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~ FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY ~
The signs of bread and wine
The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says
the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples
to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique
bread of his Eucharist. [Jn 6:60] The sign of water turned into wine at
Cana already announces the Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes
manifest the fulfillment of the wedding feast in the Father's kingdom,
where the faithful will drink the new wine that has become the Blood of
Christ. [Jn 6:67] 1335
The institution of the Eucharist
Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at
Capernaum: giving his disciples his Body and his Blood:
 Then
came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb had to be
sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the
passover meal for us, that we may eat it...." They went ... and
prepared the passover. And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the
apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to
eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not
eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.".... And he
took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to
them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in
remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This
cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.” [Acts
2:42, 46] 1339
By celebrating the Last Supper with his
apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish
Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing over to his father by
his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the
Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish
Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory
of the kingdom. 1340 “Do this in memory of me”
Thus from celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal
mystery of Jesus "until he comes," the pilgrim People of God advances,
"following the narrow way of the cross," [SC 56] toward the
heavenly banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the
kingdom. 1344
The Mass of All Ages
As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr
for the basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They
have stayed the same until our own day for all the great liturgical
families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius
(138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did: On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read,
as much as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered
admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for
all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by
our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain
eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to
him who presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the
universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a
considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have
been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give
voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded,
those whom we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted"
bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent. [ St.
Justin, Apol 1, 65-67: Pg 6, 428-429; the text before the asterisk (*)
is from chap 67] 1345
In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the
bread, the faithful receive "the bread of heaven" and "the cup of
salvation," the body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for the
life of the world":
[1 Cor 11:24-25]
Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist ("eucharisted," according to an ancient expression), "we call this food Eucharist,
and no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is
true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth,
and lives in keeping with what Christ taught." [Ex 13:3] 1355
The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the Church
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present
and the sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of
the Church which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find
after the words of institution a prayer called the anamnesis or memorial. 1362
 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church.
The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of
her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites
herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the
Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the
members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with
his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice
present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of
Christians to be united with his offering.
In the catacombs the
Church is often represented as a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in
the praying position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the
cross, through him, with him, and in him, she offers herself and
intercedes for all men. 1368 “Take this and eat it, all of you”: communion
Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can only echo humbly and with
ardent faith the words of the Centurion: "Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea"
("Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only
say the word and my soul will be healed."). [CIC, can. 917] And in the
Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom the faithful pray in the same
spirit: O Son of
God, bring me into communion today with your mystical supper. I shall
not tell your enemies the secret, nor kiss you with Judas' kiss. But
like the good thief I cry, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom." 1386
The Eucharist – “Pledge of the Glory to Come”
At the Last Supper the Lord himself directed his disciples' attention
toward the fulfillment of the Passover in the kingdom of God: "I tell
you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." [Roman Missal
126, embolism after the Our Father; Titus 2:13] Whenever the Church
celebrates the Eucharist she remembers this promise and turns her gaze
"to him who is to come." In her prayer she calls for his coming: "Marana tha!"
"Come, Lord Jesus!" [Eucharistic Prayer III 116: prayer for the dead.]
"May your grace come and this world pass away!" [2 Pet 3:13] 1403 Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
2837 "Daily" (epiousios)
occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Taken in a temporal sense,
this word is a pedagogical repetition of "this day," [Ex 16:19-21] to
confirm us in trust "without reservation." Taken in the qualitative
sense, it signifies what is necessary for life, and more broadly every
good thing sufficient for subsistence. [1 Tim 6:8] Taken literally (epi-ousios:
"super-essential"), it refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body
of Christ, the "medicine of immortality," without which we have no life
within us. [St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph 20, 2: Pg 5, 661; Jn
6:53-56] Finally in this connection, its heavenly meaning is evident:
"this day" is the Day of the Lord, the day of the feast of the kingdom,
anticipated in the Eucharist that is already the foretaste of the
kingdom to come. For this reason it is fitting for the Eucharistic
liturgy to be celebrated each day. The
Eucharist is our daily bread. The power belonging to this divine food
makes it a bond of union. Its effect is then understood as unity, so
that, gathered into his Body and made members of him, we may become
what we receive.... This also is our daily bread: the readings you hear
each day in church and the hymns you hear and sing. All these are
necessities for our pilgrimage. [St. Augustine, Sermo 57, 7: PL 38, 389]
The Father in heaven urges us, as children of heaven, to ask for the
bread of heaven. [Christ] himself is the bread who, sown in the Virgin,
raised up in the flesh, kneaded in the Passion, baked in the oven of
the tomb, reserved in churches, brought to altars, furnishes the
faithful each day with food from heaven. [St Peter Chrysologus, Sermo
67: PL 52, 392; Jn 6:51]
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