Q. 868.  How and when may we apply Indulgences for the benefit of the souls in Purgatory?  A. We may apply Indulgences for the benefit of the souls in Purgatory by way of intercession; whenever this application is mentioned and permitted by the Church in granting the Indulgence; that is, when the Church declares that the Indulgence granted is applicable to the souls of the living or the souls in Purgatory; so that we may gain it for the benefit of either.

LESSON TWENTY-SECOND.  ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

Q. 869.  What does the word Eucharist strictly mean?  A. The word Eucharist strictly means pleasing, and this Sacrament is so called because it renders us most pleasing to God by the grace it imparts, and it gives us the best means of thanking Him for all His blessings.

Q. 870. {238} What is the Holy Eucharist?  A. The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which contains the body and blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

Q. 871.  What do we mean when we say the Sacrament which contains the Body and Blood?  A. When we say the Sacrament which contains the Body and Blood, we mean the Sacrament which is the Body and Blood, for after the Consecration there is no other substance present in the Eucharist.

Q. 872.  When is the Holy Eucharist a Sacrament, and when is it a sacrifice?  A. The Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament when we receive it in Holy Communion and when it remains in the Tabernacle of the Altar.  It is a sacrifice when it is offered up at Mass by the separate Consecration of the bread and wine, which signifies the separation of Our Lord’s blood from His body when He died on the Cross.

Q. 873. {239} When did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?  A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

Q. 874. {240} Who were present when our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist?  A. When Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, the twelve Apostles were present.

Q. 875. {241} How did our Lord institute the Holy Eucharist?  A. Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist by taking bread, blessing, breaking, and giving to His Apostles, saying:  “Take ye and eat.  This is my body”; and then, by taking the cup of wine, blessing and giving it, saying to them:  “Drink ye all of this.  This is my blood which shall be shed for the remission of sins.  Do this for a commemoration of me.”

Q. 876. {242} What happened when our Lord said, “This is my body; this is my blood”?  A. When Our Lord said, “This is my body,” the substance of the bread was changed into the substance of His body; when He said, “This is my blood,” the substance of the wine was changed into the substance of His blood.

Q. 877.  How do we prove the Real Presence, that is, that Our Lord is really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist?  A. We prove the Real Presence—­that is, that Our Lord is really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist—­(1) By showing that it is possible to change one substance into another; (2) By showing that Christ did change the substance of bread and wine into the substance of His body and blood; (3) By showing that He gave this power also to His Apostles and to the priests of His Church.