices to Him, i.e., the
  bread of the Eucharist, and also the cup of the
  Eucharist, affirming both that we glorify His
  name, and that you profane it.

17
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• Irenaeus Against Heresies V
• When, therefore, the mingled cup and the
  manufactured bread receives the Word of God, and
  the Eucharist of the blood and the body of Christ
  is made, from which things the substance of our
  flesh is increased and supported, how can they
  affirm that the flesh is incapable of receiving
  the gift of God, which is life eternal, which
  flesh is nourished from the body and blood of
  the Lord, and is a member of Him?

18
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• Justin Martyr For as the bread, which is
  produced from the earth, when it receives the
  invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but
  the Eucharist, consisting of two realities,
  earthly and heavenly so also our bodies, when
  they receive the Eucharist, are no longer
  corruptible, having the hope of the resurrection
  to eternity.

19
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• St. John Chrysostom We become one body
  members, as it is said, of His flesh and of His
  bones. . . this is effected by the food which He
  has freely given us. . . He mingled His body with
  ours that we may be one, as body joined to head.

20
How did the Church Fathers understand?

• St. John Damascene if union is in truth with
  Christ and with one another, we are assuredly
  voluntarily united also with all those who
  partake with us

21

• But someone may ask, Are you saying that one
  cannon be saved unless he partakes of the
  Eucharist? That is a strange question, one which
  would never have been asked had it not been for
  various sacramental abuses throughout history,
  and the concurrent non relational views of
  salvation. Actually, if one stops to think about
  it, apart from the reformation-counter
  reformation context, the question really makes no
  sense.

22

• Only when salvation is viewed as a thing,
  instead of as union in Christ, are such questions
  asked. Communion with God and each other is what
  salvation is all about. Therefore, to ask if one
  has a communion with God and his brethren to be
  saved is bizarre. One does not ask, What is the
  least I need to do to be married. Marriage is to
  be an opportunity for intimacy and communion
  without restrictions. The one who wants to know
  its minimums removes it from the context of
  communion and love.

23

• It is the same with Eucharistic communion.
  Ones participation in the Eucharist (which
  always includes the entire gathering of the
  Church, not just blessed elements) is not to get
  saved but to participate, realize and manifest
  the communion Christ has made possible. This
  communion has no limit, and is something that
  will take all of eternity to fulfill.