WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EUCHARIST AND THE LAST SUPPER?
The origins of the Eucharist are found in the Last Supper. The Catechism teaches us that “in order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; ‘thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament'” (1337). In the context of the Last Supper Jesus instituted a new memorial sacrifice. As a perpetual memorial to his death and Resurrection, in the course of the Passover meal with his apostles, he took the bread “blessed and broke it and gave it to his disciples and said ‘Take, eat, this is my body'” (Matt. 26.26). In like manner he took the ceremonial cup of wine “gave thanks and passed it to his disciples saying ‘this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'” (Lk. 22.20). Finally, he commanded them: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11.24). Like the P
