The Mystery of the Eucharist: Part 4

Why does the Church use wheat bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist? How are they changed into the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ? What does the preparation of the Eucharistic bread and wine in Bethlehem and their entrance into the temple symbolize? And who may receive Holy Communion? This part explores these questions to deepen our understanding of this sacred Mystery in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Why Is the Holy Eucharist Made from Wheat and Wine?

The use of wheat and wine for the Lord’s Body and Blood has a type (ምሳሌ), prophecy (ትንቢት), and mystery (ምስጢር). Its type is seen in Melchizedek, whose priesthood prefigured that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Melchizedek offered bread and wine, foreshadowing the Lord’s Body and Blood: “የሳሌም ንጉሥ መልከ ጼዴቅም እንጀራንና የወይን ጠጅን አወጣ፤ እርሱም የልዑል እግዚአብሔር ካህን ነበረ።” (Genesis 14:18). Its prophecy is reflected in the Psalmist’s words: “በልቤ ደስታን ጨመርህ፤ ከስንዴ ፍሬና ከወይን ከዘይትም ይልቅ በዛ።” (Psalm 4:7). Its mystery is reflected in the symbolism of the elements: wheat bread resembles flesh, while wine resembles fresh blood.

What does the Entering of the Sacrifice from Bethlehem (ቤተልሔም) into the Temple (ቤተመቅደስ) Symbolize?

The sacrifice is prepared in “Bethlehem,” a small sacred house on the eastern side of the church, named after the city where our Lord was born. The temple (ቤተ መቅደስ), meanwhile, represents Calvary (አምሳለ ቀራኒዮ ነው). Our Lord began His saving work in Bethlehem and brought it to completion on the Cross at Calvary, declaring, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Accordingly, the Holy Eucharist is prepared in Bethlehem, brought into the temple, and offered there. This liturgical movement symbolizes our Lord’s saving journey from His birth to His crucifixion.

“ጌታችን የማዳን ሥራውን በቤተልሔም ጀምሮ በቀራኒዮ አደባባይ በመልዕልተ መስቀል ላይ ተሰቅሎ ‘ተፈፀመ’ በማለት አድኖናልና የቅዱስ ቁርባን መስዋዕትም በቤተልሔም ተዘጋጅቶ ወደ ቤተመቅደስ ገብቶ ይቀርባል፡፡ ይህም ጌታችን ከልደቱ እስከ ስቅለቱ ያደረገው የማዳን ጉዞ ምሳሌ ነው፡፡”

What Is the Order (ሥርዓት) by Which the Bread and Wine Are Changed into the Body and Blood of Christ?

The Liturgical Prayer (ጸሎተ ቅዳሴ) through which the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ is a sacred prayer offered by the Church. During the Liturgy, the priest follows the Church’s prescribed order and recites several Eucharistic prayers. Among these, he prays for God to send the Holy Spirit and His power upon the bread and wine, saying:

“አቤቱ ወደዚህ ኅብስትና ወደዚህ ወይን መንፈስ ቅዱስንና ኃይልን እንድትልክ እንለምንኃለን፣ የጌታችን የመድኃኒታችን የኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ሥጋውንና ደሙን ያደርገው ዘንድ”

Through the power and working of the Holy Spirit, the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine becomes the Blood of Christ.

While this prayer is found in the Liturgy of the Apostles (ቅዳሴ ሐዋርያት) and the Liturgy of the Lord (ቅዳሴ እግዚእ), the other Liturgies contain similar prayers.

Similarly, following the priest’s lead, the faithful chant the following prayers:

ሀበነ ንኀበር በዘዚአከ መንፈስ ቅዱስ — የአንተ በሚሆን በመንፈስ ቅዱስ አንድ መሆንን ስጠን።

ወፈውሰነ በዝንቱ ጵርስፎራ — በዚህም ጵርስፎራ (ሥጋውና ደሙ) አድነን።

ከመ ብክ ንሕየው ዘለኩሉ ዓለም ወለዓለመ ዓለም — ለዓለም ሁሉ በምትሆን በአንተ ለዘላለሙ ሕያዋን እንሆን ዘንድ።

The priest then offers another prayer, known as “ጸሎተ ፈትቶ,” through which he breaks the blessed bread according to the prescribed order.

Afterward, the priest says, “አአምን፣ አአምን፣ አአምን፣ ወእትአመን እስከ ደኃሪት እስትንፋስ — አምናለሁ ፣ አምናለሁ ፣ አምናለሁ ፣ እስከ መጨረሻይቱም እስትንፋስ እታመናለሁ፣ በሁለት ወገን ድንግል ከምትሆን ከሁላችን እመቤት ከቅድስት ማርያም የነሣው የጌታችንና የአምላካችን የመድኃኒታችንም የኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ሥጋው ደሙ ይህ …” He then blesses the Holy Body and Precious Blood.

Although explaining the entire process here would be lengthy, it is through these and other prescribed sacred rites (ሥርዓት) that the bread and wine are changed into the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who Is Worthy of Receiving the Holy Body and Precious Blood? Is It Only for Children and the Elderly?

Many people mistakenly believe that the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ are given only to children, the elderly, and those who are seriously ill. This is a misunderstanding. Since the Holy Eucharist grants eternal life, forgives sins, and strengthens us against falling into sin, all the faithful need its grace and blessings, regardless of age, race, color, or gender.

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (የእግዚአብሔር በግ; John 1:29), who was sacrificed on the Cross at Keranioyo, taught that His Holy Body and Precious Blood are the food of life for all who believe in Him: ሥጋዬን የሚበላ ደሜንም የሚጠጣ የዘላለም ሕይወት አለው፥ እኔም በመጨረሻው ቀን አስነሣዋለሁ … (John 6:54).

Anyone who believes that the Holy Body and Precious Blood received in the Eucharist are authentic (አማናዊ/እውነተኛ), examines himself, repents, consults his spiritual father, and approaches Holy Communion with faith and humility, and who also believes in Christ’s divine nature (በክርስቶስ የባሕርይ አምላክነት ያመነ), understands the faith, and fulfils the Church’s prescribed canons of repentance, may receive Holy Communion, regardless of age or gender.

Conclusion:

The Church uses wheat bread and wine because of their biblical significance and their symbolism of Christ’s Body and Blood. Through the sacred liturgical prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The preparation of the Eucharist bread and wine in Bethlehem and its entrance into the temple symbolize Christ’s saving journey from His birth to His crucifixion. Therefore, the faithful who believe in Christ, repent sincerely, and fulfill the Church’s prescribed requirements are called to receive this life-giving Mystery with faith, humility, and reverence.