About The Eucharist

About the Eucharist

 
The person who receives Communion wishes to be united with Christ and all that he stands for. United with the man from Nazareth who healed the sick, forgave those burdened by guilt, called on people to share riches, fed the hungry, raised the dead and taught the deep meaning of love.
A man who was united in a unique way with the creator God who has a love of each person - a deeper love than any human father or mother could ever have. The Catholic Church teaches that Communion spiritually strengthens those who receive.

In the Eucharist, also known as the ‘Mass’, there is always a reading from the Gospels, the four lives of Christ written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Listening and pondering on the Gospel readings helps us understand who Jesus Christ was, what he did, and what was important to him. Its obviously important for those who receive Communion to know the person they wish to be united with.

The central part of each Mass is the Eucharist Prayer. A long prayer, which the priest alone says, which reminds us of the Last Supper of Christ, the night before he died on the cross, when for the first time he asked his followers to eat the bread and drink the cup of his body and blood. The Eucharist Prayer links this offering of his life to his followers of Jesus to our lives today.

There have been many different traditions over the centuries in different Christian churches, but the most common tradition of the Catholic Church is for its members to receive holy Communion for the first time when they are about seven years old. Though we can never fully understand the mystery of the Eucharist, most children of seven or more can make sense of the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At seven, most children can distinguish between right and wrong, they have reached the age of reason.