The most significant celebration in the Church's liturgy is the Eucharist. It is recognized as the source and foundation of all Catholic life. It is a celebration based on the Catholic Church's belief that it is a sacrifice that makes present the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, as well as the true spirit of Christ in the guise of beard and wine. Coming from Jesus Christ, when the Eucharist is celebrated, the body and blood of Jesus symbolize the bread and wine through the power of the Holy Spirit. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Christians believe that the Last Supper was the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his twelve apostles and is recognized as the Passover meal in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). During the meal, Jesus recited traditional prayers, broke matzot (unleavened bread), passed it around, and then added the words, “This is my body, which will be given as a sacrifice for you.” Subsequently, together with the traditional Easter prayers, the cup of wine was also distributed with the words of Jesus: “This is my blood, which will be shed for you. Do this in memory of me." Furthermore, the breaking of bread was celebrated by early Christians in response to Jesus' command at the Last Supper. Do this in memory of me. The first Christians gathered on Sundays and read the Scriptures together to recap the story of Jesus' death and resurrection; to remember him in the blessing of bread and wine. However, many ordinary people gradually became spectators as well as participants in the Eucharist. Some were struck with awe and felt unworthy of receiving the Eucharist because the entire Mass, along with the Scripture readings, were all recited or sung in Latin. Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council emphasized that the sacred table of the community would be recognized as the Eucharist. To make this statement understandable and to help individuals contribute fully, the Council authorized changes to the way the Mass was celebrated. The changes made to their liturgies consisted of; to facilitate participation in prayers and readings, the altar was brought forward so that the priest could look directly towards the people; different languages are used in the celebration of mass and not just Latin; now communion can be received under both species or to the consecrated bread and wine. In the Church today the celebration of the Eucharist is divided into four parts. These are; The Introductory Rites; The liturgy of the Word; The liturgy of the Eucharist; Preparation of Gifts; The Eucharist of the Gifts; The Eucharistic Prayer; The rite of Communion; The closing rites. Over the centuries, symbols and symbolic actions have been widely used in Christian liturgy and art to represent the ideas contained in the sacraments. The symbols of nourishment are bread and wine. Bread is the main support of life in many cultures as it represents the body of Christ and therefore the main support of spiritual life. Likewise, wine is the most common drink used during meals in many cultures. Therefore breaking the bread and taking the cup of wine are both symbolic actions in the Christian community. Ritual actions are structured around the celebration of the Eucharist to formalize and intimidate the daily gestures of our lives. The meaning of these actions is explored by the ritual actions of the Eucharist which touch on the following events participated in daily, which include: meeting, reconciliation, announcement of the Word, listening to the, 100(6), 986-992.
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