The Biblical roots of the Eucharist #1

Question: Where, in the Bible, is the Mass found?

Answer: The Mass makes present Christ's Paschal Mystery - especially his one sacrifice on the Cross, together with his Death, Resurrection and Ascension.  The origins of the Eucharist are in the teaching, ministry and, especially, the Passover of the Lord when he gave his body and blood for us on Calvary. The New Testament does not contain the fully developed theological language later used by the Church, but it contains the essential foundations of Eucharistic doctrine. 

All of the essential truths and components of the Mass are found in the Last Supper and in the post-resurrection meetings of the early Christian community that broke bread and declared the death and resurrection of Christ.  The institution of the Eucharist happened as a historical event in the Last Supper. In this way, we can say, without hesitation, that the Last Supper was the first Mass as it ushered in the New Passover of the Lamb of God – Jesus the Christ – who would fulfil his once and for all sacrifice on Calvary the following day.  When Jesus said, ‘this is my body’ we believe that he indicated that he is truly, really and substantially present in the Eucharist.

Looking south from the window at
Holy Cross Abbey,
Rostrevor, Co Down, Ireland

There are numerous references – direct and indirect – to the Eucharist across the pages of the New Testament (refer to John 6, Matthew 26:26–29, Mark 14:22–25 and Luke 22:14–20 in the Gospels along with 1 Corinthians 10:16–21, 1 Corinthians 11:23–32, Acts 2:42-46 and Acts 20:7.  There are, also, many passages in the Old Testament that catholic scholars and saints have understood as ‘prefiguring’ the Eucharist.  I will return to this latter point later this month.

As already discussed on this blog series (A hunger for truth, beauty and goodness), the teaching of Jesus contained in the sixth chapter grounds the Eucharist in the incarnation and the foretelling by Jesus of his imminent Passover in which his flesh would be given for the life of the world.