Like all the sacraments, the celebration of the eucharist has changed over the centuries. Our short historical review will stress some of the highlights of each era.
The Early Years. We have seen how the eucharist began at the Last Supper and how the early community obeyed Jesus' command to "break bread" in his name (Acts 2:42).
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul describes a eucharist celebrated in connection with common supper, shared in the homes of the early Christians. This supper included the blessing of the bread and wine, the breaking of the bread, and communion. St. Paul tells of abuses at this common meal. For example, some people drank too much; others neglected to share their food with the poor in their midst. This shocked Paul because the purpose of the meal was to celebrate the Lord in their midst. Acting selfishly brought a serious warning: "Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation" (1 Cor 11:28-29).
Before long, the eucharist was no longer celebrated at a meal. For example, when St. Justin writes of the eucharist in 150, he does not mention a meal. As the numbers of Christians grew, the eucharist took place independent of a common meal.
Second/Third Centuries. Once the apostolic community was no longer on the scene, the developing liturgy increasingly used, read, and reflected on the writings of the first-generation leaders such as Paul. When Jewish-Christians were no longer welcome at the synagogue service, they added its prayers, singing, chanting, and homily to the eucharistic liturgy. Today, we recognize this development as the liturgy of the word.
In these early days, the celebrant at the liturgy had considerable freedom to compose his own prayers for the mass. Soon, however, standardization set in as the various communities began to adopt the prayers of their more eloquent celebrants such as Hippolytus (c. 215).
Fourth to Eighth Centuries. Constantine's toleration of Christianity (313) led to its rapid spread throughout the Roman Empire. This led to significant changes in the celebration of the liturgy.
- Latin became the standard language of the liturgy (384), as it was now the common language of the Roman world.
- The increase in the numbers led to a move out of the homes. At first, the assemblies met in basilicas (imperial buildings); later they built and dedicated churches.
- The clergy grew in numbers. During this era, they began to wear special clerical clothes. The need for liturgical books grew. At first, the church allowed much variety according to the region one lived in. But in the seventh century Pope Gregory the Great declared that the Latin Mass in Rome was the standard for the Western church. Pope Gregory's decree, with some changes made by Pope Pius V in 1570, gave the Roman rite its basic form until the reforms of Vatican II.
- The sacrificial aspect of the Eucharist grew in importance while the meal symbolism faded into the background.
- The theology of the period stressed Christ's divinity. This led to the people feeling less worthy to approach the Lord, the creator and judge of the universe. As a result, there was a decline in the reception of communion.
The Middle Ages (Ninth-Fifteenth Centuries). Theologians of this era debated the meaning of the "real presence" of Christ in the eucharistic bread and wine. They used the term transubstantiation to describe the mystery of the bread and wine being changed into Jesus' risen body and blood although the appearance of bread and wine remained.
Large churches, the stress on the sacrificial nature of the mass, the growing sense that the laity were spectators to a drama unfolding on the altar all led to a feeling that the consecration was the high point of the mass. Emphasis fell not on receiving Jesus in communion but on seeing and adoring the eucharistic Lord. Since fewer laity were receiving communion, a small round wafer (called host, from the Latin for "sacrificial victim") substituted for a loaf of bread.
Because so few received holy communion, the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) passed a law that required Catholics to receive communion at least once a year. Practices that focused on eucharistic devotion sprang up. These included elevation of the host and chalice at mass, benediction, exposition, forty hours, and the feast of Corpus Christi (the body of Christ).
Reformation to Twentieth Century. The sixteenth century brought about the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) convened to correct some of the abuses
that had crept into the church. It also defended some Catholic beliefs attacked by the Reformers. In the area of the eucharist, the church fathers reaffirmed the real presence of Jesus and the adequacy of the theological term transubstantiation. They also defended the sacrificial nature of the mass against the Reformers. Most significantly, Pope Pius V published a Roman Missal (1570) to bring uniformity to the official ritual. The church used it for the next four hundred years.
Devotion to the blessed sacrament continued to flourish, although people rarely received communion until 1910, when Pope Pius X permitted children who attained the age of reason to receive holy communion and encouraged frequent communion by all the faithful.
The Eucharist Today. Many years ago, a liturgical movement begun by theologians and accepted by church leaders led to some important reforms in the liturgy. Vatican II's key document the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963) was the high point of the reform movement. It led to the renewal of all the sacraments. Important changes that we take for granted today include the following.
- We celebrate the mass in the vernacular language so we can understand more fully what the mass means.
- The liturgy of the word has greater importance. Guidelines instruct the homilist to develop the homily based on the readings. The Sunday readings revolve around a three-year cycle. This emphasis has helped Catholics discover the scriptures.
- The altar now faces the people. This invites a clearer understanding of what is going on at the eucharist. It also symbolically opens the mass to fuller participation by all those present.
- Today's mass includes the Prayer of the Faithful, which links the eucharistic worship to the whole church, the world, and the suffering in the community.
- Active congregational participation is an important feature of the post-Vatican II liturgy. Before, we commonly spoke of "attending mass." Today, we emphasize "celebrating the eucharist." The mass is not a private affair. It is public worship in which the community, led by the priest, join in thanking, praising, and adoring God together.
- The revised ritual allows communion in the hand and communion under both species.
- The laity assume many ministerial roles today, for example, as readers, eucharistic ministers, choir members, greeters, and gift bearers.
In summary, Vatican II wished to make the eucharist a celebration of the entire community. Many of the reforms help us better understand the symbolism and meaning of the mass. They also help us gather together as a worshipping community.