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The Eucharist is one of the seven Catholic sacraments which assist the believer in the progression toward union with God, and is deemed the "source and summit of Christian life". [1] Belief that the Eucharist literally is the body and blood of Jesus, through a substantial change that occurs by the power of God, is rooted in the earliest church writings. This "mystery of faith" [2] is a critical element of the religion.
Eucharistic union with God is a primary component in the Catholic conception of prayer life, in which one progresses first along the purgative way, e.g., confessing sins before receiving communion, a tradition dating from the earliest period of the church. Later one passes along to the illuminative and unitive ways (see prayer). Nourished by the Eucharist, according to Catholic belief, the faithful seek to live by Christ as Christ lives by the Father.
Because the bread and wine are believed to be truly changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, any pieces that are not distributed at the Mass must be either consumed by the priest or stored in a special container called a tabernacle. (The blood of Christ must always be consumed.) Roman Catholics worship the Eucharistic species stored in the tabernacle. Especially notable is the practice of genuflection when entering into its presence. A special blessing, called Eucharistic Benediction may be given using the consecrated forms.
See Transubstantiation and historical roots of Catholic Eucharistic theology.
Since it prefigures the ultimate union with God to which Orthodox Christians aspire (see theosis), the Eucharist plays a central role in Orthodox theology, which teaches, along with Roman Catholicism, that the Divine Liturgy mystically brings the congregation into the presence of both the original Last Supper and the angelic worship in Heaven. The worship is centered around the union of the earthly Liturgy with the heavenly Liturgy, of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross with the bloodless sacrifice on the altar, and of Christ's Body and Blood with the faithful, both individually and corporately, as the Body of Christ (a term which refers both to the Eucharist and the Church).
The bread and wine, referred to as "gifts", are believed, as in the Roman Catholic tradition, to literally become the Body and Blood of Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Less theological emphasis is made on identifying a moment of consecration, such as the moment at which the arcane words are said. The Orthodox typically eschew Aristotelian philosophy, i.e. philosophy tending to categorize and organize, preferring neo-Platonic philosophy, i.e. tending to reconcile distinctions. The language of "transubstantiation" is therefore thought too precise and is avoided, in favor of the language of "participation". St. Augustine, [3] (d. 430) a neo-Platonist, helped the Church to develop a unifying synthetic theology, [4] categorizing many theological concepts yet seeking also their harmonious interrelationship, and of communion stating that "[t]he entire Church observes the tradition" [5], i.e. participates in it, and that the "sacrifice ... is now offered to God by Christians throughout the whole world".
Some Orthodox theologians and scholars do accept the term "transubstantiation", e.g. based on terms found in the Orthodox Confession of 1640 [6] made by Peter Mogila (Mohyla), metropolitan of Kiev, to refute a Calvinist declaration made by another Orthodox, Cyril Lucaris [7]. Orthodox sources are divided on the question of Mogila himself, some saying that he was too much influenced by Western sources, (ibid.) others saying that he was "ahead of his time" in promoting Church unity. [8] Irrespective of terminology, owing to the fact that the various Orthodox Churches employ the form, matter, intent, and apostolic succession that is their heritage and the Catholic universal teaching, they consecrate the bread according to apostolic tradition and teaching. Different apostles went east than west, and one will encounter differences in respective liturgy; for example, the Orthodox generally stand throughout the Divine Liturgy while in the Western Rite the faithful alternate during Mass between sitting, kneeling, and standing. Some theological variety can be attributed simply to a lack of contact since the East-West Schism in 1054.
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