Eucharist

1 Pages 322 Words

History


On the night of Holy Thursday the meal was different from the other times because it was the Jewish Passover. This act was also known as renewing God’s covenant. When Jesus shared the meal with his friends, it showed them how much he loved them. One of the greatest symbols of the Passover Meal is bread because it sustains life. Jesus believes that when you think of him you take part in the Paschal Mystery. In the Infant Church the people would worship in the temple and then go to private homes to celebrate the Messiah.
During the First Century the meal was recognized as an agape. This means a love feats or common supper. It was told that at these common suppers people abused the bread and wine. Since some people drank too much of the wine, the celebration was set aside from the common meal.
In the Third and Fourth Centuries priests started to say their own prayers during the mass. According to some people the prayers were so meaningful that they were recorded in books. Today, most of ours prayers date back to the very early church.
During the Fourth through Seventh Centuries many things changed throughout the mass. For instance, in 384 the mass was to be said in Latin. The theory of an Eucharistic Meal began to fade out.
The actual presence of Christ in the bread and wine was being debated during the Middle Ages. By this point in time mass was being celebrated in a huge church because of the extensive number of Christians.
The 20th century was known as the reform century. The Council of Trent gathered in order to correct some abuses in the church.
Today the mass is said in several languages, and people are allowed to take communion by hand. The church is very concerned about how well the people participate and understand the mass....