The Sacrament of Holy Communion He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. (John 6:56; cf. Matthew 26:26) The Sacrament of Holy Communion is the means by which to provide the faithful constant spiritual nourishment, "food" for the preservation and cultivation of their spiritual life. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst any more . . . . I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. Truly, I say unto you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; . . . . my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed . . . . He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.

(John 6:48-56)

Jesus spoke these words almost a year prior to his crucifixion. At the Last Supper, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. He broke it into pieces and gave it to His disciples, saying,

Take this and eat it. It is my body!

And Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks and gave it to the disciples, saying,

You must drink from it, for this is my blood which ratifies the agreement, and is to be poured out for many people, for the forgiveness of their sins.

(Matthew 26:26-28)

By virtue of this evidence Holy Communion also referred to as the Holy Eucharist is the center not only of our Christian worship but also of our very lives as well. It is nothing less than the re-enactment of the life, the teaching, the death, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by which we commememorate and remember His sacrifice for us. Saint Paul in Corinithians states that he received from Christ the revelation of the significance of the Last Supper. Saint Paul repeatedly states that Christians must perform this Act of Commemoration in rememberance of His sacrifice, of His death (First Corinthians 11:23-29).

The term "Eucharist" from the Greek implies "thanksgiving." Jesus offered Himself as the supreme sacrifice to God the Father and commanded this to be done in rememberance of Himself. The Eucharist, therefore, is the new sign which God established between Himself and the new Israel. The faithful -- the Christians -- must practice the Eucharist as often as possible. It is the means by which we express our thanks to God for the greatest of sacrifices. This mystery of the body and the blood of Jesus Christ is a realization of the unity of the failthful both with Jesus Christ and with all the members of His Holy Body, the Church.

Through the sacrament of the Eucharist not only do we give thanks to God, but also our nature enters into union with the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Our humanity becomes consubstantial with the divinity of Christ. Thereby, through the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, we achieve a corporeal unity with Christ.