Quiz on First Part of the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Why is the Eucharist the Source and Summit of the Christian life?

• Source: The Eucharist is where Christian life comes from; it is the culmination of Christian initiation. All sacraments and the Church’s work are oriented toward it.
  
  

• Summit: It is the ultimate goal of Christian life, where believers encounter Christ most profoundly.
  
  

Why is it both a noun and a verb?

Noun and Verb: Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” It is not just something we receive (a noun) but something we live out in gratitude and service (a verb).

Why do we need the Eucharist?

• It is spiritual nourishment for the journey of faith.
  
  

• It sustains believers and provides grace.
  
  

• It fulfills our deepest longing for communion with Christ.

Why does the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes appear in all 4 Gospels?

• It prefigures the Eucharist, where Christ feeds His people.
  
  

• It emphasizes God’s providence and care.
  
  

• It prepares the audience for the deeper teaching of Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Significance of the Last Supper

• Jesus was celebrating the Jewish Passover Seder, linking the Eucharist to salvation history.
  
  

• He instituted the Eucharist, identifying the bread and wine with His Body and Blood.
  
  

• The Eucharist serves as a reminder of the past (Last Supper), present (Jesus with us now), and future (Heavenly banquet).
  
  

The Bread of Life Discourse and the Two Responses

• Found in John 6, where Jesus teaches that He is the true Bread of Life.
  
  

• Two reactions:
  
  

  • Many left because they could not accept this hard teaching.
    
    

The Twelve remained, with Peter saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Changes to the Mass from Vatican II

• Language: From Latin to the vernacular (common language).
  
  

• Altar Position: Facing the people (versus populum) instead of facing the same direction as the congregation.
  
  

• Lay Participation: Greater involvement of the laity, including as lectors and Eucharistic ministers.
  
  

Communion Reception: Standing, receiving in hand or on tongue, rather than kneeling at a rail.

Why do we celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday?

• Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, making it the "Lord’s Day."
  
  

• The early Christians shifted from Saturday (Jewish Sabbath) to Sunday to honor Christ’s victory over death.

Why can’t we throw out the consecrated bread and wine?

• Real Presence: The Eucharist is truly Christ’s Body and Blood after consecration.
  
  

• Reverence: Any remaining Eucharist is either consumed or reserved in the tabernacle.
  
  

Eucharistic Adoration: The consecrated Host is venerated outside of Mass.

Presence

• In a religious context, Presence often refers to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine.
  
  

• More broadly, it means being present, spiritually or physically, in a given place or moment.

Nicene Creed

• A statement of faith formulated at the Councils of Nicaea (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD).
  
  

• It affirms key Christian beliefs, including the Trinity, Jesus' divinity, His death and resurrection, and the role of the Holy Spirit.

Transubstantiation

• The Catholic doctrine that at the consecration in the Mass, the substance of the bread and wine is transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, while their appearance (or "accidents") remains unchanged.
  
  

Manna

• The bread from heaven that God provided for the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16).
  
  

A prefiguration of the Eucharist, which is the true Bread of Life given by Jesus.

Parousia

• The Second Coming of Christ at the end of time, when He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
  
  

Vernacular

• The common language spoken by people in a particular region.
  
  

After Vatican II, the Mass was allowed to be celebrated in the vernacular instead of Latin.

Anamnesis

• Greek for “living memory” or “remembrance.”
  
  

In the Mass, it refers to the memorial aspect of the Eucharist, making Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross present again.

Emmaus

Refers to the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), where two disciples met the Risen Jesus but only recognized Him when He broke the bread—a reference to the Eucharist.

Agape

• A Greek word for selfless, sacrificial love.
  
  

• In the early Church, Agape Feasts were meals shared by Christians, often linked to the Eucharist.
  
  

Passover Seder

• The Jewish meal that commemorates the Exodus, when God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
  
  

The Last Supper was a Passover meal, and Jesus used it to institute the Eucharist.

Consecration

The moment in the Mass when the priest, acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), says Jesus’ words from the Last Supper and the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.

Eucharist

• From the Greek "Eucharistia," meaning thanksgiving.
  
  

The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, the source and summit of Christian life.