“Take and eat, this is my body, given for you!”

Over recent weeks, the students in Year 3 and their families have been preparing for the Sacrament of First Eucharist through the Parish Sacramental program and during class time through engagement in the Religious Education Curriculum. From tomorrow, the children will begin receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist in our Parish churches.

When we receive Holy Communion, Catholics believe that in a mysterious and unique way we are sharing in the body and blood of Christ. It is an encounter of the heart and we believe that Jesus is truly present. This is a very special occasion in the faith life of the children.  

During the week I was speaking to a group of Year 3 students in the playground about first Eucharist when one of the students said, ‘Ms Uroda how do we know Jesus is real if we can't see him? I was reminded of an explanation that Pope Benedict XVI gave about the mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist. He said,

‘It is true we can’t see Jesus but there are many things that we do not see but they exist and are essential in our lives. For example: we do not see our reason, yet we have reason. We do not see our intelligence and we have it. In a word: we do not see our soul and yet it exists and we see its effects, because we can speak, think and make decisions, etc. Nor do we see an electric current, for example, yet we see that it exists; we see this microphone, that it is working, and we see lights. Therefore, we do not see the very deepest things, those that really sustain life and the world, but we can see and feel their effects. This is also true for electricity; we do not see the electric current but we see the light.

So, it is with Jesus: We do not see him with our eyes but we see that wherever Jesus is, people change, they improve. A greater capacity for peace, for reconciliation and for healing is created. Therefore, we do not see Jesus himself but we see the effects of his presence in our lives. And as I said, it is precisely the invisible things that are the most profound, the most important.”