The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the
Church's life, for in it Christ associates his Church and
all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thank-
sgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father;
by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on
his Body which is the Church.
The Eucharistic celebration always includes: the pro-
clamation of the Word of God; thanksgiving to God the
Father for all his benefits, above all the gifts of his Son;
the consecration of bread and wine; and participation
in the liturgical banquet by receiving the Lord's body
and blood. These elements constitute one single act of
worship.
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover,
that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the
life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made
present by the liturgical action.
It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New
Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the
priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the
same Christ, really present under the species of bread
and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.
Only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucha-
rist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they
become the Body and Blood of the Lord.
The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are
wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of
the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces
the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the
Last Supper: "This is my body which will be given up
for you…This is the cup of my blood…
By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread
and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought
about. Under the consecrated species of bread and
wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in
a true, real, and substantial manner; his Body and his
Blood, with his soul and his divinity.
As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation
for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain
spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic
communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone
aware of having sinned mortally must not receive
communion without having received absolution in the
sacrament of penance.
Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ in-
creases the communicant's union with the Lord, for-
gives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave
sins. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the
bonds of charity between the communicant and
Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the
Mystical Body of Christ.
The Church warmly recommends that the faithful
receive Holy Communion when they participate in the
celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so
at least once a year.
Because Christ himself is present on the sacrament of
the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of
adoration. "To visit the Blessed Sacrament is …a proof
of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty
of adoration toward Christ our Lord."
Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ
gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him.
Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his
Heart, sustains our strength our strength along the pilgrimage of
this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us
even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and all the saints.