Evangelism and Apologetics
Eucharist
Passover
Just as John the Baptist called Jesus "the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world," so St. Paul calls Christ the Passover Lamb: 1 Cor. 5:6-8. The Last Supper was a Passover feast. (Mt. 26:19), so the first place to start with the Eucharist is to see the connections with Passover. 

OT Background	NT Fulfillment
+ No broken bones, Ex. 12:46	+ Jn. 19:33
+ Use of a hyssop branch --, Ex. 12:22	+ Jn. 19:29
+ The lamb must be unblemished Ex. 12:5	+ 1 Pet. 1:19, Rev. 5:6
+ The Passover was a sacrifice. Ex. 12:27	+ At the Last Supper, Jesus used the language of sacrifice, e.g., "shed for many for the forgiveness of sins" Mt. 26:28.  
+ The lamb had to be eaten.	+ "Take, eat" (1 Cor. 11:24)
    Ex. 12:8-12; 24:1-11

Eating a sacrifice means participating in it. See Ex. 34:15, Lev. 7:21, 1 Cor. 10:21

Jesus' use of the term "Blood of the Covenant" shows even more clearly that the Eucharist is a sacrifice. See Ex. 24:8 Cf. Mt. 26:28. Cf. Heb. 10:29
Other OT Prefigures of the Eucharist
•	Melchizedek greets Abraham with bread and wine -- Gen. 14:18-20, Ps. 109(110):4; Cf. Heb. 5:6-10, 7:14-17
•	Malachi prophesies a pure offering -- Mal. 1:10-14 (He uses the term for a gift offering of grain) 
•	Bread from Heaven -- God fed the people of Israel with manna in the wilderness (Ex. 16:14 ff.), but Jesus said He is the true manna (John 6:31-35). 
Prefigures of the Eucharist in Jesus’ Ministry 
•	He was born in Bethlehem (which means "House of Bread") and was laid in a manger, which is a feeding box. 
•	John's statement, "Behold the Lamb of God" (Jn. 1:29) points to Jesus as the Passover lamb. 
•	The miracle of the loaves and fishes and the story of Jesus walking on water indicates Jesus' control over the properties of nature and the power of His word. 
Major NT Passages on the Eucharist
•	Mt. 26:26-29
•	Mk. 14:22-25
•	Lk. 22:13-20 (note the two different cups -- there were a total of four cups in the Passover ritual) 
•	John 6 
•	1 Cor. 10:16-17
•	1 Cor. 11:17-34
True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
•	Real Presence is the natural reading of Jesus' words: "This is my body, this is my blood" -- 1 Cor 10:16, John 6:51-58
•	See also Luke 24:13-31,where the disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 
Fruits of the Eucharist
•	Union with Christ (communion) Jn 6:56
•	Union with the whole Church the Body of Christ,  1 Cor 10:16-17
•	Pledge of Eternal Life: Jn 6:54, 58
•	Spiritual Nourishment  Jn 6:55-56, John 6:53-58
•	Forgiveness of sin: "this is the cup of my blood which will be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of sins."
•	Christ as Priest and Victim 
•	Christ is not a Levitical priest, like the priests in the OT, but a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 7:14-17. 
•	Christ is the Great High Priest of the new covenant. Heb. 2:17, 4:14-16, 10:19-21
•	Christ is portrayed as a sacrificing priest, e.g., in the mention of his linen garment. Compare Lev. 16:4 and Jn. 19:23-24. He is priest and victim. 
•	Christ is the atoning sacrifice for sin. Rom. 3:25, Heb. 2:17, 1 Jn. 2:2, 4:10
•	Christ bears the sins of the people. 2 Cor. 5:14-15, 21. 
The Mass as a Sacrifice 
•	Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), the Eucharist is a sacrifice. 
•	The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is clear in the words of institution: "given for you," "poured out for you." See Lk. 22:19-20. 
•	In the Eucharist we receive the very Body and Blood that was given on the cross. Mt. 26:28

The Eucharist re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross. It is the memorial of that sacrifice, and applies the fruit of that sacrifice. One way to understand this is to see the iterative relationship between the sacrifice on Calvary, the eternal sacrifice in heaven, and the sacrifice of the mass. The "once for all" sacrifice (Heb. 10:10) on Calvary is eternally presented before the throne of God in heaven. In the mass we participate in that same heavenly worship, so the sacrifice of Calvary is made present for us. In this way, the sacrifice of the mass is the very same sacrifice as the sacrifice on Calvary. 

•	Earthly worship in the OT was a replica of the heavenly worship. Compare Ex. 25:31-40, Heb. 8:5, Rev. 1:12. 
•	Earthly worship in the NT is a participation in the heavenly worship. Heb. 12:18-24
•	Christ's priesthood is eternal. He always lives to make intercession for us before the throne of God. Heb. 7:23-25; 8:1-2
•	Christ eternally presents the merits of His "once for all" sacrifice on Calvary. Heb. 9:11-14
•	By participating in the mass, we enter into that "once for all" sacrifice. 
Communion in One or Both Kinds
Although the sacrament was clearly instituted in both kinds, the use of bread and wine symbolically portrays Christ’s death by visibly separating the Body and the Blood. Yet the entire Christ is contained under either species. “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” 1 Cor. 11:27. However, the previous verse clearly shows that communion in both kinds is expected: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”