The Eucharist in the Early Church
Part I: The Structure of the Early Mass
Above: This is the first in a seven-part series on the Eucharist in the Early Church.
In this year of Eucharistic Revival and with the Bread of Life Discourse (Jn. 6) being read at Mass in the coming weeks, I intend each article of this series to answer the following fundamental question: “Are our beliefs and practices surrounding the Eucharist a result of recent and arbitrary selection, or do they have a deeper origin?” The clear answer from my wording is the latter option: our Catholic faith traces all the way back to Jesus’ teachings and the apostolic tradition. As Mike Aquilina states in his book The Mass of the Early Christians (OSV 2007), “The first Christians, like today’s Christians, experienced the Mass as a sacrament, a sacrifice, the new Passover, the re-presentation of the Paschal Mystery, the communion of God with man, the revelation of heavenly worship, and the source and summit of the Church’s life and unity.” Though not in every particular detail, the Mass fundamentally recalls the events of the Last Supper and the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ 2,000 years ago. We take seriously the words of Jesus: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
The structure of the early Mass can be gleaned from several good sources of the early centuries. St. Justin Martyr, writing in the 150’s AD, states succinctly, “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or countryside gather in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles [Gospels] or the writings of the prophets are read…then the president [priest] instructs and exhorts them to imitate these good things [homily]…then bread and wine with water are brought forth, and the president offers prayers and thanksgiving [consecration] …The people assent, saying “Amen”; and there is a distribution to each of the eucharistic elements [communion].” In this short description you can see all the major elements of the liturgy present: Old and New Testament readings, a homily, and a Liturgy of the Eucharist which includes an offertory prayer, a consecratory prayer, and a time of holy communion. St. Justin even mentions a collection! ;)
St. Hippolytus of Rome, writing in the early 200’s, adds more specificity to this consecratory prayer, which begins with the responses, “The Lord be with you.” “And with your spirit.” “Lift up your hearts.” “We lift them up to the Lord.” “Let us give thanks to the Lord.” “It is proper and right.” This dialogue between priest and people occurs at each Mass. These brief examples point out just how unarbitrary or modern the structure of the Mass is! As we continue, we’ll learn more about the consecration and the Real Presence, unworthy communion and Church unity, the Eucharist’s Old Testament roots, and the Eucharist and martyrdom. Stay tuned!