Thursday 25th February 2021

L.C.  To understand the process of the Eucharist.

On Tuesday, we discussed the importance of gathering and some of the reasons that we gather together.

In Christianity one of the reasons that people gather together is to take part in 'The Eucharist' 

The Eucharist has many different names, one of these is The Holy Communion. It is a sacrament that means it is based on the life of Jesus. The part of Jesus' life it focuses on is the Last Supper (you watched a video on the last supper on Tuesday).

At the Last Supper, Jesus broke bread and drank wine with his disciples. 

In the Bible it says:

 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The ceremony of the Eucharist closely mirrors the Last supper as shown in the Bible verse shown above. The person leading the ceremony will speak similar words to that of Jesus. Following this, all people participating then eat a piece of bread and drink from a cup of wine (not all churches use wine).

The Eucharist usually involves the following 3 things:

• Prayers and readings are said that remind Christians of the Last Supper.
• Bread and wine is blessed.

• Each member of the congregation eats a piece of bread and drinks a sip of wine.

Not all Christians take part the Eucharist. However, most Christians see the Eucharist as a time when they can receive God's grace. It is often use as a time to remember Jesus' sacrifice. 

Different Christians have different beliefs about the Eucharist:

• Belief 1 - Catholics believe that the bread and the wine become the actual flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.
• Belief 2 - Some Christians believe that the Holy Communion is a re-enactment or commemoration of the Last Supper. The bread and wine are seen as symbolic of Jesus’ death.
• Belief 3 - Baptist believe the bread and wine are symbols that can be used to bring people together as a community. They use non-alcoholic wine and the bread is offered from person to person.
• Belief 4 - Orthodox Christians believe that Jesus is mystically present in the bread and wine.
• Belief 5 - Church of England Christians/Protestants believe that the bread and wine hold the spiritual presence of the body and blood of Jesus but do not become it.

The first time somebody takes part in Eucharist it is known as 'First Holy Communion'. This usually takes place when a child is in primary school. On the day they first participate the child will have a special lesson, dress in special clothes. Following the 'First Holy Communion', The child will celebrate the event with their families.

Watch the video below.

Go onto Seesaw and answer the 6 questions based on the information you have just read/listened to. The activity is called 'R.E. The Eucharist Thursday 25th February'. You will need to create text boxes to type your answers.