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Practices in ChristianityThe Eucharist

Christian practices are varied and many of them, such as praying, fit into daily life easily. However, there are other practices that may happen only once in a lifetime, such as visiting a pilgrimage site.

Part of Religious StudiesChristianity

The Eucharist

The , also known as , is a sacrament that commemorates the . Not all Christians celebrate this sacrament.

The most important element of the Eucharist is the bread and the wine, but there are varying beliefs about the roles of these items.

Image caption,
Bread and wine is an important element of the Eucharist
  • Belief 1 - believe that the bread and the wine become the actual flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. This belief is known as .
  • Belief 2 - Some Christians believe that the Holy Communion is a re-enactment or commemoration of the Last Supper. The bread and wine are seen as symbolic of Jesus鈥 death.
  • Belief 3 - believe the bread and wine are symbols that can be used to bring people together as a community. They use non-alcoholic wine and the bread is offered from person to person.
  • Belief 4 - believe that Jesus is mystically present in the bread and wine.
  • Belief 5 - Christians believe that the bread and wine hold the spiritual presence of the body and blood of Jesus but do not become it.

Catholic and Orthodox Eucharist

Catholics and Orthodox Christians, who place more importance on the bread and wine than other , hold Eucharists more often than other denominations, such as . This is because they see it as an essential way of sustaining their relationship with God.

Catholics are given bread by the priest and wine from a shared cup, whereas Orthodox Christians take the bread and wine from the same spoon.

Question

What do Orthodox Christians believe about the bread and wine?