Eucharist as a Symbol for Baptism

by Matt Kresich

5/28/23

The prevailing symbol of the Eucharist is of course the Body of Christ. As this image was given to us by our Lord, it is only right it gets pride of place. With any mystery of our faith, Eucharistic imagery doesn’t have to be limited. We also see Eucharist as communal, spiritual nourishment, source and summit of our faith, to name a few. However, our reception of Communion is also a powerful reminder of baptism. 

From the earliest days of the Church, the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist were celebrated together. The linkage was so close that Baptism and Confirmation were often referred to as one and the same act, Chrismation. 

Rome is thought to be the place where the laying on of hands became a common liturgical/sacramental gesture. Traditionally, this act was reserved for a bishop. Couple this with a rise in practice of infant baptism and Christianity becoming the prominent religion in the West, something had to change. Thus our modern order (Baptism, Confession, Eucharist, and Confirmation) would arrive. Keep in mind this is a very general historical sketch. 

After Vatican II, we saw the restoration of the sacramental order. Adults looking to enter the Church would participate in the Rite of Christian Initiation (or Order of Christian Initiation depending on when you’re reading this). Noticing something when we look at the three initiatory sacraments. 

Baptism is one and done. So too is Confirmation. But the third sacrament, the Eucharist, is the only Sacrament of Initiation we can repeat. 

When doing any kind of theological dive in Confirmation, we see how deeply tied it is to Baptism. But do we give this same look at Eucharist and Baptism? Every time we receive our Lord under the species of Bread and Wine, we are called to remember everything ties back to Baptism. Every Mass, every Eucharistic encounter with the Lord. Thus the Eucharist becomes the “repeatable Sacrament of Initiation.” 

At our Baptism, we enter into the family of God. We die with Christ so that we may have new life with him. This new life is not when our time on earth is done, but rather is something we begin the moment the water is poured over us. The Eucharist reminds us of this call to life, this call to fullness of life. What are you saying amen to when the minister says, “the Body of Christ?”

My humble gratitude to Fr. Richard Fragomeni for his continual use of the term “repeatable Sacrament of Initiation” in so many of his classes.