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Vocabulary

Holy Communion

a mutual exchange of love between God and his people, much like the covenantal love celebrated between a husband and wife in marriage: A name given to reception of the Eucharist

New Covenant

The new and everlasting covenant won for us by Christ’s Paschal Mystery. In this covenant is the fulfillment of centuries of prophecies and all of God’s promises for the forgiveness of sins. We are made members of the New Covenant by our Baptism, and we renew and participate in the covenant every time we receive the Eucharist. All the people are invited to be members of the New Covenant.

Fidelity

Faithfulness, loyalty, and continuing support

Communion

Intimate and mutual exchange in friendship from the Latin communio, for “sharing in common.”

Consummation

The point at which something is finalized or completed

Atone

To make an offering of penance as an expression of sorrow for an offence; to make amends or reparations

Memorial

Something that has the purpose of keeping a memory alive. The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, but, unlike ordinary memorials, the Mass makes truly present the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the Cross rather than merely calling to mind its memory. In all the Euchristic Prayers, we find after the words of institution a prayer called the anamnesis, or memorial

Manna

A miraculous food, “bread from Heaven,” that God provided Israel under the harsh conditions of desert life and that would come with the morning dew.

Bread of Life Discourse

Jesus’ teaching in John 6 that He is the Bread of Life, which He gives us for the life of the world. He firmly teaches that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood or we do not have life within us.

Anamnesis

a prayer recited by the priest during the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass, following the words of the institution, that calls to mind the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus to make these mysteries present to us. Greek word for the recollection of a past event.

Eucharistein

Greek word meaning “to give thanks,” from which the word Eucharist is derived

Sacred Mysteries

The profound, divine truths about God and salvation that exceed human understanding

Mystical

Having a spiritual quality or significance because of a connection with God that goes beyond our understanding

Last Supper

The last meal, at Passover, Jesus ate with His Apostles on the night before he died, during which He instituted the Eucharist. It was at the Last Supper that Christ instituted the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders and that He washed the Apostles’ feet, giving them a New Commandment to love one another.

Eternal

Without beginning or end; not constrained by time

Real Presence

The unique, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.

Transubstantiation

The word used to describe the changing of the bread and wine during Mass into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ

Substance

The essential nature of something. From the Latin sub, which means “under” and stare which means “to stand.” The Greek word for this is ousia.

Transcendent

Beyond the limits of ordinary experience

Liturgy of the Word

The first part of the Mass, in which we receive the written word of God. Here, the Scriptures are proclaimed and the priest teaches in a homily. We also join together in prayer for others and profess our faith.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The second part of the Mass, in which we receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Here, the priest prays the words of consecration and changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Those well-disposed also come to the altar ready to receive Holy Communion

Apostolic Succession

The handing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to their successors, the bishops, through the laying on of hands, as a permanent office of the Church

Ministerial Priesthood

The ordained priesthood who shares in the priesthood of Christ by acting in persona Christi capitis, that is, “in the person of Christ, the head.” These men do not preach, sanctify, and govern by their own authority but rather by the authority given them by Christ, the head of the Church, to act in His Person

Sanctoral Cycle

the celebration of certain saints throughout the Church year

Sacramentals

Objects or actions that are sacred signs of God’s grace and that prepare us to receive His grace and cooperate with it.

Epiousios

Mysterious Greek word for “daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer. From the Greek epi, meaning “above,” and ousia, meaning “being,” “essence,” or “substance,” it is translated as “super substantial,” or “super essential.” The only place in the Bible where this word epiousios is found is the Our Father passages in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3

Schism

A division caused by differences in belief. Among sins against the First Commandment, schism is the refusal of submission to the pope or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.

Ecumenical

Relating to the work of restoring unity among all Christians by bringing them back into the Catholic Church, which alone offers the fullness of the means of salvation

Holy Week

Name for the last week of Lent, leading up to and including Triduum and Easter Sunday

Beatific Vision

The immediate knowledge of God which the angels and saints enjoy in Heaven

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To Know

(Each question is the front of the flashcard, each answer is the back.)

What are the origins of the Sacrament of the Eucharist?

The New Covenant of Jesus Christ’s Body and Blood

What was the significance of bread and wine in the ancient world?

The ancients used bread and wine made for a great celebration that was both festive and religiously significant. When people entered fidelity with one another they ate and drank together.

What are the elements of the ancient covenant meals between God and His Chosen People?

The making of the break and wine, the cleansing of sin and anointing with oil, and the meat offered in sacrifice (Jesus)

What was the most important covenantal meal instituted by God in the Old Testament?

Passover

How does the manna in the desert in the Old Testament prefigure the Eucharist?

The desert manna prefigured the Eucharist in that, just as God provided the manna, Jesus provides His Body and Blood to nourish us as we experience the wandering of this life in our ongoing journey of discipleship to Heaven.

What is the Bread of Life Discourse?

Jesus’ teaching in John 6 that he is the bread of life, which he gives us for the life of the world. He firmly teaches us that we must eat his body and drink his blood or we do not have life within us

Who was St. John of San Facundo?

Priest who took a long time to say Mass and received much criticism, until he explained that his long masses were due to the fact that he saw Jesus in glory in the Eucharistic host.

What is the Eucharist and why is it important for Christians?

The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of the communion in the divine life and unity that of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. Without the Eucharist, there is no Church

What is Transubstantiation?

the word used to describe the changing of the bread and wine during mass into the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ

What are the two main parts of the Mass?

The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist

What are the effects of receiving the Eucharist?

We are transformed, and become more like Jesus. We are united more closely to Jesus and each other. Our venial sins are forgiven.

What is unique about the way in which God communes with us in the Eucharist?

The unique way that God communes with us in the Eucharist is through the Real Presence of Jesus Christ—His body, blood, soul, and divinity—present under the consecrated appearances of bread and wine. This is not merely a symbolic or spiritual presence, but a substantial and transformative one, distinguishing it from all other forms of communion with the divine.

What does it mean to say that God is eternal?

God is made out of nothing and everything and existed before time and will exist after time

What Is Transubstantiation and when does it occur?

the word used to describe the changing of the bread and wine during mass into the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist

Who was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque?

A French Roman Catholic visitation nun and mystic who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form

What is the Liturgy of the Word?

The first part of the Mass, in which we receive the written word of God. Here, the Scriptures are proclaimed and the priest teaches in a homily. We also join together in prayer for others and profess our faith.

What is the Liturgy of the Eucharist?

The second part of the Mass, in which we receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Here, the priest prays the words of consecration and changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Those well-disposed also come to the altar ready to receive Holy Communion

What is the Eucharistic Prayer?

The prayer in which the holiness of God is honored, is servants are acknowledged, the most super is recalled, and the bread and wine are consecrated

Why does the Catholic Church place so much attention on the sacramental life?

Sacraments mean that God is present to humankind and we respond to God’s grace through the ordinary everyday of life in the world

How does Holy Mass differ from a Protestant worship service?

Most Protestant services are informal, praise and worship, a motivational talk. The Catholic Mass is a formal liturgy

What can we do to dispose of ourselves to receive the Holy Eucharist?

Proper disposition requires full initiation into the Church, and we must live in a state of grace by avoiding serious sin or separation from the Church

What is the sanctoral cycle?

the celebration of certain saints throughout the Church year

What are sacramentals?

Objects or actions that are sacred signs of God’s grace and that prepare us to receive His grace and cooperate with it.

Why should we try to receive the Sacraments as often as we are able?

So we can be sustained in the growth of Christian holiness

What does the Eucharist help us to overcome?

the Eucharist separates us from sin

Who was St. Catherine of Siena?

a lay member of the Dominican order was a mystic, activist, and author who has great influence on Italian literature and the Catholic Church

What is the center of the Church’s unity and why?

the center of the Church’s unity is the Holy Eucharist because it Unites us together, as well as uniting us with God

What was the Great Schism?

The two great schisms of the Catholic Chechen are when the Eastern (orthodox) church separated from the western church (1054), and during the Protestant reformation, which divided western christianity from the roman catholics (1532)

How is the Eucharist future oriented?

it is the promise of salvation

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Potential Short Essays

How do the Passover, Manna from Heaven, and the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand each help us to understand the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Why do you think it is important for us to know what we are receiving in Holy Communion?

The Passover, the Manna from Heaven, and the Miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand all foreshadow and deepen our understanding of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The Passover reminds us that the Eucharist is a memorial of God’s saving act. Just as the Israelites were saved from slavery in Egypt through the blood of the lamb, Christians are saved from sin through the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God. In the Eucharist, we remember and make present that same saving sacrifice.

The Manna from Heaven shows us that God provides spiritual nourishment for His people. Just as God fed the Israelites in the desert with bread from heaven to sustain their bodies, He now feeds us with the true Bread from Heaven—Jesus Himself—to sustain our souls.

The Miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand reveals God’s abundance and generosity. Jesus takes ordinary bread and multiplies it to feed everyone, prefiguring how, in the Eucharist, He gives Himself to all who believe. It shows that Christ can satisfy every spiritual hunger.

Knowing what we are receiving in Holy Communion is important because it helps us approach it with reverence, gratitude, and faith. We are not just receiving bread and wine, but truly the Body and Blood of Christ, His real presence given out of love. Understanding this helps us deepen our relationship with Jesus and live out the grace we receive in our daily lives.