What is “Holy Communion” in Christian worship?

The story behind the answer

Holy Communion is the sacrament instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, where he took bread and wine and linked them to his body and blood, commanding his followers to “do this in remembrance of me.” In Christian worship it is both a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice and a means of grace, expressing believers’ unity with Christ and with one another.

In the Middle Ages, this rite stood at the center of church life. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) formally taught transubstantiation—the belief that the bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood. The feast of Corpus Christi (established 1264) celebrated this belief with elaborate processions, and ornate monstrances displayed the consecrated host. Medieval laity often received only the bread, while the chalice was commonly reserved for clergy.