denominations are centered in the memory of it.
Although the Eucharist is celebrated by most Christians, the ceremonies
surrounding it and the rites and the forms in which it is celebrated
vary. These have developed through the centuries from place to place.
Different rites that arose in various Eastern churches are still in use
today, for example, among Byzantine, Coptic, Armenian, Ukrainian,
Maronite, East Syrian, and West Syrian Christians. These churches
celebrate the Eucharist in rituals and styles using local languages and
customs. Their rites are different from what is common in the Western
church. While many rites have developed in the Western church in the
past, the Roman Rite has gradually become the largest and the most
widely used.
Biblical Roots of the Eucharist
Different theologies of the Eucharist and understandings of its
meaning exist among the churches of East and West, but at the heart
of it is the scriptural teaching that the Eucharist was instituted by
Christ at the Last Supper as the memorial of his death. Catholic and
Orthodox Christians understand the presence of Christ in the Eucharist
very immediately, as they take seriously the words of institution: “This
is my body, which will be given up for you. . . . This is my blood which
will be poured out for you.” But most Orthodox Christians insist that
while there is an actual transformation in the eucharistic species (the
bread and the wine), the manner of the change remains a mystery
that cannot be analyzed or explained rationally.
From the earliest days of Christianity, the followers of Christ have brought
their deepest needs and desires to the table of the Lord.
There have been attempts in the history of ѡ