Why does the Church call the Body of Christ "bread" in the Mystery of Faith?
The short answer
Calling it "bread" echoes Jesus' own words: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:51). It is one of many names that bring out different aspects of the Eucharist, such as the "Breaking of Bread."
Calling the Body of Christ "bread" echoes Jesus himself: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6:51). It is one of many expressions that bring out different aspects of the Eucharist.
The Catechism explains that the sacrament's inexhaustible richness is expressed in its different names. It is called the Breaking of Bread because Jesus used this rite of a Jewish meal when, as master of the table, he blessed and distributed the bread, above all at the Last Supper. By this action his disciples recognized him after the Resurrection, and the first Christians used the phrase for their Eucharistic assemblies, signifying that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter communion with him and form one body in him (CCC 1328-1329).
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