Holy Eucharist is the most sublime Sacrament of our Church, the Mystery of Mysteries, the Sacrament of Sacraments. It is the eternal Sacrament whose value is incomprehensible and incalculable, and whose position in the worship of our Church is unique. The Eucharist is the centre of the Church’s life. It is the completion of all of the Church’s sacraments, the source and the goal of all of the Church’s doctrines and institutions.
In every other Sacrament we invoke God’s blessings on some material element and ask that it be sanctified. This element could be water, oil, etc. Only in Holy Communion do we invoke God’s blessing upon the material elements of bread and wine and ask God not only to sanctify them, but also to change them. We ask God to change what the bread and the wine are by nature into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
As a result, when we receive Holy Communion, we receive Jesus Himself into us. So great is this mystery that we are left without any possible response which could express what God has done for us. Therefore we offer the only response we can: thank you. As a word, the term “Eucharist” means thanksgiving.
As well as an act of thanksgiving, the Eucharist is a sacrifice. This can be seen from the text of the Liturgy- Your own from your own we offer You… In other words, at the Eucharist the sacrifice offered is Christ Himself. Christ is also the one who performs the act of offering. He is both victim and priest, both offering and offerer. In the prayer the priest reads before the Great Entrance, he says, “You are the one who offers and the one who is offered…” As well, “we offer to you”- the Eucharist is offered to the Trinity. …Holy Eucharist
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