Code of Canon Law: text (original) (raw)

TITLE III: THE BLESSED EUCHARIST (Cann. 897 - 958)

Can.897 The most venerable sacrament is the blessed Eucharist, in which Christ theLord himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church continually lives and grows. The eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of thedeath and resurrection of the Lord, in which the Sacrifice of the cross isforever perpetuated, is the summit and the source of all worship and christian life. By means of it the unity of God's people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. The other sacramentsand all the apostolic works of Christ are bound up with, and directed to, theblessed Eucharist.

Can.898 Christ's faithful are to hold the blessed Eucharist in the highest honour. They should take an active part in the celebration of the most august Sacrificeof the Mass; they should receive the sacrament with great devotion andfrequently, and should reverence it with the greatest adoration. In explainingthe doctrine of this sacrament, pastors of souls are assiduously to instructthe faithful about their obligation in this regard.