Rev José Mario O Mandía
jmom.honlam.org
We have seen previously that the “breaking of the bread” was an action that identified Jesus. The fact was recorded by Saint Luke (24:35) in his account of how the two Emmaus-bound disciples were able to recognize Jesus “in the breaking of the bread.”
Saint Paul, in I Corinthians 11:23-27, summarizes the Eucharistic doctrine, connecting the Last Supper with the Sacrifice of the Cross and the consequent Real Presence of the Lord. “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.”
How about after the times of the Apostles? Did this practice continue? And where can we find proof of it?
Here is where the Fathers of the Church come in. Practically all of the Fathers of the Church and early Church documents attest to the practice of the “breaking of bread.”
In the website therealpresence.org, Fr Burns K Seeley, SSJC, PhD provides a summary of the most important pronouncements of the Church Fathers. Let us mention a few of them, starting from the earliest testimonies.
THE DIDACHE (c. 90 AD also known as The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations). The word “Eucharist” (from the Greek word for “thanksgiving”) is already used in this early document. Where was the word taken from? From what our Lord did after he took bread: εὐχαριστήσας (pronounced eucharistesas – “having given thanks” I Corinthians 11:24).
The Didache says, “But concerning the Eucharist, after this fashion give thanks.” Then it indicates what prayer to be said over the bread and the cup.
It also indicates that a person needs to have been baptized before he can receive the Eucharist. “And let none eat or drink of your Eucharist but such as have been baptized into the name of the Lord, for of a truth the Lord hath said concerning this, ‘Give not that which is holy unto dogs’ (Matthew 7:6)” (9:1-5). This is why receiving the Eucharist is also called “Holy Communion” because when one receives, he is making a statement: “I am in communion with the Church and united to everything that it teaches.”
Moreover, it also requires them to confess their sins before communion. “On the Lord’s Day of the Lord gather together, break bread and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure” (14:1).
ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH (c. 110 AD) wrote: “I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ … and for drink I desire his Blood” (Letter to the Romans 7:3).
ST JUSTIN THE MARTYR (c. 100 – 165 AD) reiterated the need for baptism before one can receive the Eucharist. St Justin spoke of the change from bread and wine to the “flesh and blood of that incarnated Jesus” (First Apology, 66).
Justin also identified the Eucharist as the sacrifice that fulfills the prophecy of Malachi 1:10-12 (cf Dialogue with Trypho, 41).
All the other Fathers of the Church, particularly the FOUR GREAT EASTERN FATHERS (St Athanasius, c. 295 – 373 AD; St Basil the Great, c. 330 – 379 AD; St Gregory of Nazianzen, c. 330 – 389 AD; St John Chrysostom, c. 344 – 407 AD) and the FOUR GREAT WESTERN FATHERS (St Ambrose of Milan, c. 333 – 397 AD; St Jerome, c. 347 – 420 AD; St Augustine, c. 354 – 430 AD; St Gregory the Great, 540 – 604 AD) confirmed belief in the Eucharist as Sacrament of the Lord’s Presence, as Sacrifice of the New Law, and as Sacred Banquet that nourishes the souls of the baptized who are in the state of sanctifying grace.
(Image: St Tarcisius, young boy martyred in the 3rd century for defending the Eucharist he was carrying)
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