EUCHARIST—MEAL & SACRIFICE

JOURNAL QUESTION: Describe a time when someone sacrificed (something) for you. What did they do? How did you respond/return the favor? Describe a time when you sacrificed (something) for someone else? Why did you do it? What was his/her response?

JOURNAL QUESTION: Describe your favorite Thanksgiving memory. What did you eat? Who was there? What did you do? Why was it memorable? OR… Describe a typical Thanksgiving tradition. Do you do the same thing every year? What is it?

EUCHARIST MEAL SACRIFICE

PASSOVER SEDER The Passover seder memorializes the event of Yahweh leading the Israelites out of Egypt “only there shall you offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, the time of day when you departed from Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:6b) The meal specifically calls for wine and unleavened bread The meal is a thanksgiving meal.

Eucharist as a Sacrifice… To understand the Eucharist as a sacrifice we must recall the original context of Jesus’ Last Supper Remember, J.C. was a Jew According to St. Paul and the Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was a Passover seder, celebrated with unleavened bread and wine

HOW IS IT A SACRIFICE? For Passover meals, an unblemished (paschal) lamb was sacrificed for the meal and eaten When Jesus had his Last Supper with the apostles, he said, “this is my body.” There is no more need for sacrificing anything else because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. “For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

THE EUCHARIST AS MEAL “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word meaning “thanksgiving” Peace is exchanged with others before having the meal All are invited to the table The Eucharist satisfies our physical as well as our spiritual hunger The Eucharist calls for ““full conscious, and active participation …by all the faithful” (SC #7)

From The Beginning… The earliest followers of Christ (“Christians”) faithfully went to synagogue on Saturday night. Remember, Jesus was a Jew! They also would celebrate an agape meal on Sunday, the day Jesus was resurrected

Separation… After 70 A.D., Christians stopped going to synagogue and kept their Sunday meals They incorporated their own readings (Gospel stories, etc.) into Sunday’s agape As the numbers of Christians grew, the meals became simpler and focused only on the bread and the wine

THE AGAPE MEAL… Spend several minutes of quiet listening to your heart. Ask your heart and soul the following questions: What are you hungry for? What do you need, more than anything? Think about the persons or events in your life you are most grateful for. Name them and state why they fill you with a spirit of gratitude.

THE AGAPE MEAL… C. Jesus never excluded anyone from his care and concern. All people are welcome at the Jesus’ table. Whom do you exclude from your care and concern? To be blunt – what group of people do you hold prejudice toward… list any prejudices you hold that make you unaccepting and intolerant of people because of race, religion, profession, lifestyle, age, handicap etc. What can you do to become a more tolerant and accepting person?

THE AGAPE MEAL… D. Before you consume the bread make a statement saying what you hope this bread will symbolically strengthen you to do.

A NOTE ON THE BREAD & WINE: The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that bread made from another substance…does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist. (RS #48) The wine that is used in the most sacred celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances. (RS #50)