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What takes place at the Eucharist is understood to be two-fold: ''one'', there is a line of development of Old Testament teachings, and ''two'', for the other, a certain view of the intent of the Gospels.  

What takes place at the Eucharist is understood to be two-fold: ''one'', there is a line of development of Old Testament teachings, and ''two'', for the other, a certain view of the intent of the Gospels.  

The bread and the wine not only signify the willing sacrifice of the Lord for the sins of the whole world, a perception shared with most Protestant churches, but they are considered signs of the covenant, in Hebrew, ''Otot haBrit''. Like the Signs of the Covenant in the Old Testament, they are primarily for the eyes of God.  This differs from the approach of the Protestant churches of the Baptist and Holiness traditions which understand the Lord's Supper to be merely "pedagogic", that is, a reminder to the people of what Christ has done for us on the cross, and a call for them to evaluate their lives in view of Christ's great sacrifice on the cross.  

The bread and the wine not only signify the willing sacrifice of the Lord for the sins of the whole world, a perception shared with most Protestant churches, but they are considered signs of the covenant, in Hebrew, ''Otot haBrit''. Like the Signs of the Covenant in the Old Testament, they are primarily for the eyes of God.  This differs from the approach of the Protestant churches of the Baptist and Holiness traditions which understand the Lord's Supper to be merely "pedagogic", that is, a symbolic reminder to the people of what Christ has done for us on the cross, and a call for them to evaluate their lives in view of Christ's great sacrifice on the cross.  

According to Catholic teaching, the people of the Lord are lifting up the signs of the Covenant to heaven itself. [[Sign]]s are different from [[symbol]]s. A sign is a visible evidence of a present reality, as smoke is a sign of fire, while a symbol is merely a conventionalized representation of an idea, as a stop sign represents a law governing traffic regulation for safety. Heaven (God) looks down and sees the signs, sees the faith of the people that are under the sign, sees them taking refuge in what the signs represent, so that the people are found safe under the wings of God's grace and mercy. The signs of the New Covenant are thus analogous to the Old Covenant signs that God looked upon—the blood of the lamb at the first Passover which was placed by the people who believed, which was seen by the angel, and so the people were spared; the circumcision of the Israelites at eight days of age, which Moses neglected to do for his own son, and was spared only because of the faithful love and determination of his wife who did the job for him; and the rainbow in the skies, which, when God would look at, he would remember His promise to spare the earth from more destruction by water as in the days of Noah. These are all echoes of the Jewish "Remembrance" prayers from the time of Jesus and thus provide the setting for the celebration of the Eucharist.

According to Catholic teaching, the people of the Lord are lifting up the signs of the Covenant to heaven itself. [[Sign]]s are different from [[symbol]]s. A sign is a visible evidence of a present reality, as smoke is a sign of the presence of fire, while a symbol is merely a conventionalized representation of an idea, as a stop sign represents a law governing traffic regulation for safety. Heaven (God) looks down and sees the signs, sees the faith of the people that are under the sign, sees them taking refuge in what the signs represent, so that the people are found safe under the wings of God's grace and mercy. The signs of the New Covenant are thus analogous to the Old Covenant signs that God looked upon—the blood of the lamb at the first Passover which was placed on the doorposts and lintel by the people who believed, which was seen by the angel, and so the people were spared, and they ate of the sacrifice; the circumcision of the Israelites at eight days of age, which Moses neglected to do for his own son, and was spared only because of the faithful love and determination of his wife who did the job for him; and the rainbow in the skies, which, when God would look at, he would remember His promise to spare the earth from more destruction by water as in the days of Noah. These are all echoes of the Jewish "Remembrance" prayers from the time of Jesus and thus provide the setting for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Aside from the setting up of the sign of the New Covenant, there is the other of the two-fold understandings of what takes place at the Catholic Eucharist:

Aside from the setting up of the sign of the New Covenant, there is the other of the two-fold understandings of what takes place at the Catholic Eucharist:

Taking their cues from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks about eating His body and drinking His blood, Catholics believe that Jesus meant to refer to the Eucharist and in a literal, not a metaphorical, way. The body and blood are presented to the people at the time of communion. How this is done differs according to which church body is in question.

Taking their cues from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks about eating His body and drinking His blood, Catholics believe that Jesus meant to refer to the Eucharist and in a literal, not a metaphorical, way. The body and blood are presented to the people at the time of communion. How this is done differs according to which church body is in question.

The Roman Catholic church, influenced by Aristotle through the writings of Thomas Aquinus, has adopted the understanding and belief that there is nothing any longer of the [[substance]], the essential reality of what is under the physical matter, the material forms, of bread and wine after the Celebrant's words are spoken over them, that the substances of bread and wine as food from wheat and grapes are no longer extant as food but are the substances of the essential reality of the flesh and blood and soul and divinity of the whole Person of Jesus Christ true God and true man. As the bodies of human beings transform the physical matter of food and drink into human flesh and blood and bone within a few hours, so Jesus Christ directly transforms the essence of bread and wine immediately into his own Person. However, the "accidents"—the taste, smell, and feel of bread and wine—remain ([[Transubstantiation]], [[Real presence]]). He gives himself as food to his people, that they may ''partake'' of his own divine nature.<ref>2 Peter 1:3-4.</ref>

The Roman Catholic church, influenced by Aristotle through the writings of Thomas Aquinus, has adopted the understanding and belief that there is nothing any longer of the [[substance]], the essential reality of what is under the physical matter, the material forms, of bread and wine after the Celebrant's words are spoken over them, that the substances of bread and wine as food from wheat and grapes are no longer extant as food but are the substances of the essential reality of the flesh and blood and soul and divinity of the whole Person of Jesus Christ true God and true man. As the bodies of human beings transform the physical matter of food and drink into human flesh and blood and bone within a few hours, so Jesus Christ directly transforms the essence of bread and wine immediately into his own Person. However, the "accidents"—the taste, smell, and feel of bread and wine—remain ([[Transubstantiation]], [[Real presence]]). He gives himself as food to his people, that they may ''partake'' of his own divine nature.<ref>2 Peter 1:3-4.</ref> They partake of the single sacrifice of reparation and worship offered by Jesus in the Upper Room and on the Cross as the Jews partake of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. This is why the priest at the elevation of the [[Host (Communion)|Host]] says, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world."

The Orthodox believe otherwise, holding that the words of Christ ("This [is] my body; This [is] my blood") indicate what happens, but without any need for an explanation of the mechanics of the miraculous change. What both of these churches agree upon here is the belief that the worship service offers a sacrifice. They assert that any offering is acceptable to God, even the offering of Christ himself in Christian worship, and that this understanding is supported by the Book of Hebrews.

In contrast to the formulation of the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, the Orthodox believe otherwise, holding that the words of Christ ("This [is] my body; This [is] my blood") indicate what happens, but without any need for an explanation of the mechanics of the miraculous change. It is quite simply and most profoundly an ineffable [[Orthodox Mysteries|mystery]], to be accepted on the authority of Christ Jesus himself. What both of these churches agree upon here is the belief that the worship service offers a sacrifice. They assert that any offering is acceptable to God, even the offering of Christ himself in Christian worship, and that this understanding is supported by the Book of Hebrews.

==See also==

==See also==