Eucharist

The Eucharist is celebrated at each Mass and is the center of Catholic worship.The Words of Institution for this sacrament are drawn from the Gospels and a Pauline letter.The Church teaches that the Old Testament promise of God's salvation for all peoples was fulfilled when Jesus established a New Covenant with humanity through the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper—a covenant then consummated by his sacrifice on the cross,[115] which in contrast to some Protestant belief is made truly present in the celebration of the Eucharist.It is Catholic dogma that the bread and wine brought to the altar at each Mass are changed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the true Body and the true Blood of Christ (termed "transubstantiation") and that, by consuming these, believers are spiritually nourished and deepen their union with Jesus, are cleansed of venial sins, helped to overcome and avoid sin, unite with the poor and promote Christian unity.

Mass consists of two parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.According to professor Alan Schreck, in its main elements and prayers, the Catholic Mass celebrated today "bears striking resemblance" to the form of the Mass described in the Didache and First Apology of Justin Martyr in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.

Because the Church teaches that Christ is present in the Eucharist,there are strict rules about its celebration and reception. The ingredients of the bread and wine used in the Mass are specified and Catholics must abstain from eating for one hour before receiving Communion. Those who are conscious of being in a state of mortal sin are forbidden from this sacrament unless they have received absolution through the sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance).Because the Church recognizes their celebration of the Mass and priestly ordination as valid sacraments, intercommunion with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Assyrian Church of the East, Polish National Catholic Church, Old Catholic Church, and certain other churches — in "suitable circumstances and with Church authority" — is both possible and encouraged.The same is not true for Protestant churches. In very limited circumstances, however, Catholic ministers may give the sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation (Penance), and Anointing of the Sick to Protestants, but only if all the following circumstances are present: (1) the person is in danger of death or, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or the conference of bishops, some other grave necessity, (2) they cannot approach a minister of their own community (denomination), (3) they freely ask for the sacrament on their own accord, (4) they truly believe what the Catholic Church teaches regarding the sacraments, and (5) they have the proper disposition to receive them.Catholics are not permitted to receive communion in Protestant churches because of their different beliefs and practices regarding Holy Orders and the Eucharist.

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