Eucharist = Life!

Here at Holy Spirit, we have a program called Domestic Church for families whose children are preparing for First Eucharist. This title means exactly what is says: church catechesis in the home. Parents are the first teachers of our faith to their children, and we call on them to be part of the journey to prepare their child for First Eucharist. We support the parents by meeting with them to provide information that enhances and reinforces the at-home study they do with their child. In this way we help the children understand that, through their baptism, they became a discipline of Jesus and a member of the body of Christ. Now with the

Eucharist they are strengthened to conduct that discipleship.

We want our children to grow in an intimate relationship with Jesus by receiving Him in the Eucharist. I know for me, and probably for many of us, this has been a life-long experience full of those little “aha” moments when we see things differently or in a new light. For me, these “aha’s” are what continually deepen my understanding of the Eucharist and my love of Jesus. This is what I want for these children, and it begins with receiving Eucharist for the first time.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The source- where the Faith comes from; the summit-where everything we are and do finds ultimate meaning. Through the words that are said in the Eucharistic prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, transubstantiation happens, and Jesus becomes truly present in the Eucharist. Bread and wine are changed in substance into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Transubstantiation is a big word and a big concept for our children to really grasp. It takes a lifetime to understand this but like everything it has a beginning.

This weekend and next, our Domestic Church children will receive Eucharist for the first time. Pray for them, as I do, that this time, and every time, they receive will be an “aha” moment that draws them deeper into relationship with Jesus.

–Jane Thompson, Faith Formation Coordinator