Same Thing, Different
Names
While most Christians are familiar with the term “Mass,”
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there are many different ways to refer to the same thing.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraphs
1328-1332, refers to many different names for the Eucharist, or
Eucharistic celebration.
It is sometimes called The Lord’s Supper or the Breaking of the
Bread. These terms show its intrinsic connection with the Last
Supper. Because the Eucharist is celebrated communally, it is
sometimes referred to as the Eucharistic assembly.
Because “it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior
and includes the Church’s offering,” we call it The Holy Sacrifice,
or Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The Eucharist is also called The Holy and Divine Liturgy, or sometimes
simply The Liturgy. This comes from a Greek word meaning
“public work” or “the work of the people.” This differentiates the
public aspect of the Eucharist from private prayers.
Other expressions are The Sacred Mysteries, The Most Blessed
Sacrament and Holy Communion. Finally, we refer to the Eucharistic
celebration as the Holy Mass, a word that comes from the
Latin “missa,” a form of a word that means “to send forth.”
For further study:
CCC 1328-1332
Notes