“Do this in memory of me”: so conclude the words of institution over the chalice at Mass. Where do these words come from, and what do they mean? Do they imply that the Eucharist is simply a memorial, a re-enactment of the Last Supper whose effect takes place only in the minds of those who attend?
One might think that the answer to the first question is obvious. Surely, the words come from the accounts of the Last Supper that we read in the Gospels. Readers of this publication will know, I hope, that we must exclude St John’s Gospel from this, because he has no account of the institution of the Eucharist, but instead recounts the washing of the disciples’ feet. But Matthew, Mark and Luke surely all tell the same story?
