If some of the previous episodes of Eucharist 101 haven't been controversial enough, today's discussion is on a topic over which wars have been fought and disputes have raged for centuries! Throughout this miniseries, we've learned what the Eucharist is, what a Sacrament is, we've seen that it is Biblical, and we've learned some spiritual words used to explain the deeper theology of what Jesus said at the Last Supper. If you are Christian, but not Catholic, you may recognize some of the definitions and teachings we've discussed, and they might sound familiar—similar to the type of "communion" or "Lord's supper" that you may have experienced in your own church, apart from anything to do with Catholicism. But today, we're here to explore why it is that Catholics are so adamant that they are the "One, holy, universal, and Apostolic Church," and why they believe a valid Eucharist can only be found inside of Catholicism. How can Catholics make this claim? Apostolic Succession. What is Apostolic Succession? It refers to meticulously kept historical records showing that after Jesus died, the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, set about taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. However, when the Apostles started getting martyred one-by-one, they realized the necessity of appointing successors to carry on the work they were doing and serve God's people with the same powers given them by Jesus at the Last Supper. Apostolic Succession, therefore, is a term referring to the bishops and popes who trace back in an unbroken historical line to the 12 Apostles and the priests they ordain to serve the Body of Christ. What does this mean? For our purposes, it is just one part of the body of evidence showing that Catholic priests are ordained into the succession of the Apostles and thereby continue to this day to be the only ministers given power by Jesus himself to consecrate the bread and wine into the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In other words, the Eucharist is uniquely Catholic! We're so glad to have you on this journey with us! If you have questions or comments about today's video, we'd love to hear them! Click Here to fill out and submit the form, and we'll respond as quickly as we can.

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