Eucharist Facts for Kids

The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, is a special religious ceremony in many Christian churches. It's a way for Christians to remember Jesus Christ. This tradition began at the Last Supper, when Jesus asked his followers to eat bread and drink wine to remember him. The word "Eucharist" comes from a Greek word meaning "thanksgiving".

What Catholics Believe About the Eucharist
- Jesus' Presence in the Eucharist
What Other Churches Believe
- Protestant and Lutheran Views
- Latter Day Saints' Sacrament
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What Catholics Believe About the Eucharist

Jesus' Presence in the Eucharist

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is truly Jesus Christ himself. During a special church service called a Mass, the bread and wine change. They become the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This change is called transubstantiation.

Even though the bread and wine still look and taste the same, Catholics believe they are no longer just bread and wine. They are the Body and Blood of Jesus. Catholics who are ready to receive communion come forward to receive Christ. This belief comes from what Jesus said: "Eat my Body and Drink my Blood" (John chapter 6).

Many Protestant churches believe these words were meant as a symbol. However, the Catholic Church bases its belief on a long tradition passed down through the church's history. Early Christian leaders, like St. Ignatius of Antioch in the first century and St. Justin Martyr in the second century, wrote about this belief. They explained that Christians received the Eucharist not as ordinary food, but as the Flesh and Blood of Jesus.

What Other Churches Believe

Protestant and Lutheran Views

Most Protestant churches, except for Lutheranism, see communion as a very important symbolic act. They eat small wafers or bread and drink wine or grape juice. They believe this helps them remember what Christ commanded, but they do not believe it is the actual body and blood of Jesus. Some churches offer communion daily, others weekly, monthly, or a few times a year.

Unlike the Catholic teaching, Lutherans teach that the bread and wine are truly Jesus' body and blood, but they are still bread and wine at the same time. This is called consubstantiation.

Latter Day Saints' Sacrament

In the Latter Day Saints or "Mormon" Church, followers eat small pieces of bread and drink water. They believe this is a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus. They call this ceremony the Sacrament. They also believe it helps them renew the promises they made during their baptism.

Images for kids

The Eucharist has been a key theme in the depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art, as in this 16th-century Juan de Juanes painting, after Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.
A Kremikovtsi Monastery fresco (15th century) depicting the Last Supper celebrated by Jesus and his disciples. The early Christians too would have celebrated this meal to commemorate Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection.
Eucharistic window (1898–1900) by Józef Mehoffer
Christ with the Eucharist, Vicente Juan Masip, 16th century.
Early Christian painting of an Agape feast.
At a Solemn Tridentine Mass, the Host is displayed to the people before Communion.
Eucharistic celebration at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima.
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass.
Eucharistic elements prepared for the Divine Liturgy
Illuminated title of "The Holy Communion" from the 1845 illustrated Book of Common Prayer.
The serving of elements individually, to be taken in unison, is common among Baptists.
Table set for the Eucharist in an ELCA service
Many Presbyterian churches historically used communion tokens to provide entrance to the Lord's Supper.
A United Methodist minister consecrating the elements
Communion elements: matzo is sometimes used for bread, emphasising the "re-creation" of the Last Supper.
In the Western Catholic Church, the administration of the Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion.
Worshippers kneel and bow in the street during the Eucharist Procession, London, England.
The Eucharist displayed in a monstrance, flanked by candles