Why is the Catholic belief of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus central to the celebration of the Eucharist?
The Eucharist is a perpetual reminder of Christs sacrifice for all the people of the catholic faith. The philosophy of transubstantiation states that during the sacrament of communion, the bread and wine is transformed into the body and blood of Christ. All that remains of the original bread and wine is its physical body. The paschal mystery (the death and resurrection of Jesus) is central to the celebration of the Eucharist because in many ways the Eucharist is an act of remembrance. When Jesus breaks the bread during the last supper and gives it to his disciples, he tells them to “do this in memory of me”. This is evidence from both the bible and the mass that it was Jesus’ intention for the act of communion to be a reminder of what he died for. He wants his followers, through the Eucharist, to live out the values he displayed during his time on Earth. The words and actions of the Last Supper are repeated during every Mass at the Eucharistic. The resurrection is an important part of the sacrament because it supports the notion that Jesus will always be with us. We know that when we base our lives in accordance to Jesus teachings, that he will always be a big part of our lives