This is important for the Eucharist as Christians believe that Christ is the new Pascal lamb. Just like the Pascal lamb was the sacrificed victim whose death marks the start of the old covenant, so Jesus is the Lamb of God whose death was meant for sin and in a way ‘signing’ the new covenant. The celebration meal of the new covenant is the Eucharist, at which Christians eat bread and drink wine as Jesus did at the Last Supper.
While all Christians would agree on the above the different churches now have different opinions about what happens at the service. The Roman Catholic and the Anglican Church would argue that the bread and the wine become the body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation), but the Anglican tradition rejects this view on the grounds that Jesus made his sacrifice once and for all on the cross and cannot be sacrificed again, as he is now in heaven. So the Eucharist is just in memory of this event and it is by recreating the event that Christians remember the importance of Christ's life and death and resurrection.
The Passover freed the People of God from slavery. During his life Jesus celebrated the Passover. At the Last Supper he gave a new meaning to it. He became the new Lamb of God, whose blood would set people free from sin. The Mass celebrates Christ’s victory over evil and his resurrection from the dead.
The practice itself varies widely according to the denomination and whether the church practices liturgical worship which is sacramental, formal, structured and has ritual symbolism or is non-liturgical; less formal, less structural, less sacramental and flexible.
There are differences between the Christian churches in belief of the Eucharist; for the Roman Catholics the Eucharistic service, known as the mass, is the very centre of their worship, and members of the Roman Catholic Church are have to take communion at least once a year. Active Roman Catholics take it weekly or even daily.
Why are there such differences between Christians on this important matter? The answer to this is that there are values and teachings that Christians believe, but disagree on the importance with some of them.
The word ‘mass’ means “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.” The Roman Catholic and the Anglican Church share many characteristics including:
- They offer thanks and praise as they remember Jesus’ sacrifice.
- Just as the Passover meal, Jesus shared with his disciples was an expression of God’s covenant with his people, so the Eucharist is a covenant meal.
- It is a meal shared with God and fellow Christians.
- The worship is an offering to God.
The Eucharist is held in high honour by most Christians because:
- Jesus told them to remember him in this way. He said, when he gave the disciples the bread and wine, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
- The meal at which he said these words, the Last Supper, took the place the night before he died on the cross.
- They believe that at the Eucharist, the body and blood of Jesus are present. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross can never be repeated, but the body he offered on the cross is present on the alter
- They believe that when they receive the bread and wine, Jesus is with them in a special way.
There are specific aspects to Holy Communion which include the prayers of confession along with the peace (shaking hands with others). Here, the two phrases that are normally said are: ‘peace be with you’ and ‘also with you,’ these are an opportunity to make up.
At Holy Communion, the bread and wine are blessed by the priest who gives the people attending worship a piece of bread with the words, “The body of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and then a communal cup of wine saying, “The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is what members of the R.C, Orthodox and CoE churches believe – that the bread and wine are turned into the actual body and blood of Jesus, a belief called ‘transubstantiation’. Also in the main service, there are hymns, prayers, sermon, Bible readings (3 from the Old Testament and 3 from the Old Testament) as well as gospels.
Two beliefs show the Catholic approach to this service and these distinguish it from the Protestant Holy Communion. First, 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 world when he was crucified. Secondly, Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine change, when they are blessed in the Mass, into the actual body and blood of Jesus. This belief is one of the most important differences between most Protestant and Roman Catholics.
There are some practices that vary in different churches such as when the Lord’s Supper is being read, there are practices that can be carried out:
- Elevation – lifting the bread and wine
- Bells are rung to symbolise consecration
- Incense – prayers rising to God
- Genuflect – bowing on one knee
- Declaring faith by reciting the Apostle’s Creed
In the Catholic Church children first receive Holy Communion from about the age of seven. The bread sued at a Catholic Eucharist is unleavened wafer bread. They believe in the blessing on bread and wine to transform it into the body and blood of Christ (consecration). At the altar (standing), wine and water (symbol of baptism and blood and water from the wound of Jesus) is taken from a chalice (ornate cup) and wafer fro bread. There are messages that are given to the Catholic’s from the service:
- the way you behave,
- responsibilities to others
- the way you react to certain things in life (i.e. immigration),
- how we relate to on another.
In the Anglican Church it is normal for young people to wait until the age of eleven upwards, before receiving the Holy Communion. The bread used at the Eucharist in the great majority of Anglican churches is unleavened wafer bread. In some, ordinary household bread is used.
In the Free Church and Baptist, there is a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving. Also, in the Baptist church, in your seat, you receive grape juice in an individual cup along with a normal loaf of bread.
The Orthodox Church also believes is the consecration (transformation into body and blood), and at the altar (standing), bread is dipped in wine and is served on a long spoon so that it is not touched.
The Church of England’s practices are exactly the same as the Roman Catholics; the consecration belief as well as what happens at the altar apart from the difference that members of CoE receive it kneeling.
Other denominations believe that it is important when the bread and wine are made holy, however it is only a symbol when this happens, the bread and wine don’t actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Most Christians celebrate the Eucharist because when they do this they are keeping the life of Jesus very much alive in their hearts; they are following his orders. The Quakers and the Salvation Army do not have Holy Communion services. They believe that outward signs are not important. They believe that there is a danger that Christians may be more devoted to the sacrament than to Jesus. What matters to them is the way in which Christians accept Jesus in their hearts. Also, the Quakers have no sacraments, no liturgy, they do not celebrate the different seasons, they have silent praying unless someone would like to say something and they have no priesthood. Therefore, they differ from the other churches/denominations quite a lot.
The Last Supper/Eucharist is the central celebration of the Christian faith for most Christians. It expresses its most important beliefs of Christians today. This is why the Eucharist is held in high regard by most Christians because:
- Jesus told us to remember him in this way. He said when he gave the disciples the bread and wine:
‘Do this in memory of me’
At mass they remember the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper.
- They remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
- It marked the beginning that Jesus of the New Covenant.
At the Last Supper, Jesus said that this day had finally arrived. His death marked the beginning of this New Covenant. Through his death, the relationship between God and mankind would be restored. Also, through his death, God and mankind would become one.
- The Eucharist is a meal of thanksgiving. It shows the love and unity if the Christian community, which comes through taking part in the meal.
The Holy Communion is then ended with the dismissal which might include the hymns, prayers or a blessing.
To conclude, the holy communion is the most important act of worship for many Christians as it is the remembrance of Jesus dying on the cross for mankind and salvation. By taking the Communion, Christians can feel as if they are obeying Jesus’ instructions of remembering him in this way. It is celebrated in different ways in the different denominations because they have their own interpretation of how it should be celebrated. However, this act of worship may remind Christians of Jesus and what he has done for mankind, but even without this service, Christians should remember this everyday to show gratitude to God for what he has given us along with giving us the gift of Jesus who is our Saviour in my opinion.