June 6, 2010

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

 

At the heart of every Mass we celebrate are the elements of bread and wine which become the Body and Blood of Christ.  So rich is this mystery that many terms are used to describe it: 

1) Eucharist from the Greek words eulogein and eucharistein because the Mass is an action of thanksgiving to God for His works of creation, redemption and sanctification;  2) The Breaking of the Bread because the Mass is rooted in the Jewish meal of Passover which recalls the liberation of the Jews and His Covenant with them as his chosen people;

3) The Lord’s Supper because the Mass has its origin in the Last Supper Jesus spent with His disciples before His death on the Cross through which Christ redeems us of sin and establishes a New Covenant with all the faithful;

4) The Holy Sacrifice because the Mass represents the death and resurrection of Jesus in an un-bloody manner;

5) Holy Communion because the Mass unites us to Christ and the “communion of the saints” through worthy reception of the Body and Blood of Christ;

6) The Holy Mass (missa) because through the Mass we are sent on mission to fulfill God’s will in our daily lives.  For these reasons the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is the “source and summit of Christian life.”