Justin here describes the way the Sunday Eucharist was celebrated in Rome about 150 AD about 50-60 years after the last New Testament books. It shows that: 1) the Eucharist was interpreted in a very realistic way in the early church, the bread and wine becoming the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ; 2) it was the principal, weekly worship celebration of the Christian community; 3) it took place on Sunday, not on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath; and 4) the meaning of the Eucharist and manner of its celebration was handed down by the apostles.
No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes
that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism
for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles
given us by Christ.
EUCHARIST NOT ORDINARY FOOD
We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were
ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior
became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food
that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood
of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of
thanksgiving.
The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels,
handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread,
gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same
way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood.
The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we
have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the
poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of
the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.
BREAD, WINE & THANKSGIVING
On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether
they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles
or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader
has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate
the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together
and pray.
On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are
brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his
ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen.” The eucharist is distributed,
everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.
SUNDAY ASSEMBLY
The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they
themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president,
who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress,
whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes
care of all who are in need.
We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first
day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created
the world, and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples
and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration.
St. Justin Martyr (c. 120 AD – c. 165 AD)
From the Crossroads Initiative Website
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