“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
“New testament” here means new covenant, the one God promised through Jeremiah: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31, KJV). Just as Passover marked Israel’s rescue from slavery, the Supper marks a greater rescue, which is why Paul can write, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7, KJV).
Paul also passes on the words of the Supper, in a letter to the church at Corinth. He presents them as something he received and handed on, a tradition the church already treasured:
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”
Matthew and Mark add a line of hope. Jesus said he would not drink “of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, KJV). The Supper looks back to the cross and forward to a feast. In Faithero you can read Luke 22 and 1 Corinthians 11 in the KJV or the Douay-Rheims, and have the chapter read aloud before you go to church.
Its names: the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Holy Communion
The meal has several names, and each one highlights something true about it.
The Lord’s Supper. Paul uses this name in 1 Corinthians 11:20. It is the Lord’s, because he hosts it, and it is a supper, because it began as an evening meal on the night of his betrayal.
The Eucharist. From the Greek word for thanksgiving. At the Supper Jesus “gave thanks” (Luke 22:19, KJV), and the church gives thanks to God for all he has done in Christ. Catholic and Orthodox teaching both explain the name this way.
Holy Communion. From 1 Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16, KJV). The Greek word, koinonia, means sharing or participation (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon): sharing in Christ, and with each other.
The breaking of bread. The first Christians “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42, KJV). The two disciples at Emmaus recognized the risen Jesus when he broke bread with them (Luke 24:35).
Catholics also call the whole service the Mass, and Orthodox Christians call it the Divine Liturgy.
What Communion means
Christians hold several meanings together, even when they explain them differently.
- Remembrance. “this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, KJV). Not a passing thought, but calling Christ’s saving death to mind in a way that shapes us now.
- Proclamation. “ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26, KJV). Every time the church shares the meal, it preaches the cross without a sermon.
- Communion with Christ and each other. “For we being many are one bread, and one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17, KJV). The Supper joins believers to Christ and to one another.
- Thanksgiving. Jesus gave thanks before he broke the bread. The church receives Christ’s gift with gratitude: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:13, KJV).
- Hope. “until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, KJV). The meal is a foretaste of “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9, KJV).
How churches understand Holy Communion
All Christians who celebrate the Supper believe Jesus commanded it. The biggest difference is how Christ is present in it. Here is each tradition in its own terms.
| Church | How Christ is present | Where it is taught |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Real presence. At the consecration the whole substance of the bread and wine is changed into Christ’s body and blood, while their outward appearance remains. The Church calls this change transubstantiation. | Council of Trent, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1374-1376) |
| Orthodox | Real presence. The bread and wine, consecrated by the Holy Spirit, are Christ’s true body and blood. The Orthodox speak of a mystery and avoid explaining exactly how it happens. | Orthodox Church in America, “Holy Eucharist,” The Orthodox Faith, vol. 2 |
| Lutheran | Christ’s true body and blood are present under the bread and wine, which remain bread and wine. Lutherans call this a sacramental union. | Luther’s Small Catechism; Formula of Concord, Article VII |
| Anglican | Christ’s body is given and received “only after an heavenly and spiritual manner,” and the means of receiving it is faith. The Articles reject transubstantiation. | Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, Article XXVIII |
| Reformed and Presbyterian | Spiritual presence. Believers truly feed on Christ by faith; his body and blood are “really, but spiritually, present to the faith of believers.” | Westminster Confession of Faith 29.7 |
| Baptist | Memorial. The Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which the church remembers Christ’s death and looks for his return. | Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article VII |
| Mennonite | A sign of the new covenant. The church remembers Christ’s death with thanks, and the gathered believers share together in Christ, the bread of life. | Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 12 |
Many churches, such as Methodist, Pentecostal and nondenominational congregations, are not listed here. Ask your own church what it teaches.
Why Christians understand it differently
The differences come down to how to read a few short words. When Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26, KJV), Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran Christians take the words at their plainest, and they point to John 6: “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53, KJV).
Reformed Christians hold that the bread and wine stay bread and wine, and are called Christ’s body and blood “truly, yet sacramentally only” (Westminster Confession 29.5), while believers truly receive Christ by faith (29.7). Baptists, who see the Supper as symbolic, read “is” as “represents,” the way Jesus also said, “I am the door” (John 10:9, KJV). Many Protestants also point to John 6:63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63, KJV).
These are serious differences, and it helps to name them honestly. It also helps to notice the common ground. The Catholic Catechism itself acknowledges that Protestant churches, when they celebrate the Supper, confess that it means life in communion with Christ and wait for his coming in glory (CCC 1400). Every tradition in the table above agrees that Jesus gave this meal, that it centers on his death for us, that it joins his people together, and that it points to his return.
How often churches celebrate it
In the New Testament. The first believers broke bread often, even “from house to house” (Acts 2:46, KJV), and in Troas they met “upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7, KJV). In the 150s, Justin Martyr described Christians gathering every Sunday to hear Scripture, pray, and share bread and wine over which thanks had been given.
Catholic. Catholics are required to take part in Mass on Sundays and feast days and to receive Communion at least once a year, if possible in the Easter season, and they are encouraged to receive on Sundays and feast days, or even daily (CCC 1389).
Orthodox. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated every Sunday and on feast days, and rarely daily outside monasteries. Communion is given to all members of the Church, including baptized infants.
Anglican. The Book of Common Prayer (1662) required every parishioner to receive at least three times a year, Easter being one.
Other Protestant churches set their own rhythm, some every Sunday and some less often. Scripture does not set a number; it simply says “as often as ye eat this bread” (1 Corinthians 11:26, KJV).
Preparing to take Communion
Examine yourself
Paul writes, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28, KJV). Before you go, ask God to show you anything you need to bring to him.
Confess and receive forgiveness
Name your sins to God and trust his promise to forgive. Catholics are asked to go to Confession first if they are aware of a grave sin (CCC 1385).
Make peace if you can
Jesus said to be reconciled with your brother before you bring your gift to the altar (Matthew 5:23-24). If you have wronged someone, take a step toward making it right.
Keep your church’s practice
Catholics fast for an hour beforehand, except for water and medicine (canon 919). Other churches have their own customs. If you are visiting, ask who is invited to receive.
Remember and give thanks
As you receive, remember Christ’s body given and blood shed for you, and thank him. Look around too: the people beside you are part of the same body.
Discerning the body
Paul’s strongest warning about the Supper was aimed at a church where the rich ate well and the poor went hungry at the same gathering. He told them that whoever eats “unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29, KJV), and he added, “when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another” (1 Corinthians 11:33, KJV). Discerning the body includes recognizing Christ in the meal and recognizing his people around you. Communion is never just between you and God; it is shared. For more on the place of the Supper in the church’s life, see Christian Worship, and for the sign that comes first, read Christian Baptism.
Frequently asked
What does Holy Communion mean?
Holy Communion is the meal Jesus gave his followers on the night before he died. Sharing the bread and the cup, Christians remember his death, give thanks, receive him and one another, and look forward to his return. The word “communion” comes from 1 Corinthians 10:16, where Paul calls the cup “the communion of the blood of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:16, KJV), meaning a sharing or participation in Christ.
What does the Bible say about communion?
The key passages are the Last Supper accounts in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:14-20, and Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 and 11:17-34. The early church “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42, KJV). Many also read Jesus’ words in John 6, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, KJV), alongside these passages, though churches differ on how John 6 relates to the Supper.
What do the bread and the cup represent?
Jesus said of the bread, “This is my body which is given for you,” and of the cup, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20, KJV). All Christians agree they point to his body given and his blood shed on the cross. Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe the bread and wine truly become his body and blood; Lutherans believe his body and blood are truly present with them; Reformed Christians believe believers truly feed on Christ by faith; Baptists and others see them as signs that call his death to mind.
Can Protestants take Communion in a Catholic church?
As a rule, no. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Catholic Church does not share Communion with the Protestant churches, because it believes they have not kept the full reality of the Eucharist (CCC 1400). There are narrow exceptions in grave necessity (CCC 1401). If you are visiting, you are welcome to attend and pray, and you can ask the priest or an usher what is appropriate for you.
Do I have to be baptized to take communion?
Most churches ask that you be baptized first. The Baptist Faith and Message, for example, calls baptism a prerequisite to the Lord’s Supper, and the Orthodox Church gives Communion to its baptized members, including infants. Churches set their own practice, so if you are not yet baptized, talk with the pastor or priest. It may be the right moment to ask about baptism itself.
How often should Christians take communion?
The Bible gives no fixed number. Paul says “as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26, KJV). Catholic and Orthodox churches celebrate it at every Mass or Divine Liturgy, and other churches range from every Sunday to a few times a year. Whatever your church’s rhythm, the call is to come prepared and grateful.
Can you take communion at home?
Many churches bring Communion to people who are sick or cannot leave home; the Book of Common Prayer (1662) even has a service for the Communion of the Sick. Whether a family may celebrate the Lord’s Supper on its own at home depends on your church’s teaching, since many churches connect it with the gathered congregation and its ministers. Ask your pastor or priest.
A meal for people who need grace
It is worth remembering who sat at the first Lord’s Supper. Judas was there, and Jesus knew it: “the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table” (Luke 22:21, KJV). Peter was there, hours away from denying him. Before the night was over, “all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56, KJV). Jesus gave them the bread and the cup anyway.
Paul’s call to examine ourselves is serious, and churches rightly ask people to come prepared. But preparation is not the same as perfection. Christians come to this table because they know they need what it offers: Christ given for them. Whatever your church’s practice, come honestly, come with thanks, and come expecting to meet the Lord who invited you.
The Last Supper in the Bible
The first Lord’s Supper took place at Passover, the yearly meal that remembered God rescuing Israel from Egypt. Jesus told the disciples, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15, KJV). Then he gave the old meal a new center: