The Eucharist

The practice

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and he did the same with a cup of wine. The Eucharist, also called the Lord's Supper, Communion, Mass, or the Divine Liturgy, is the church repeating that meal together.

How it is kept

A minister blesses bread and wine, or grape juice, and the congregation eats and drinks, usually receiving from the hands of others in an act of service. Churches differ on how often they celebrate it; many share it every week, some every day.

What it means

For Christians the meal is communion twice over: communion with Christ, and communion with one another across every dividing line. Traditions differ in what they teach about Christ's presence in the bread and cup, and the meal still gathers them around one table.