In Matthew 26:17-30, Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead with very specific instructions on preparing the Passover meal. 

That evening, Jesus ate His final meal with the disciples. As they ate, He told them that one of them would soon betray Him.

One by one, they asked, "I'm not the one, am I, Lord?" 

Jesus told them that, even though it was His destiny to die, His betrayer's fate would be worse: "Far better for him if he'd never been born!"

Jesus then took bread and wine and asked God the Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to His disciples, and said, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Then, Jesus took the cup of wine and shared it with His disciples. He said: 

"This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you — an agreement sealed with the blood I'll pour out for you… I won't drink wine again until the day I drink it with you in my Father's Kingdom." 

Then, they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Since Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples, communion has been a time-honored tradition during Passover. 

Eucharist, also known as communion, is the ceremony during which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed as a commemoration of the Last Supper.

In early Christianity, taking communion was a daily practice that celebrated the Lord Jesus Christ and His life. Each time they gathered around a table to eat and drink, it was a chance to recognize Jesus and give thanks for all He'd done.

Communion isn’t considered an obligation but a celebration. The emphasis isn't on the bread and wine but on what they symbolize: the body of Christ and the blood of Christ. 

The act of celebrating communion commemorates the story of Jesus, who gave Himself completely so we could start anew and clean of sins. 

Holy sacraments are important because they help us remember. Jesus asks us to remember every time we taste the communion bread and wine that He is the one who gives us all we need. 

By feeding us physically, He gives us the energy we need to grow spiritually and helps us take our next steps with Him.

Devotion doesn’t come from the ritual itself but from the person who died for us. 

Even though communion is a major ritual in the Christian faith, it doesn't automatically make you a Christian. Heaven or salvation aren't guaranteed on an act of spiritual communion alone.

In fact, God warns us not to take communion without thinking about its significance and purpose. This isn't intended as a mindless ritual — we use it to intentionally remember what Jesus has done for us and why He did it. 

With that in mind, here are five short prayers you can say for holy communion.

Holy communion prayer

We thank you, our Father, for that life which you've made known to us by Jesus, your Son, by whom you made all things, and take care of the whole world. You sent Him to become a man for our salvation. You allowed Him to suffer and to die. You raised Him up, glorified Him, and have set Him at your right hand, and in Him, you've promised us the resurrection of the dead. 

O Lord Almighty, the eternal God, gather your Church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom as grain was once scattered and now has become one loaf. Our Father, we also thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed for us, and for His precious body, as He appointed us, “to proclaim his death.” For through Him, glory is to be given to you forever. Amen.

Prayer for the bread of communion

Eternal God, we ask you in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who receive it. That they may eat in remembrance of the body of your Son, and witness to you, O God. That they are willing to take upon them the name of your Son, and always remember Him, and keep the commandments which He's given them. That they may always have His Spirit to be with them. Amen.

Prayer for the wine of communion

Holy God, we ask you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who receive it. That they may drink in remembrance of the blood of the Lord which was shed for them. That they may witness to you, O God, that they do always remember Him, that they may have His Spirit to be with them. Amen.

Blessing on the wine and bread combined

O God, we ask you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread and wine to the souls of all those who receive them. That they may eat and drink in remembrance of the body and blood of your Son, and witness to you, O God. That they are willing to take upon them the name of your Son, and always remember Him and keep the commandments which He's given them, that they may always have His Spirit to be with them. Amen. 

Prayer for after communion

O Lord God, eternal Father, we praise and thank you for your grace that through your Son Jesus Christ, you established this supper in which we eat His body and drink His blood. By your Holy Spirit, help us to use this gift: to confess and forsake our sins, to confidently believe that we're forgiven through Christ, and to grow in faith and love day by day, until we come at last to the joy of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

We can have eternal life because of the death of Jesus. When Christians partake of Holy Communion, they are proclaiming that Christ, through His death and resurrection, prepared us for eternal life in heaven.

For more on communion prayers, download the pray.com app in the iOS App Store or Google Play.