by Claudia Windal

Created on: March 01, 2010

With my helmet on and my flack jacket in place, I am ready to delve into one of the most sensitive subjects of Christianity: The Eucharist. The tradition of blessing bread and wine as understood in Christianity, and especially the time of Jesus the Christ, took place during the Passover meal. The only reference we have of Jesus speaking the blessing of these elements is while with his disciples on Passover. The actions of Jesus in blessing the bread and wine and distributing this food and drink to the disciples, grew in interpretation and importance following the death of Jesus and  his promise  to be with the people of God always.

Yes, the Eucharist is a relic. This conclusion is rooted in the fact that for over 2000 years, the Eucharist is celebrated in mainline Christian traditions and has retained the respect as well as the elevation by the Roman Catholic Church, as the complete Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  Some Roman Catholics (including Pope and members of the Roman Curia) favor a return to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (the Host), as well as an emphasis of the words of consecration which clearly announce the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

On the other hand, there are large groups of Roman Catholic faithful as well as Episcopal/Anglican and other liturgical traditions, who believe that the eucharist is celebrated as a remembrance of the gift given humankind in the person of Jesus Christ. The bread and wine are understood as reminders of that Passover meal where bread remained bread and wine remained wine. The prayer of consecration in most Protestant traditions is," On the night Christ was handed over to suffering and death, he took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,"Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for youl. Do this for the remembrance of me. After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me." (1979 Book of Common Prayer, Eucharistic Prayer A, pgs. 362-63). Once again, the Eucharist fits the description of relic since it is often considered an object of religious veneration (Webster).

I would venture to say that there are as many variations on Eucharistic understanding and belief as

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