THE EUCHARIST

JOURNAL QUESTION: If you could choose another decade to grow up in (besides this one), which one would it be and why? Would it be the: 1920’s 30’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’S etc.?

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, a 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