Over the years, I get a smile on my face each time I see a youngster who walks beside mom or dad in the communion line and they reach for the communion host. And, they really want it. I doubt that most have a clear idea of what it is that we are receiving. Or, let me correct myself, I doubt that the youngster understands “who” we are receiving. But they want! Why do they want? Because they see us receiving and isn’t it human to want what others receive?
So, I turn my words for a moment to these young people who will approach the Lord’s table for the first time today to receive.
Kids, can you tell all these adults around you who it is who you will receive in the Eucharist for the first time in a few minutes? (Wait)... Who is He? (JESUS!!!!) And, what have you felt in the weeks leading up to now as you waited for your turn to receive Jesus? (Nervous, anxious, envious)!
My friends, these children do know WHO they seek to receive and they are filled with wonder and awe at the very idea of receiving GOD into themselves through the gifts He gives to us. They have journeyed through formation classes to better understand these special gifts. They may have heard why Jesus chose bread and wine as the elements for this Eucharistic celebration.
Bread because of the process it goes through to become what it is. We don’t just say poof and there’s bread. No we take wheat that is dried (the stalk is dead). We grind it up (it is broken).
And the wine? Wine typically comes from grapes. But what must happen to these grapes before we have wine? That’s right, they must be stomped or smashed to collect the sweet juice from the fruit.
But these aren’t just simple symbols for us, are they? Please, all of you, at this very moment. Think of what we are about to do. Do you “know”, do you “believe” that what still appears to be bread and wine, are really and truly changed? Do you believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist we share? Do you?
When we each approach in the communion line, we are presented with a gift and a statement is presented to us…”The Body of Christ”...and we make a decision in that moment! We decide that we truly believe in the Real Presence of Christ in that small wafer. And we say “Amen”. Amen...I believe. OR, do we simply go through the motions and walk up in the line because everyone else does?
And then a second statement is offered to us…”The Blood of Christ”...Again, we make a decision, a decision that, like the first, makes all the difference in the world. We say “Amen”. Amen, I believe.
I said at the beginning, that children are filled with wonder and awe. And, as they prepare for their First Communion, they WANT Him.
Do you WANT Him? Do you NEED Him?
Or is this some game, some obligation?
Whether today is your First Communion or if you have received His Body and His Blood for many years, I pray that you will again be filled with wonder and awe. That you might tremble with excitement and anticipation as you prepare to receive the Word made flesh into your self. This Word which created the entire world and This Word who saved this world through giving Himself up on the Cross.
My friends, we are all children. Children of a loving God! Oh, that we might be like our Jewish brothers and sisters who are in such awe of our Creator that they will not speak His name. As you approach the Eucharist today, I wonder if any of you might be filled with that wonder and awe from when you first received! I wonder if any of you might be moved to tears as you realize the great gift which Christ and His Church give to you today in His Body and His Blood!
After you receive Him today, please quietly return to your pew and spend a few minutes with Christ. Christ within you! Allow Him to permeate every cell of your body. Your “Amen” changes everything! Jesus Christ changes everything!
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