The Eucharistic Theology of the Last Supper

The Eucharist was instituted by Jesus in explicitly sacrificial terms at Calvary, says John Ratzinger. The author of Hebrews describes the food and drink as a sacrifice that will cleanse our conscience - which is exactly what this sacrifice does, he adds. This interpretation of Christ's death on the cross represents the inner presupposition of all Eucharistic theology, writes Ratzinger in an interview with Christianity Today.