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[[Image:Covered Vessels 2.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]'''Eucharist''' comes (from the Greek εὐχαριστία, or eucharistia, meaning ''thanksgiving'' or ''giving thanks'') is a [[holy mysteries|holy mystery]] (or [[sacrament]]) that is celebrated during the [[Divine Liturgy]] within the [[Orthodox Church]] where the consecrated bread and wine, through the power of the [[Holy Spirit]] becomes the Precious Blood and Body of [[Jesus Christ]], that is consumed by prepared Orthodox Christians. Other names for the Eucharist include: the '''''Holy Gifts''''', '''''Communion''''', and the '''''Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ'''''. [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] believe that the Real Presence of God (not merely a sign) is present after the [[consecration]] of the Gifts. Roman Catholics and some protestants also hold this view.

The Eucharist is the center of life in the [[Orthodox Church ]] because the Church is primarily a eucharistic community. The Eucharist is the completion of all of the Church's other sacraments and the source and the goal of all of the Church's doctrines and institutions.

The majority of scholars of the Last Supper do not believe that it was a Passover meal, a position consistent with the account given by the [[Gospel of John|Gospel of Saint John]]. A minority believe that it was a seder or Passover meal, a position consistent with the [[Synoptic gospels]]. However, as Enrico Mazza has argued, the minority view "remains a theological interpretation. The historical fact is that the Last Supper was not a Passover celebration and, consequently, that its [[Divine Liturgy|liturgy ]] was not that of the [[Passover|Jewish Passover]]" (''The Celebration of the Eucharist: The Origin of the Rite and the Development of Its Interpretation'' [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1999] pp. 25-26).