Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist

USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) website: taken from the section entitled, The Eucharist

https://www.usccb.org/eucharist

As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist are called to service to share the precious gift of Christ’s Body and Blood that the Lord gave us during the first Mass of the Last Supper, with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Serving in the role of Eucharistic Minister is indeed a privilege but also, a great responsibility. Our participation in this ministry helps us to deepen our relationship with and devotion to the Lord Jesus, the liturgy, and the Church. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist should approach their role with humility, reverence, gratitude, and a desire to share this great gift that is our food for our journey toward eternal life.

The USCCB describes the essence of Christ’s extraordinary gift of His Body and Blood in the following excerpts of its document entitled, The Eucharist:

“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving…In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present -- body, blood, soul, and divinity -- under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist…By his Real Presence in the Eucharist Christ fulfils his promise to be with us "always, until the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live together. . . . Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in the reality of his body and blood" (Summa Theologiae, III q. 75, a. 1). With this gift of Christ's presence in our midst, the Church is truly blessed.”