A worksheet given to me at a seminar

A worksheet given to me at a seminar. It is quite good, at Upper School level especially, to help students see the link between our Jewish past and Christianity with regards to the Eucharist.

THE EUCHARIST : A MEMORIAL SACRIFICE IN A SACRED MEAL

The term "Eucharist" comes from the Greek word "to give thanks". Closely connected to this idea is the idea of being blessed by God

Human life is essentially all about being blessed by relationships. For nothing gives us more lasting joy, fulfillment or meaning in life than good relationships.

To deepen a relationship to its full potential, we need to give thanks. For when we do give genuine, mature thanks - we wee beyond the gift (or whatever we’ve received from the other person) and we recognise what is in the heart of the other, namely love. Therefore, to give thanks is vital to human life, for, we become more aware of our unity with others.

To deepen our relationship with God, we also need to give thanks.

When we give genuine, mature thanks to God, we see beyond the Graces he blesses us with. Then we recognise what is in God’s heart - we glimpse unconditional love.

The question arises however - how can we express our thanks adequately, for all God’s blessings?

This was the question faced by the Jews. Their answer was to offer sacrifices.

For most people the word Sacrifice means mainly giving up something valuable, it implies a loss. However, sacrifice had a much richer meaning for the Old Testament Jews. They had many different kinds of sacrifices. Some were completely burnt and destroyed, in others part of the sacrificial victim was eaten, others still the blood was a major part of the ceremony.

Basically in their sacrifices, the Jews were saying:

we want to be in union with you God
forgive us for sinning against you
strengthen our relationship with you

However, no matter how often sacrifices were offered, they were imperfect, because:

the sacrificial victim could never be pure
the priest was only human and could not be pure completely and would sin
the people’s intentions could not be pure

Though at times these were the very best they could produce, they could never be perfect. Therefore, they could never express their thanks adequately.

Jesus was a Jew, and grew up with the idea of sacrificing to God. However he was different. He was not only fully human but also fully God. He was perfect. He was the perfect;

sacrificial victim - Lamb of God
Priest - the supreme high priest
Intention - His will was always the Father’s will

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was perfect; it never needs to be repeated. It is the new and everlasting covenant. Jesus’ sacrifice was for our benefit - blessing.

to bring us into full communion with God
completely forgiving
strengthens and sustains our relationship with God

Returning to our earlier question, how do we adequately express our thanks to God? We do what the Jews did; we offer sacrifices. However we can now join Christ in his perfect sacrifice. We are joined with Christ’s perfect offering of thanks and praise to God the father.

It is crucial though, that we not just join Christ in name or be half-hearted. Christ asks us to participate as fully as we can. He gives us the grace to do just that, in the words " Do this in memory of me".

The word " memory" in Hebrew has more the meaning of "reminisce’. When we reminisce we almost relive something of the past. The Jews even become part of their past. So when they remember the Passover they are actually there with Moses. As Moses and the Jewish people were saved by God from the Egyptians, they experienced God’s presence in a powerful way - the present day Jews when celebrating the Passover, are united with and share in the very saving event they are celebrating.

Jesus (a Jew) in saying: " Do this in memory of me". intends the Jewish understanding

Be present with me on the cross
Be present with me at my Last Supper

To be more correct, we are with Jesus on the Cross (we are saved), by being present with Jesus at the Last Supper, as we celebrate the Eucharist. Therefore we experience all the grace of the greatest ever saving event - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christ’s presence in our world is not enough for us to be saved - we need to communicate with him. This is most fully visible when we receive him as food for our souls.

The Mass then becomes something very special. It helps us to make sense of our world. It is a picture of the true nature and meaning of our world and the reason for our existence.

The power of communal prayer
Listening to God’s voice in the world and bringing it into focus
Communion which is the reception of Jesus himself into our hearts
An understanding of true love - a moment of forgiveness and union with each other and God
We are present with Jesus at the foot of the cross

" At Mass, Christ’s offering becomes our offering; for in Baptism we became members of Christ’s Body. We are not spectators at the sacrifice of the Mass like other bored soldiers playing dice at Calvary, nor even like Mary and John looking up into the face of the dying Jesus. We are members of Christ's Body. We offer the Sacrifice through him, with him and in him."

How to approach Jesus in the Eucharist

with sorrow for our sins
with a desire to believe in his real presence
after confession if we have been in serious sin

Effects:

forgiveness of all venial sins and preserves us from future mortal sin
union with Jesus - preserves, increases and renews the life of grace received at Baptism
food for the journey
full communion with the church

Why go to Mass?

Keep Holy the Sabbath
Receive the grace of Jesus in our lives and the strength to go on , the forgiveness of sins
To listen to God: He listens to us all the time. We should take sometime out to listen to him