The Lord Jesus, on the night before he suffered on the cross, shared one last meal with his disciples. During this meal our Savior instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages and to entrust to the Church his Spouse a memorial of his death and resurrection. As the Gospel of Matthew tells us:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalfof many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Recalling these words of Jesus, the Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . . . For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (Jn 6:51-55). The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. This presence of Christ in the Eucharist is called "real" not to exclude other types of his presence as if they could not be understood as real (cf. Catechism, no. 1374). The risen Christ is present to his Church in many ways, but most especially through the sacrament of his Body and Blood.
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine? How does this happen? The presence of the risen Christ in the Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery that the Church can never fully explain in words. We must remember that the triune God is the creator of all that exists and has the power to do more than we can possibly imagine. As St. Ambrose said: "If the word of the Lord Jesus is so powerful as to bring into existence things which were not, then a fortiori those things which already exist can be changed into something else" ( De Sacramentis, IV, 5-16). God created the world in order to share his life with persons who are not God. This great plan of salvation reveals a wisdom that surpasses our understanding. But we are not left in ignorance: for out of his love for us, God reveals his truth to us in ways that we can understand through the gift of faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We are thus enabled to understand at least in some measure what would otherwise remain unknown to us, though we can never completely comprehend the mystery of God.
As successors of the Apostles and teachers of the Church, the bishops have the duty to hand on what God has revealed to us and to encourage all members of the Church to deepen their understanding of the mystery and gift of the Eucharist. In order to foster such a deepening of faith, we have prepared this text to respond to fifteen questions that commonly arise with regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We offer this text to pastors and religious educators to assist them in their teaching responsibilities. We recognize that some of these questions involve rather complex theological ideas. It is our hope, however, that study and discussion of the text will aid many of the Catholic faithful in our country to enrich their understanding of this mystery of the faith.
©2016 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Sacrament of Holy Communion, also known as Eucharist, is a sacred occasion for all Catholics. During the Sacrament of Holy Communion, Christians receive and eat the body and blood of Christ Jesus, and they enter into unity with Christ and the Church. The Church encourages all its members, in a state of grace, to partake of Holy Communion weekly at the Sunday Mass.
For children, their First Holy Communion is celebrated annually customarily on the Third Sunday of Easter. In order to participate in the celebration of First Holy Communion, children attend weekly Faith Formation classes from September through May. Parish based Faith Formation classes helps children attain the Church requirement of “sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so as to understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity, and receive the Body of the Lord with faith and devotion.”
For adults, who are becoming Catholic, their First Communion is normally celebrated at the Easter Vigil Mass, after a process of prayerful discernment and catechesis, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation.
A Faith formation “needs assessment” for non-baptized school age children is made in consultation with the pastor on case by case basis. Contact the Coordinator of Life Long Faith Formation, Ms. Pearl Gerlarden, to discuss your situation.
Yes. If you want your child to receive First Holy Communion they must enroll and regularly attend Faith Formation classes. These classes are needed in order to adequately prepare for the sacrament. Your child needs to wait until second-grade to make First Holy Communion. In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, school age children (who have been baptized as infants) normally prepare to receive the sacraments of First Penance during the first-grade and First Holy Communion during the second-grade. Enrolling your child in kindergarten and first-grade faith formation classes will help prepare him or her for making First Holy Communion in second-grade.
School age children who are baptized and currently enrolled in third through sixth-grade (and who have not yet made their First Penance and First Holy Communion) fall into a special category. They register and attend their regular grade level Faith Formation classes. However, they also must attend special First Penance and First Holy Communion preparation classes, held at a separate and additional time to the Faith Formation class time. Parents must sign up for special sacrament preparation classes when they fill out their child’s registration form for parish faith formation.
School age children who are baptized, who have not received First Holy Communion, and who are currently enrolled in seventh through twelfth grade are highly encouraged to attend adult RCIA classes. However, a religious education needs assessment is conducted on a case by case basis.