The Holy Eucharist (Catechism Section)

<The Holy Eucharist>

&Q. What is the Holy Eucharist?

&A. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his coming again.

&Q. Why is the Eucharist called a sacrifice?

&A. Because the Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself.

&Q. By what other names is this service known?

&A. The Holy Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper, and Holy Communion; it is also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Great Offering.

&Q. What is the outward and visible sign in the Eucharist?

&A. The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine, give and received according to Christ's command.

&Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace given in the Eucharist?

&A. The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of Christ give to his people, and received by faith.

&Q. What are the benefits which we receive in the Lord's Supper?

&A. The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins, [ Page 860> the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life.

&Q. What is required of us when we come to the Eucharist?

&A. It is required that we should examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people.

<Other Sacramental Rites>

&Q. What other sacramental rites evolved in the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?

&A. Other sacramental rites which evolved in the Church include confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.

&Q. How do they differ from the two sacraments of the Gospel?

&A. Although they are means of grace, they are not necessary for all persons in the same way that Baptism and the Eucharist are.

&Q. What is Confirmation?

&A. Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.

&Q. What is required of those to be confirmed?

&A. It is required of those to be confirmed that they have been baptized, are sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, are penitent for their sins, and are ready to affirm their confession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

&Q. What is Ordination?

&A. Ordination is the rite in which God gives authority and the grace of the Holy Spirit to those being made bishops, <page 860> priests, and deacons, through prayer and the laying on of hands by bishops.

&Q. What is Holy Matrimony?

&A. Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which the woman and man enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows.

&Q. What is Reconciliation of a Penitent?

&A. Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution.

&Q. What is Unction of the Sick?

&A. Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body.

&Q. Is God's activity limited to these rites?

&A. God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out to us.

&Q. How are the sacraments related to our Christian hope?

&A. Sacraments sustain our present hope and anticipate its future fulfillment.

<The Christian Hope>

&Q. What is the Christian hope?

&A. The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God's purpose for the world.

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&Q. What do we mean by the coming of Christ in glory?

&A. By the coming of Christ in glory, we mean that Christ will come, not in weakness but in power, and will make all things new.

&Q. What do we mean by heaven and hell?

&A. By heaven, we mean eternal life in our enjoyment of God; by hell, we mean eternal death in our rejection of God.

&Q. Why do we pray for the dead?

&A. We pray for them, because we still hold them in our love, and because we trust that in God's presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is.

&Q. What do we mean by the last judgment?

&A. We believe that Christ will come in glory and judge the living and the dead.

&Q. What do we mean by the resurrection of the body?

&A. We mean that God will raise us from death in the fullness of our being, that we may live with Christ in the communion of the saints.

&Q. What is the communion of saints?

&A. The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.

&Q. What do we mean by everlasting life?

&A. By everlasting life, we mean a new existence, in which we are united with all the people of God, in the joy of fully knowing and loving God and each other.

&Q. What, then, is our assurance as Christians?

&A. Our assurance as Christians is that nothing, not even death, shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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