Symbols Within the Eucharist and Meaning and The Structure of Mass
The symbols featured within the celebration of the Eucharist, are a special language which resonates the alliance between God and Jesus to mankind. This is the language of the liturgy which manifests in the mark of grace given to us, via the symbols.
Bread and Wine: The bread represent the body of Jesus as he relinquished it for humanity’s salvations. Unity bonds the people of the world together as one loaf of bread is the survival source for all perpetually, which is Jesus’ life. Wine is an intrinsic source of joy as it’s a commonplace drink featured in meals in an array of cultures from ancient to modern, and invites people to participate amiably in the growth of Christianity. The substantiated Bread and Wine combined together create a meal that presents the notions of harmony, community, invitation and survival which are associated with the sacrament of Eucharist. Substantiating the Bread and Wine’s as a form of Jesus’ presence on this earth is the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s sentiment in the Celebration of the Christian Mystery “By the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become Christ's Body and Blood,” that show the divinity of the Holy Trinity in the bread and wine.
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Eucharistic Symbols
Laying of the Hands: In historical Church times, if one was to hover their hands over another’s head, this was the action of calling down the Holy Spirit. In the Eucharist, when the Priest raises his hands above the bread and wine, he calls down the Holy Spirit to consecrate the gifts, this action is called transubstantiation. The reason why it’s performed is so that every person who receives the bread and wine, commemorating and continuing the Last Supper’s tradition as Jesus broke the bread and said, “Do this in memory of me.” |