The Eucharist as Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet & Medicine Against Sin
The Liturgy as Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet
In Christian eschatology, the heavenly banquet symbolizes the eternal communion with God and the saints. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) emphasizes that the liturgy provides a glimpse of this future glory. The liturgy, particularly the Eucharist, is described as “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324), signifying its central role in the spiritual journey toward eternal life.
Scriptural foundations for this eschatological perspective are abundant. The Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29) and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9) are pivotal texts that illustrate the connection between the Eucharist and the heavenly banquet. The liturgy thus serves as a participation in the heavenly worship, where believers join the angels and saints in praising God.
In the Our Father, we pray: “On earth as it is in Heaven” which is an indicator that we’re looking to replicate what Jesus did with the Kingdom by bringing it to earth, by presenting it as the “set apartness” (holy) option against the way of the world. This is the will of God, to conform His sons and daughters to holiness and cure them from the scourge of sin.
The Eucharist and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb
Matthew 26:29: Jesus tells His disciples, “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Jesus links the Eucharist with the future consummation of God’s plan, tying it to the eschatological banquet. This notion that He’s giving those who are “ambassadors” food from “home” is hard to describe, it’s that beautiful. We know that partaking in the Eucharist we are partaking in the divine, but to expand on this even more has shown how beautifully God connects His will within the Scriptures.
The “already-not-yet” tension that exists is that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist as it’s always been taught since John 6, but still holds within it a tension, albeit a tension of excitement, that we can recognize. Christ tells us that while we remain here, the eucharist is a means of grace, but what about when all things are perfected and we no longer need “means of” grace, mercy, etc…
It seems as though He refers to a fulfilled banquet to us which is again reflected in Revelation. The really interesting part of this is that Christ often refers to the scenery of a banquet throughout his teachings, but going down each of those is a hole we cannot jump through right now.
God’s Desire to Unite Heaven and Earth
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10): “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
In the Eucharist, the Church fulfills this prayer in a unique way by bringing the worship of heaven (Revelation 5:9-14) into earthly reality. The liturgy becomes a meeting point between heaven and earth. This has occurred all throughout the Bible, in the Old Testament we see God demand certain practices, temple creations, and other means to reflect His will of heaven onto earth.
John 6:51-58: Jesus declares, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven… Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”
The Eucharist brings heavenly life to believers now, connecting them to the divine source of eternal life. Just as the manna was in the Old Testament that sustained Israel through their sojourning, Christ gives us Himself as the Passover lamb to sustain us now on earth.
The heavenly banquet is not only a future promise but a present reality in sacramental form. There are many fun theories we could derive from these important theological truths, but the core of this is the fact that we are able to partake in heaven, while being on earth, in a tangible and real way through the promises of Jesus in the last supper.
Feasting as a Biblical Theology of Communion with God
•The theme of divine feasting appears throughout Scripture as a sign of covenant and communion, and means that God uses to connect with His people:
Exodus 24:9-11: Moses, Aaron, and the elders “beheld God and ate and drank” after the covenant was ratified. This prefigures a portion of the Eucharist, where the new covenant is celebrated through the sacrificial meal. Isaiah 25:6-9: The prophecy of a great banquet prepared by the Lord for all peoples, where death is destroyed, and God’s presence is fully revealed, and is again mentioned in Revelation to remind us that God isn’t finished with celebrations. The Eucharist is a foretaste of this eschatological banquet, renewing our hope in God’s promises, and giving us a sustained grace through this life.
All that is fulfilled in the eucharist could take up an entire article, maybe we will look into writing that soon.
To continue,
Luke 14:15-24: Parable of the great banquet where the invitation is extended to all. The Eucharist reflects this inclusivity, inviting everyone to participate in divine life. The Passover lamb is no longer exclusive, the veil to that room was torn, it is now a meal that everyone who confesses, may partake in.
The Eucharist as Foretaste of Heaven
Hebrews 12:22-24: When we approach the Eucharist, we join “the heavenly Jerusalem,” the angels, and the “spirits of the righteous made perfect.” The Eucharistic celebration is not merely earthly but a participation in heavenly worship.
We see that in Revelation 21:3-4: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.” And in the Eucharist, God dwells with His people now, bridging the gap between time and eternity, giving us a glimpse into the divine banquet that will be planned for us, but not solely as celebration. The manna for us now is also a means of obedience that separates us from those who do not truly adhere to the words of Jesus in John 6.
This is where I got cheeky with myself during my conversion; I lacked the belief of the Real Presence because I was vehemently ignorant of the Early Church belief, but there always rest a portion of belief that you must overcome regardless of true information that is given to you. It was the connection I made to the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament that solidified it for me — I never denied that Adonai was truly present in…well… a carrying box. Why on earth would I deny Him being truly present in the means of bread and wine, especially when Jesus says that He is?
The Church as the Bride of Christ
Ephesians 5:25-27: Christ nourishes and cherishes the Church as His bride, sanctifying her through the Himself [The Word] through multiple means [sacraments]. The Eucharist is the divine nourishment that prepares the Church, the bride, for the eternal wedding feast, and it leads us to Him in a tangible way. Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’” The Eucharist is the bride’s invitation to partake in the marriage supper of the Lamb, uniting the Church’s worship with the heavenly reality.
Practical Implications: Living the Foretaste
Mission of the Church: By participating in the Eucharist, believers are called to live out the unity and joy of the heavenly banquet on earth. Acts of charity, justice, and reconciliation reflect the heavenly kingdom in earthly life. Eucharistic Transformation: As the Eucharist transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, so too it transforms believers, enabling them to bring Christ into the world.
The reality of the Church is that it provides believers tangible ways, as they sojourn through this life, to partake of their true home which is found in heaven. Through the Sacraments, especially that of the Eucharist, we are able to consume divinity that produces true fruit in a willing vessel. These means of partaking in heaven cannot be arbitrary, as I once argued, because Christ commanded them - so, while we may not understand or fully grasp the divine nature of these things, we are nonetheless called to partake and invited to sit at His banquet table.