Lesson 13
The Institution of the Holy Eucharist
The next six lessons will be about the Holy Eucharist. Even though this is the Greatest Sacrament, we will only spend six lessons on it this year, because we already produced forty lessons on the Mass in past years, and those are still available to you and your friends and family for FREE on RelevantRadio.com.
Do you remember the definition of a Sacrament from our first lesson? “A sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.” And that definition really fits the Holy Eucharist.
I’ll bet you already know when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist. It was at the Last Supper, the night before he suffered and died for us, when he gathered the Apostles in the Upper Room and said the words of the consecration and changed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood by saying “This is my Body” and “This is my blood” and then “Do this in memory of me.”
About six months before the Last Supper, Jesus gave the “Bread of Life” discourse in the Synagogue in Capernaum. (cf. John 6) That took place the day after Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes feeding five thousand men, not counting women and children. The people were so enthusiastic with the miracle they wanted to make Jesus their king, so they followed him and found him the next morning and said, “What do we have to do to perform these works of God?” And Jesus: “You have to believe in me.”
And that began the discourse on the Bread of Life. At the beginning of that discourse, you could argue Jesus was speaking metaphorically about being the “Bread of Life”, but when we reach verse 51 of the sixth chapter of St. John, there is no more metaphor: Jesus speaks clearly. He said: “And now, what is this bread which I am to give? It is my flesh, given for the life of the world.” (Jn 6:51) Flesh. Carne. Very clear.
If we want to be saved, we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. He said it very clearly six times during that discourse. And six months later, he said it for the seventh time: this is my body. And the Apostles believed. That was the moment of Institution, and we commemorate that every time we pray the fifth Luminous mystery of the Rosary on Thursdays.
So tune in every day of Lent to learn more about your Catholic faith, because if you Learn it, then you can Live it; and if you Live it, you will Love it; and if you Love it, you will never Leave it!
Please feel free to share these lessons with your friends and family, and let them know that it’s easy to sign up to receive these free daily emails. Be assured of my prayers for a fruitful Lenten season!
