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The Eucharist

God, our loving Father,

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 Food for the Soul
God has blessed you in so many ways, but he isn’t finished blessing You feed your body every day. You don’t wait until it is starving
you. There are still thousands of blessings God wants to shower before you feed it. You have a regular routine of meals and snacks
upon you. One of the great blessings God wants to share with you to make sure your body has the food and energy it needs to thrive.
is the Eucharist. Every day you are getting closer to receiving We need a routine like that for feeding our souls too. This routine
Jesus in the Eucharist! Are you excited? includes daily prayer, grace before meals, service to others, and of
course, Sunday Mass.
The Eucharist is food for the soul. That’s right, your soul gets
hungry just like your body gets hungry. It’s easy to tell when your The Mass is an incredible blessing because it feeds your soul
body gets hungry because your tummy growls and you feel weak in many ways. The Word of God feeds your soul, receiving the
and tired. But how do you know when your soul is hungry? When Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist feeds your soul, and
our souls are hungry we become restless, impatient, angry, and participating in a community of faith feeds your soul.
selfish. But most of all, we find it harder to do what we know
we should do. We’ve already talked about the Word of God and how important
it is to listen to God. Now let’s talk about how he feeds us
When our souls get hungry we need to feed them. The Eucharist is with the Eucharist.
the ultimate soul food, but we can also feed our souls with prayer,
the Scriptures, and serving other people.

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 The Liturgy of the Eucharist
You are so blessed to be Catholic. One of the many reasons you are
blessed to be Catholic is the Eucharist. You get to receive the Body
and Blood of Jesus. The Eucharist is uniquely Catholic.
You are Catholic. You are blessed.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist is broken up into three parts:
the Offering, the Eucharistic Prayer, and the reception
of Holy Communion.
This is all very important, so let’s go over it together,
step by step.

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 The Offertory
Throughout the Mass, God gives us moments to pause You are on a great journey with God. Your destination is heaven.
and experience its many wonders. The offertory is one God wants to be your guide and companion on this journey.
of those moments. He wants to be invited into every detail of your life so that he can
best guide and advise you. He wants to show you the best way to
During the offertory a family from the parish usually brings the live. God wants to help you become the-best-version-of-yourself,
bread and wine, along with the money we put in the collection for grow in virtue, and live a holy life.
the Church and the poor. Then the priest prepares the gifts to
offer them to God.
As the gifts are being brought forward and the priest is preparing
the gifts, we offer ourselves completely to God. We can do this
with a simple prayer in our hearts. Here is an example:
Lord, I give myself completely to you right now. Teach me,
lead me, and feed me with the Eucharist so I can serve you
powerfully here in this world and live with you forever in heaven.
The offertory is also a great time to bring our problems
to God and ask for his help. If there is someone you know who is
suffering or something that you are struggling with, ask Jesus to
heal the situation. He is the great healer. The offertory is a perfect
time to ask Jesus the Healer to intervene in your life. Here are
some examples:
Jesus, help me study hard for my test.
Jesus, my friend is sick. Help her to get better.
Jesus, my brother hurt my feelings. Help me to forgive him.
Jesus, help me to listen better to my parents.

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 The Eucharistic Prayer
We’ve always celebrated the presence of God. Every time we go to Mass or visit a Catholic Church where Jesus
is inside the tabernacle, God is physically with us in the Eucharist.
The Jewish people believed that God was present in the Ark of the The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving:” we are thankful to have
Covenant. For a long time, the Ark was lost. This was a very sad God with us always.
time for the Jewish people. They tried very hard to find it because
they wanted to be close to God. The Eucharistic Prayer is the most important part of the Mass
because this is when Jesus comes to be with us. This is when the
When King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus.
the people were overjoyed. So was King David. He was so happy
that when he brought the Ark back to his people, he danced with During the Eucharistic Prayer we thank God for his friendship
great joy. Nothing made King David happier than being in the and for coming once again through the Eucharist to share his
presence of God. life with us.
The Eucharist is God in our midst.

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 The Consecration
The consecration is the moment when the bread and wine become Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts.
the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is an incredible moment—that’s Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
why we kneel down for the consecration. Kneeling is a simple and Hosanna in the highest.
profound sign of reverence. When we kneel during the Mass, it is Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
a sign that something amazing is about to happen. Hosanna in the highest.
Just before kneeling, we pray the Holy, Holy, Holy together as Now we kneel and prepare for the great moment of consecration.
a parish family: Leading up to the consecration, the priest reminds us what
happened at the Last Supper, the very first Eucharist.
To consecrate the bread and the wine, the priest says the same
words Jesus said during the Last Supper:
 his is my Body, which is given up for you;
T
This is the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant,
do this in memory of me.

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 Our Father
This is the moment of consecration. After the priest says these Do you remember one of the main reasons why Jesus taught us
words, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. this prayer? We talked about it while preparing for your First
The consecration of the Eucharist is one of the great mysteries Reconciliation. Let’s revisit it for a moment.
of our faith.
You are blessed. You are the son or daughter of a great King.
The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the Great Amen. Sometimes we Jesus wanted us to always remember that God is our Father
say the Amen and sometimes we sing it. Either way we should say and that we are children of God.
it loud and with confidence. This is our way of saying, “Yes! Jesus,
I believe in you! I believe that the bread and the wine just became The Our Father reminds us of the first blessing God gives us: life!
your Body and Blood!” After the Our Father, the priest asks God to fill us with his peace.
Following the Great Amen, we stand and pray the Remember how earlier we talked about your soul getting hungry?
Our Father together. One sign that your soul is hungry is that you don’t have peace in
your heart. Your soul craves peace.
God wants to fill you with his peace so that you can go out into the
world and share it with everyone who crosses your path.

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 Holy Communion
When you receive Holy Communion Jesus gives himself completely God loved you so much that he sent his son, Jesus, so that you
to you. In the prayers leading up to the consecration we remember could have eternal life. For God so loved YOU that he sent Jesus so
that Jesus died for us on the cross to save us from our sins. This that YOU may have eternal life! You are loved and indeed blessed!
is not meant to make you feel guilty; it is meant to make you feel
loved. God wants you to remember how much you mean to him. Let’s say this out loud together:

One of the most famous passages in the entire Bible is John [Link] God loves me so much that he sent his son Jesus so that
I could have eternal life and live with him forever in heaven.
For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but have eternal life.

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 How did that feel? Receiving Holy Communion is an incredible gift that we should
never take for granted.
God always wants you to feel loved. And when we receive Jesus in
the Eucharist this is a special moment of God’s love. When the moment arrives to receive Jesus, you will stand before
the priest, deacon, or extraordinary minister and he will raise the
If you ever get to climb a huge mountain, the feeling of looking out host and say, “The Body of Christ.” You will respond by saying,
across the vast surroundings from the top of that mountain is an “Amen,” and then consume the Host.
amazing experience. The Mass is like climbing a great mountain.
Receiving the Eucharist is the top of the mountain, the pinnacle of
the Mass.
God feeds us the ultimate food for the soul at the mountaintop
of the Mass. The Eucharist is food for the soul. Every Sunday at
Mass God fills us with the Eucharist to become the-best-version-
of-ourselves, grow in virtue, and live holy lives.

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 The True Presence
Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. It is not a symbol; it is Jesus.
This is one of the most beautiful mysteries of the Catholic faith.
When Jesus first started telling people about the Eucharist, some
found it difficult to believe. Throughout the centuries, others have
had doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Eucharist too.
In the 8th century there was a priest in Italy who was having
these doubts. One day while he was saying Mass, as he
consecrated the bread and wine they literally turned into living
flesh and blood. It was an incredible miracle! The Church calls
this a Eucharistic miracle.
Normally during Mass, we are unable to see the physical change
from bread and wine to the Body and Blood of Christ. We have
faith that the change takes place. But at this particular moment
in time God decided to show the world what happens
during every Mass.
Today, you can travel to Lanciano, Italy, where the miracle took
place and see the flesh and the blood from that miracle over a
thousand years ago.
Every time you go to Mass, the change from bread and wine to
the Body and Blood of Jesus occurs. Jesus is truly present in the
Eucharist. This is an incredible gift! You are blessed to be able to
receive Jesus in the Eucharist.

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 From the Bible: The Last Supper
On the night before he died Jesus gathered his disciples for one This is known as the Last Supper, the most famous meal in the
last meal together. It was the Jewish feast of Passover. history of the world. At the Last Supper Jesus did something
incredible. He turned ordinary bread and wine into his Body and
While they were together at the table Jesus spoke to them about Blood. The Last Supper was the first Eucharist, and the disciples’
how he was going to be betrayed and suffer. First Communion.
Then while they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after There in that room two thousand years ago, Jesus gave himself to
blessing it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take the disciples. And every time we receive the Eucharist he gives
this, all of you, and eat it; this is my Body.” Then he took a cup, himself to us in the same way!
and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Take this, all
of you, and drink from it; this is the cup of my Blood, which will be Jesus wants to be invited into your life. He wants to be your friend.
poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins.” He wants to encourage you, guide you, listen to you, and love you.
Jesus wants to help you become the-best-version-of-yourself,
When they had finished their meal, they went out to the grow in virtue, and live a holy life. You are blessed!
Mount of Olives.
Adapted from Matthew 26:26–30

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 Jesus Is in You
After you receive Jesus in the Eucharist you will make your way The Eucharist energizes and nourishes your soul. You receive many
back to your seat. At this moment, Jesus is in you. Amazing! gifts each time you receive the Eucharist. This is a short list of
some of those gifts:
If Jesus came to visit you at your house, imagine how you would
prepare for his arrival, imagine how excited you would be for him Friendship with Jesus
to get there, and imagine how you would sit by him and listen to Desire to do the will of God
everything he had to say. Cleansing of venial sin
Hunger for virtue
Well, not only does Jesus come to visit us in the Mass, but he Grace to avoid sin in the future
makes his home within us when we receive the Eucharist. So, when A heart that listens to the Holy Spirit
you get back to your seat after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, Desire to know and love God
this is a very special time of prayer.
Your First Communion is a very important moment in your life,
Kneel or sit down, close your eyes, and talk to Jesus in your heart. but every time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist is an incredible
This is a very special moment. Jesus is inside you. Thank him for gift that we should never take for granted.
all the ways he has blessed you. Count your blessings,
one by one, with Jesus.

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The Concluding Rites
After we have had a few quiet minutes of prayer with Jesus,
it is time for the final prayer and blessing.
Priest: May Almighty God bless you, the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen!
Priest or Deacon: Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Congregation: Thanks be to God!
In the final blessing we are being sent forth. Sent to do what?
God’s work in the world. At the end of Mass, God sends you out
on a mission. He has fed you with his Word and the Eucharist.
He has provided you with everything you need to bring his love
to the world you live in.
You are blessed and God wants you to go out into the world and
share your blessings with others.

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 Show What You Know
True or False
1.  ne of the great blessings God wants to share with you is
O 6. The consecration is the moment when the bread and wine
the Eucharist. become the          and         of Jesus.
2. The Eucharist is uniquely Catholic. 7. To consecrate the bread and wine, the priest says the same
3.  he bread and wine don’t become the Body and Blood of
T words Jesus used during the               .
Jesus. 8. God fills you with            so that you can go into
4. Our souls are not nourished by the Eucharist. the world and share it with everyone who crosses your path.

5. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. 9. God            you so much that he sent his son,
Jesus, so that you could have eternal life!

Fill in the blank 10. You are            and God wants you to go out
into the world and share your           with others.
1. There are            of blessings God wants to
shower upon you.
Word Bank
2. The             is food for your soul.
catholic heaven
3. You are so blessed to be               .
body blood
4. Receiving Holy Communion is an incredible          blessings journey
that we should never take for granted. last supper loves

5. You are on a great            with God and your thousands eucharist

destination is             . peace blessed

gift

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Journal with Jesus
Dear Jesus,
I know you will never leave me because . . .

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 Closing Prayer
There is so much to be discovered about the Mass. You could
spend a lifetime going to Mass every single day, and at the end
of your life still be surprised by the beautiful meaning behind
everything we do and say at Mass.
Our God is a God of surprises. We can never put limits on what he
is capable of or how his love can transform something ordinary,
like bread and wine, into something truly extraordinary, like the
Body and Blood of Jesus.
Lord, catch me off guard today.
Surprise me with some moment
of beauty or pain.
So that at least for the moment I may be
startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendor,
always and everywhere, barely hidden, beneath, beyond,
within this life I breathe.
Amen.
Frederick Buechner

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