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1200 BCE
The Israelites
The Israelites are the descendants of Jacob, who was later renamed Israel. They left an extraordinary religious and ethical legacy. They were some of the first monotheists, worshipping a single god, whom they referred to as Yahweh. Their religious texts from the ancient world, including the Hebrew Scriptures, served as the foundational texts of Judaism -
33 BCE
The Beginning
This was when, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus had the last supper with his disciples. He blessed the bread, which he said was his body, and shared it with them. He then shared a cup of wine, calling it his blood, and had everyone drink from it. -
150
Becoming a tradition
At this time, Eucharistic mass was mandatory on Sundays, and those who could not participate were delivered the Eucharist that day by the Church. Infants at this time could also receive the blood of Christ. -
Jan 1, 1215
The 'Easter Duty'
The Lateran Council insists that all Catholics must receive communion at least once a year during Easter. This was known as the "Easter Duty". At this time, consumption of the Eucharist was obviously less common than before, when faith was at an all time high and people were considering themselves unworthy to receive it orally -
Jun 13, 1215
Fourth Lantern Council
Law was passed to give people the right to the lay people to receive communion at least one time in a calendar year -
Jan 1, 1264
Feast of Corpus Christi
Pope Leo IV holds the feast of Corpus Christi. It becomes a well established tradition held each year. -
Jan 1, 1570
Pope Vuis the V
Pope Pius published a roman missal that throughly explained the ritual of the Eucharist -
New Law
Dedication to the blessed sacrament continued to shine, although people rarely received communion until 1910, when Pope Pius X permitted children who attained the age of maturity to receive holy communion and encouraged frequent communion by all the faithful. -
The Immensae Caritas
The establishment of the Immensae Caritas introduces some new rules to the church, such as the elimination of mandatory fasting for sick and elderly Christians. The eucharist is also now received by direct hand placement from the priest to the recipient. -
The eucharist today
When the bread and wine are consecrated by the priest at Mass, they cease to be bread and wine, and become instead the Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ. Everyone is then invited to have a piece of bread and a sip of wine or, if they would like to instead, receive a blessing. Pretty much, the eucharist is still celebrated similar to how the last supper played out and will probably to continue being celebrated the same for years to come