One of the best approaches was provided by our Holy Father when he met with a group of children, who had received their First Holy Communion, in 2005. This so impressed me that I included it in my letter to parish families whose children will be receiving First Eucharist next Sunday.
3. Andrea
In preparing me for my First Communion day, my catechist told me that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. But how? I can't see him!
No, we cannot see him, but there are many things that we do not see but they exist and are essential. 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 the Risen Lord: 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, etc., is created. Therefore, we do not see the Lord himself but we see the effects of the Lord: so we can understand that Jesus is present. And as I said, it is precisely the invisible things that are the most profound, the most important. So let us go to meet this invisible but powerful Lord who helps us to live well.
CATECHESES OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
As for describing the sensation one feels, an extraordinary grace was given me several years ago. I have never doubted the Real Presence and always sat as close as possible to the Tabernacle at my former parish. There was some liturgical abuse in this parish and I had even won a battle against liturgical dance. But that Sunday, the scales tipped when I watched a EMHC drop a consecrated host on the floor of the Sancturary. She hesitated, unsure of what to do, then turned towards the pastor for guidance. He met her gaze then averted his eyes, leaving the decision up to her. I'm from the old school where the Mass ground to a screeching halt when a host accidentally fell and was shocked at her decision. She bent over, picked it up and redeposited it in her Pyrex glass communion bowl. It was more than I could bear. Bowing my head in prayer, I asked our Lord to guide me to a holy priest, a reverent liturgy and a community where whatever my God-given talents could be of service.
That same day, I went through the Yellow Pages and compiled a list of other RC parishes within a certain radius of home and noted the Mass times. A fellow freeper suggested including any Eastern Catholic parishes that might be here. There were 2 - Maronite and Ukrainian. I added them to the list. Each Sunday I would attend Mass at a different RC parish, always repeating that prayer. I had no idea how I would recognize the answer but trusted that it would be made known to me.
Several weeks into this program, the Maronite Church popped up on the list. The small Church was lovely and the liturgy was beautiful though disorienting. When it was time to go to communion, I joined the one and only line that snaked up to the priest. In the Maronite Church, communion is by intinction and on the tongue - there are no EMHCs - only the priest distributes communion. As the priest placed the intincted host on my tongue, a 'surge' swept through my body from head to toe. Looking back, I recall thinking - "Wow, this priest really knows how to confect the Eucharist!" I left the church that day with a sense of peace I had never known and it lasted for days.
The following Sunday, I pulled out my list. Next up was the Ukrainian Church. It was also my birthday. Recalling that sense of peace from the previous week, I decided to return to the Maronite Church, as a gift to myself. Some of the parishioners remembered me from the previous week and smilingly nodded as they went by. I even recognized some of the chanted prayers and hummed along. Once again I joined the communion line. The instant the priest placed the intincted host on my tongue, there was again this 'surge' that swept through me. It was so intense that my knees buckled and I had to grab on to the end of the pew to regain my balance. When I left the Church that Sunday, I was again overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of peace that lasted the entire week.
During the week I reflected back on these extraordinary experiences. So slow to catch on, I hit myself on the side of the head and I finally grasped their significance. When the following Sunday rolled around, I pulled out the list, tore it up and returned to the Maronite Church.
PS - That was 4 years ago. In the span of that time, the RC bishop has closed ALL of the parishes on my list. It was indeed in this Church that our Lord answered that prayer. The pastor is a very holy man, ordained only 7 years ago. The reverence of their liturgy defies description - one must expereince it. As for my God-given abilities, they were put to use within a short time - assisting in obtaining a grant for the Church where we will eventually move, serving as lector, VP for the women's auxiliary, parish council member and now, Director for Religous Education. In the midst of the local RC diocese, this Maronite Church is like an oasis and word has spread about the wonderful work emanating from this tiny Church.
BTW - the 3rd time I went up for communion, there was no 'surge'. But by then I knew I had arrived at the answer to my prayer. God acts in extraordinary ways - sometime it takes the form of particular graces.
Thank you for sharing that!
Wow. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks....