Part III: Lesson 26

Question 1

154. What is the Holy Eucharist?

Answer 1

The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice. In the Holy Eucharist, under the appearances of bread and wine, the Lord Christ is contained, offered, and received.

Question 2

155. When did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

Answer 2

Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

Question 3

156. What happened at the Last Supper when Our Lord said: “This is My body…this is My blood”?

Answer 3

When Our Lord said, “This is My body,” the bread was changed into His body; and when He said, “This is My blood,” the wine was changed into His blood.

Question 4

157. Did anything of the bread and wine remain after they had been changed into Our Lord’s body and blood?

Answer 4

After the bread and wine had been changed into Our Lord’s body and blood, there remained only the appearances of bread and wine.

Question 5

158. What do we mean by the appearances of bread and wine?

Answer 5

By the appearances of bread and wine we mean their color, taste, weight, and shape.

Question 6

159. When did Christ give His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood?

Answer 6

Christ gave His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood when He said to the apostles at the Last Supper: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”