Mike Aquilina reflects on the Mass and the Eucharist as gifts rooted directly in the actions of Christ at the Last Supper and carried forward by the earliest Christian communities. Drawing from Scripture, especially Luke and Acts, “remembrance” in the biblical sense means entering into the saving event itself, not merely recalling it. The Eucharist unites the Last Supper, Calvary, the Resurrection, and glorification into a single saving act made present whenever the Church gathers. From the first generation onward, the breaking of the bread, apostolic teaching, prayer, and communion formed the heart of Christian life, shaping how communities worshiped, understood sacrifice, and encountered Christ truly present.

This also points to St. Paul’s warnings in First Corinthians, early liturgical texts like the Didache, and the teachings of the Church Fathers to show how seriously the Eucharist was treated from the beginning. This reverence sometimes led to martyrdom, as seen in figures such as St. Ignatius of Antioch and the martyrs of Abitina, who risked—and gave—their lives rather than abandon Sunday worship. The continuity of the Mass across centuries is highlighted through Justin Martyr’s second-century description, which closely mirrors the structure used today. Taken together, these testimonies show that the Church’s worship has remained consistent, grounded in lived faith, sacrifice, and a profound encounter with Christ that shaped both daily life and death.

1. How does understanding “remembrance” as entering into Christ’s saving act change the way I participate in the Mass?
2. In what ways do I prepare my heart and conscience before approaching the altar to receive the Eucharist?
3. How does the witness of the early martyrs challenge my priorities when it comes to Sunday Mass?
4. What does the continuity of the Mass from the apostles through the Church Fathers reveal about Christ’s ongoing presence in the Church?
5. How might a deeper sense of the sacred shape my interior disposition during the liturgy?

This highly readable introduction to the roots of many Catholic beliefs and practices provides a sense of connection to our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and who helped shape the faith. Mike Aquilina makes it clear that as far as the essentials are concerned, a time-travel trip back to the beginning of the Church would reveal a Church familiar to Catholics today. Just as an acorn grows into a tree and yet remains the same plant, so the Catholic Church is a living organism that has grown from the faith of the earliest Christians into the Body of Christ we know today.

Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.