Describe and explain the way in which Christians celebrate Holy Communion'

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H.W                                23.4.05

RS: Coursework number 2: Christianity

‘Describe and explain the way in which Christians celebrate Holy Communion’

There are many different ways in which Christians celebrate Holy Communion, depending on the denomination of Christianity, in which they belong. Holy Communion is one of the seven sacraments found in Christianity. A sacrament is an outward physical act with an inward, deeper meaning, which can be obtained through various, specific rituals. In the case of Holy Communion, which is also known as the Eucharist meal or Mass, Christian worshippers believe that they receive the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, through the act of eating the bread, which symbolises Christ’s body, and by drinking the wine, said to be his blood. This sacrament originates back to the lord’s last supper. There are various beliefs about the symbolism of this ritual; these beliefs will be separately explored, focussing on the different Christian denominations.  

Jesus’ last supper celebrated the Passover story. This was when Moses had warned Pharaoh that all newly born Egyptian boys would die if the Jews were stopped from freeing themselves, and travel to the Promised Land. After Pharaoh had refused to make this happen, all Egyptian boys started getting killed by various plagues. As a result, God ordered Moses and his people to sacrifice a sheep, and paint the top of their doorposts with its blood, in order to indicate that the house is property of Jews not Egyptians, and so when the spirit of God went out searching for Egyptian houses with newly born children it would skip Jewish households and go straight to Egyptian houses.  The exodus symbolised the spread of Judaism, and the Jew’s departure from slavery to freedom, in the Promised Land. This links with the story of Jesus Christ’s death. Jesus was God’s first-born son, and thus was called the Lamb of God. God sacrificed his son, Jesus, for the good of all people and so that they too would depart from the slavery and the submission to sins and wrongdoings, in order to enter into a pure state of forgiveness and freedom. This is the key reason why Christians, of all branches, hold a great importance to Holy Communion, which remembers Christ’s sacrifice to them, which frees them of their sins up till this day.  

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Even though, most, if not all Christian denominations agree about the origins of such a ritual, they now have different opinions about how the service is conducted. The Roman Catholic Church believes in the idea of transubstantiation, which is the belief that the bread and wine that they consume at the Eucharist meal, has over the years, mystically transformed into Jesus’ real body and blood. Roman Catholics celebrate Holy Communion or Mass regularly. Roman Catholics believe that the Mass is a sacrifice. Each time it is celebrated Christ renews the sacrifice that he made for the sins of the ...

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