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The Eucharist in the worshipping life of the Church

The Eucharist, or Holy Communion (sometimes called the Lord’s Supper, or the Mass) is at the heart of Christian worship. This sharing of bread and wine is Jesus Christ’s gift to the Church, deriving from the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples before the crucifixion. At the Last Supper, Jesus used bread and wine to teach his disciples about his approaching death and its saving significance for them, and for us. He also commanded that they should remember what he did, and repeat the action, giving Christians – even two thousand years later – a way of coming close to God and receiving God’s grace in a special way.

The central most important words in the Eucharistic prayer are called the words of institution:

Jesus took bread, and gave you thanks;
He broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper
He took the cup and gave you thanks;
He gave it to them, saying:
Drink this, all of you;
This is my blood of the new covenant,
Which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
In remembrance of me.

The Eucharist is one of what the Church calls the sacraments – special ways in which God acts upon us and communicates his grace.

The Eucharist is the central act of worship in St Mary’s. It is celebrated here on Sundays at 8am (2^nd, 4^th and 5^th), 10:30am (1^st, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th) and 6.pm (1^st and 5^th ), and on 1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays at 9:30am.

All Christians who usually receive communion in their own Church, of whatever denomination, are welcome to receive at St Mary’s. If you prefer, you are welcome to come to the altar rail for a blessing instead.

We now have a leaflet that explains the eucharist in simple terms which is available now or you might like to print it out for future reference. Click  HERE . You will need a programme such as Adobe Reader to open these files.

St Mary's - the Parish Church of Buckden