6/JESUS
6/4 THE EUCHARIST
JESUS FED 5,000 MEN. Jesus was
concerned about a large group of people who were hungry after following him.
Jesus instructed them to sit in groups on the ground. He then took five loaves
of bread and two fish, blessed them, and gave them to his disciples to
distribute. They were all satisfied having eaten as much as they wanted. The
disciples then picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments. There were
5,000 men who ate the food. This miracle helps us to understand the power of
Jesus.
THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST. On
the Thursday night before his death, Jesus celebrated the Jewish feast of the
Passover with his twelve apostles in Jerusalem. St. Paul tells us that during
the meal, Jesus took bread and having given thanks, broke it and said,
"This is my body for you. Do this in remembrance of me." He then took
the cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do
this in remembrance of me." The body and blood of Christ is called the
Eucharist. In this way, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist.
THE RITE OF THE EUCHARIST. It is
only during the celebration of the Mass by a priest that the changing of the
bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus takes place. The bread is
unleavened and the wine comes from grapes. The celebrant follows carefully the
wording of the Mass text and prays that God sends the Holy Spirit to perform
this amazing miracle. There is no apparent difference in the bread and wine before
and after the change; but through faith, the Catholic knows there is a
difference. This rite is performed each day throughout the world.
