Why do we call our worship the "Eucharist"

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AngelicDoctor

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I do not know if holy_roamer is still looking at this topic,… but he began a discussion that was off topic from the original thread on the Traditional Catholic forum. I will post my response to some issues that he rasied in a new thread if anyone is interested. HR–I am not looking for a fight with a Protestant… I am just willing to discuss this matter if you are interested.
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Originally Posted by holy_roamer forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
*Thanks, I appreciate your write up on the Eucharist and l always enjoy reading Bible Verses. In my post to Kathleen I was trying to point out that by whipping out the term “Eucharist” she was alienating a lot of Christians that, by the way, the Holy Father hasn’t alienated.

I believe that it would be far more beneficial to the Catholic faith if the laypeople would stop substituting “Eucharist” when the word Jesus should be used. According to the Bible it’s the name of Jesus that has spiritual power, not the Eucharist. For those Catholic who don’t, “just do it”, and actually believe the Eucharist is more than a symbolic gesture, well more power to them. It’s between them and God, but I would rather hear the word Jesus.

Getting back to the topic of this thread, how can we expect anyone to come to a Tridentine Mass if we don’t hold up our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the whole world to see?*
  1. Why does the word “Eucharist” alienate or offend non-Catholic Christians? Do you understand what the term “eucharist” means as it appears in the Greek New Testament. The Eucharist is an ACT of worship… this ACT of worship is performed eternally by the PERSON of JESUS (Jesus offers this worship to the Father eternally–and we as the body of Christ are united with Jesus in this worship/offering). What could be more Christo-centric than being united with Jesus in his sacrifice of thanksgiving, praise, and loving self-offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit.
The following might be helpful:
"In the first multiplication of loaves, Jesus pronounces a “blessing” according to the synoptics (Mt 14:19), a “thanksgiving” according to Jn 6:11, 23). In the second multiplication, Mt 15:36 mentions a “thanksgiving” while Mk 8:6 speaks of a “thanksgiving” over the bread and a “blessing” over the fish. This practical equating of the two dissuades us from distinguishing at the last supper between the “blessing” over the bread (Mt 26:26 p; cf. Lk 24:30) and the “thanksgiving” over the cup (Mt 26:27, p). Paul, in any case, speaks of them inversely, with the “thanksgiving” over the bread (1 Cor 11:24) and the “blessing” over the cup (1 Cor 10:16). " --From Xavier Leon-Dufour, Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Word Among Us Press, p. 145. Read 1 Corinthians 10 and the Last Supper discources, and the multiplication of the loaves accounts… rather than “eucharist” (thanksgiving/praise) what would YOU call true Christian worship? St. Paul is telling us that this eucharist service is what was passed down from the Lord himself.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by holy_roamer forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
*Thanks, I appreciate your write up on the Eucharist and l always enjoy reading Bible Verses. In my post to Kathleen I was trying to point out that by whipping out the term “Eucharist” she was alienating a lot of Christians that, by the way, the Holy Father hasn’t alienated.

I believe that it would be far more beneficial to the Catholic faith if the laypeople would stop substituting “Eucharist” when the word Jesus should be used. According to the Bible it’s the name of Jesus that has spiritual power, not the Eucharist. For those Catholic who don’t, “just do it”, and actually believe the Eucharist is more than a symbolic gesture, well more power to them. It’s between them and God, but I would rather hear the word Jesus.

Getting back to the topic of this thread, how can we expect anyone to come to a Tridentine Mass if we don’t hold up our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the whole world to see?*

My quotation of the passage from Xavier Leon-Dufour, Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Word Among Us Press, p. 145) continues:

“In fact, it is the word eucharist which has prevailed in Christian usage to designate the act instituted by Jesus on the eve of His death. But one should remember that this term expresses praise for the wonders of God as much or more than thanks for the good which men have drawn from them. By this decisive act in which He entrusts to food the eternal value of His redemptive death, Jesus consummated and established for all ages this homage of Himself and of everthing to God; … In His person offered on the cross in the eucharist, humanity in its entirety and all the universe make a return to the Father. This wealth of the eucharist is at the center of Christian worship. …”

"I believe that it would be far more beneficial to the Catholic faith if the laypeople would stop substituting “Eucharist” when the word Jesus should be used. According to the Bible it’s the name of Jesus that has spiritual power, not the Eucharist. "
So, should we call our worship of God “Jesus”? Should a priest say ‘Let us go and celebrate the Jesus’? That does not make any sense. The Holy Mass or “Eucharist” is the ACT of supreme worship offered to God. It goes without saying–it is implicit–that we participate in this worship of Thanksgiving, Sacrifice, and Praise IN AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. It is so basic that there is no need to use the word “Jesus” in the name for our act of worship.
Catholics DO believe in the power of the name of Jesus. Catholics have litanies involving the Holy Name (of Jesus), we say the “Jesus Prayer” (meditatively repeating: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner’), most of our prayers have the name of Jesus in them. The Eucharist is all about Jesus–it is just that we call this act of worship the ‘Eucharist’.
 
Our celebration is a Eucharistic celebration. It is a celebration of thanksgiving. Eucharist means thanksgiving. We celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ in the gospel. We celebrate the gift that He has given us when we receive Him, Body and Blood, in the Eucharist.
We celebrate the reconciliation of God and man, not by any effort of our own, but by the grace of God. We celebrate Emmanuel, God with us. We celebrate the communion, the coming together of God and man.
 
“Getting back to the topic of this thread, how can we expect anyone to come to a Tridentine Mass if we don’t hold up our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the whole world to see?”

Not to take us back off topic and the Traditional Latin Mass in paritcular, … what about the Catholic Mass/Eucharist does NOT ‘hold up our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the whole worlds to see?’. Jesus’ word is proclaimed in the Gospel, his message is preached during the homily, his saving words are repeated during the prayer of consecration, he is lifted up high when the priest elevates the consecrated host, and He is received spiritually/bodily at Holy Communion. How is Jesus not held up to see? If you can’t see Jesus at the Mass… you would have to be blind! (at least spiritually blind)

I know that you say you would rather hear the name of Jesus and his preached word… but the Mass also includes the preached word… but the flow of worship proceeds from hearing the word, to re-presenting the sacrifice of Calvary, and finally to receiving the Lord truly present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in Holy Communion. This is the worship that I want.
 
Eucharist is comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving. If non-Catholics are offended because we consider our worship a prayer of thanks as well as praise, they are really stretching to find causes to feel offended.
 
I would also say that the Catholic Mass has a flow which proceeds through a celebration of the Word of God (first half of the mass: “the Liturgy of the Word” includes readings from Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel, homily (relating the Word of God through preaching), profession of faith (creed), and petitions… and this celebration of the Word leads to the celebration of the second major component of the Mass–the Liturgy of the Eucharist–with the re-presentation of the paschal mystery, the unbloody sacrifice on Calvary, climaxing ultimately in our intimate reception at the heavenly banquet–receiving the Lord Jesus body, blood, soul, and divinity.

All of this being a sacrificial offering of thanks and praise in adoration of God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.

The more Protestant notion of Sunday worship is centered on the Word of God as it is preached by a minister. I am just pointing out that difference in Catholic and Protestant worship. (ok–that is a generalization–baptists and penecostals will differ from, say ‘high church’ Lutherans and Anglicans… and Protestants will differ in the emphasis that they place and the meaning they give to their celebration of “the Lord’s Supper.”
 
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