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Period: 1200 BCE to 1400 BCE
The First Passover
Christian thinking about the Eucharist begins with the Israelite people, and their “passing over” from slavery to freedom. God asked the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb, and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts. That night, when the angel of death struck down the first born of the families of Egypt, the Hebrew families, with the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, were spared. -
30
The Last Supper
The celebration of the Eucharist is structured around ritual actions. A ritual action formalises and makes sacred the everyday actions of our lives. It explores the significance of these actions. Symbols and symbolic actions have been used throughout the centuries in Christian liturgy and art to represent ideas contained in the sacraments. The bread and wine are symbols of nourishment. Bread becomes the body of Christ and the wine is symbolised as the blood of Jesus Christ. -
30
Jesus' Death
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55
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians
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1215
Obligatory to receive Communion
To encourage people to receive the Eucharist, it became obligatory for Catholics to receive Communion at least once a year, at Easter. -
Eucharistic Congress, Melbourne
Melbourne Diocesan Historical Commission, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.
