Eucharist

The Eucharist (see below for other names) is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of the instruction (reported in 1 Corinthians 11:24–25) that Jesus gave to do in his memory. It is a sacramental or memorial reenactment of what he did at his Last Supper in giving his disciples bread, saying "This is my body," and the cup, saying "This is my blood."

Christians generally do recognize a special presence of Christ in this rite, though they differ about exactly how, where, and when Christ is present. The word "Eucharist" is also applied to the bread and the cup consecrated in the course of the rite.

The word "Eucharist" comes from the Greek noun εὐχαριστία (transliterated, "Eucharistia"), meaning thanksgiving. This noun or the corresponding verb εὐχαριστῶ (I give thanks) is found in 55 verses of the New Testament. (Εὐχαριστέω, the uncontracted form, given in some aids for students, is not used in the New Testament.) Four of these verses recount that Jesus "gave thanks" before presenting to his followers the bread and the cup that he declared to be his body and his blood. The Gospel of John affirms this.

The majority of Christians classify the Eucharist as a sacrament. Some Protestants view it as an ordinance in which the ceremony is seen not as a specific channel of divine grace but as an expression of faith and of obedience to Christ.