Summary
Jesus Christ came at the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4), the time appointed by God. The prophecies of the Old Testament heralding the coming Messiah now came to pass, exemplified in the genealogies in Matthew and Luke’s gospels. The New Covenant He brought is in His blood, in the Eucharist — the formation of which was in two stages: 1) the upper room at the Last Supper, and 2) upon the cross at Calvary. This New Covenant is the gift of God Himself in the Holy Eucharist under the sacramental signs of bread and wine. This Mystery, instituted at the time of the Jewish Passover, can be looked at from (at least) five different angles: 1) Redemption, 2) Atonement, 3) Liberation from the Devil, 4) Proof of God’s Love, and 5) Showing the Way to be Saved. This mystery is not just about the past (what Christ has done for us on the Cross), but it is also about the glorious future won for us by Jesus Christ through his Ascension, and Second Coming/Final Judgment — the eternal life His followers will have in the Kingdom of God.