The Eucharist is What Holds Our Church Together

St. Mary’s eighth-graders wrote essays on the Eucharist. The following is one of three essays selected to be entered in an essay contest on the Eucharist, sponsored by the diocesan school department.

By Catherine Cote

The Eucharist is one of the most important things in our Catholic community today. The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” We thank God each day for all he has given us. We should also thank him for giving his body and blood to us at least once a week by going to Mass and receiving Jesus Christ. Every time we go to Mass ordinary bread and wine truly become the body and blood of our Lord in a process called transubstantiation. Christ is truly present with us in the Eucharist just as he was with his disciples.

Jesus was gathered with his disciples to celebrate the feast of Passover when he instituted the Eucharist the night before he died. The Passover is an ancient feast of the Jewish religion celebrating the Hebrew's Exodus from Egypt. Moses was called by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt where they were being kept as slaves. After God sent many plagues to haunt the Egyptians, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, would still not let the people of God go.

Finally, God told his people to slaughter a lamb that was without flaw and sprinkle some of the lamb's blood on the door. Then the people were to roast the lamb and prepare unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The whole family was to eat all of the lamb. While the people were eating, the angel of death went through all of Egypt and killed the firstborn in every household. The angel “passed over’’ every house that had lamb's blood on the door, so that none “of the firstborn Hebrews would die.

After the angel of death had killed many Egyptians, including one of Pharaoh's children, Pharaoh told Moses that God had caused enough harm to the people of Egypt. When the people were safely traveling in the desert, Moses turned to his people and told them that on that day, every year, they were to celebrate the Passover so we could forever remember how our Lord saved us from slavery. Jesus then instituted the Eucharist when he was celebrating the Passover on Holy Thursday.

At the Last Supper, Jesus' last meal with his disciples, Jesus set an excellent example for how we should live the rest of our lives. He said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves, for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.” Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to the saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you." (Luke 22:15-20)

He offered himself for us that very night, and told us that we always do this to remember him.

On that same night, after they had eaten, he showed us how we should serve one another. He bent down with a bowl of water and a towel. As he started to wash the feet of his apostles, he was silent, until he came to Peter. Peter absolutely refused to let Jesus, our Lord, serve him. Jesus told him that if Peter would not let Jesus was his feet, then Peter would have nothing to do with him. He said that we must follow his example, by loving and serving each other.

We must be like Jesus by serving others. Even the most important people, like Jesus, must serve others. By washing his disciples' feet, Jesus showed us that even though he is our Lord, he is still humble, and he still serves us. Therefore, no matter who someone is, they must also serve everyone around them, and try to be Christ-like. We must also follow Jesus' example of breaking the bread to remember him. In the early church, they shared the Eucharist in their own home, but now we share Jesus as a church, a community. We are called to respect the Eucharist, for we are receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

As a Catholic Church, we chose our Holy Sabbath to hold a Mass. Many people go more than once a week, however, it is required to go to Mass once a week on the Holy Day of Obligation, and receive Jesus Christ. It is no wonder that we chose Sunday, the seventh day of the week to celebrate our weekly gathering as a congregation. When God made the heavens and the Earth, he worked for six straight days. On the seventh day, he rested. We too, are called to rest on the seventh day, our Sabbath, Sunday. The Third commandment also states that we must honor the Sabbath.

For us today, the sacrament of the Eucharist is the very center of our Catholic faith. The word Eucharist is not only used to refer specifically to receiving Jesus, but it is used to refer to our Mass. In the first major part of the Mass (the gathering of the people) the congregation gathers, the priest greets the people, we ask forgiveness of our sins, and we have an opening prayer. In the second part of the Mass (the sharing of the Word of God) we share the good news of the word of the Lord, and listen to the readings from Scripture. In the last part of the Mass (breaking of the bread) we share the meal offered to us by Jesus, and in sharing, Christ is present, as he was to his disciples.

The Eucharist, to me, is what holds our church together. We are one body in Christ, and he guides and protects us always. His divine presence with us in the Eucharist unites the people of the church as one. When we receive the Lord every week, he is truly with us, and we are truly with him. We work together for him and for each other, no matter where on Earth we are, because we are one Church.

Catherine Cote is a student at St. Mary School.