Eucharist

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The Eucharist

Since the earliest days of Christianity, the faithful have shared the "breaking of the bread":

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42 NRSV).

Two thousand years later, the Eucharist (from the Greek eucharista, thanksgiving) has remained the center of our worship, the “jewel in the crown” among the sacraments.

How can we in the twenty-first century think about Eucharist? What meaning should it hold for us? Our primary reference for this series is A Guide to the Sacraments, John Macquarrie, Continuum, New York, 1998 ISBN 0-8264-1100-2.

Sessions Sessions titles are largely based upon chapters from our primary reference, A Guide to the Sacraments	Downloads*
	PDF Format	PowerPoint
1. Introduction to the Sacraments	Presentation (114KB)	Presentation (127KB)
2. The Eucharist as a Meal	Presentation (196KB)	Presentation (109KB)
3. The Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ	Presentation (118KB)	Presentation (172KB)
4. The Eucharist as Sacrifice	Presentation (146KB)	Presentation (205KB)
5. The Practice of Reservation. Barriers to Intercommunion. Conclusions	Presentation (135KB)	Presentation (162KB)
*To download a presentation or handout, click and hold (Macintosh) on the link in the bright blue box under the desired format, or right-click (Windows) the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link as." Information on the format of the downloadable files can be found here. Presentations were by David Monyak. Any errors, awkward phrasings, poorly expressed ideas, problems in documentation, and / or opinions are solely his responsibility.

Primary Reference

A Guide to the Sacraments. John Macquarrie. Continuum. New York. 1998 ISBN 0-8264-1100-2.

Other References

Eucharist. Theology and Spirituality of the Eucharistic Prayer. Louis Bouyer, translated by Charles Underhill Quinn. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, 1968. ISBN 0-268-00498-6

Introduction to Theology. Third Edition. Chapter 18 "Sacraments," Owen C. Thomas, Ellen K. Wondra. Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, 2002. ISBN 0-8192-1897-9

Sacraments. A New Understanding for a New Generation, Ray R. Noll. Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, CT, 1999. ISBN 0-89622-993-9.

Sacramental Theology: A General Introduction. Kenan B. Osborne. Paulist Press, 1988. ISBN 0809129450

The Eucharist: Essence, Form, Celebration. Second Edition. Johannes H. Emminghaus, Theodor Maas-Ewerd (Editor), Linda M. Maloney (Translator). Liturgical Press, 1997. ISBN 0814610366