The Master is here; He is calling you!

In his treatment of the Eucharist in the Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas said that the sacrament has three names, each one corresponding to one of the dimensions of time. As we look to the past, we call the sacrament sacrificium (sacrifice) for it embodies the self-immolation of Christ on the Cross…As we look to the present, we call it communio (communion), since it realizes the coming together of the body of Christ here and now. Finally, as we look to the future, we call it eucharistia (eucharist) since it anticipates the great thanksgiving that will take place in heaven when we are in the company of the holy ones, at the eschatological banquet. It is this final feature that the liturgy emphasizes when it invokes so consistently the angels and saints.


Bishop Robert Barron: Eucharist; Word on Fire; 2021, p. 44