Eucharist
I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.
- John 6:53-56
The Sacrament of Eucharist, also known as "Holy Communion", is the third of the Sacraments of Initiation. Even though we are required to receive Communion at least once per year (our Easter Duty), and the Church urges us to receive Communion frequently (even daily, if possible), it is called a Sacrament of Initiation because, like Baptism and Confirmation, it brings us into the fullness of our life in Christ.
In Holy Communion, we are eating the True Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, without which "you shall not have life in you" (John 6:53).
Because of the intimate connection of the Sacrament of Holy Communion to our life in Christ, we must be free of any grave or mortal sin before receiving it, as St. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Otherwise, as he warns, we receive the Sacrament unworthily, and we "eateth and drinketh damnation" to ourselves.
If we are aware of having committed a mortal sin, we must participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation first. The Church sees the two Sacraments as connected and urges us, when we can, to join frequent Reconciliation with frequent Communion.
First Eucharist Preparation
First Eucharist preparation is in union with preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation (ie, baptism, confirmation, eucharist) emphasizes that our baptismal rebirth is perfected by a unique outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. Our full incorporation into the life of Christ and his Body, the Church, is then given full expression when we share in the Eucharistic Body and Blood of the Risen Lord with the entire Catholic faith community.
For more information about Confirmation/Eucharist preparation at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, contact the Parish Office.
Sacramental Preparation Registration Form
2020/2021 Sacramental Preparation Schedule
Session Resources