1.

Other denominations have varying understandings, ranging from the Eucharist being a "symbolic" meal to a meal of
"remembering" Christ's last supper.
The sacrament of First Communion is an important tradition for Catholic families and individuals. For Catholics, Holy Communion is
the third of seven sacraments received. It occurs only after receiving Baptism, and once the person has reached the age of
reason (usually, around the second grade) first confession (the first sacrament of penance) must precede the first reception of the
Eucharist. This order of the sacraments is practiced universally by all Roman Catholics, whereas Byzantine Catholics (Eastern Rite),
for example, celebrate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), and Holy Communion on the same day as an
infant's baptism.
2. Of all the sacraments the adorable sacrament of the altar is the most excellent. The other sacraments contain the gifts of God, but
the Holy Eucharist contains God himself. Hence St. Thomas says that the other sacraments have been instituted by Jesus Christ to
prepare men either to receive or to administer the Blessed Eucharist, which according to the Holy Doctor, is the consummation of
the spiritual life; because from this sacrament is derived all the perfection of the soul. For all perfection consists in a union with
God: and of all the means of uniting the soul to Him there is none better than holy Communion by which, as Jesus Christ Himself
has said, the soul becomes as it wer
3 In the sacrament of Holy Communion, God makes use of physical elements (bread and wine) so that with prayer and faith they
become a means of experiencing Gods grace in a special way. Along with the sacrament of baptism, Holy Communion is a gift of
God made effectual by the preaching of the Word and the response of faith
4 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 usWhile 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
behalf of 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. . .

5Althoughlocalsituationscreategreatdiversity,therearecharacteristicsthattoday'syoungpeoplehaveincommon,and
educatorsneedtobeawareofthem.
Manyyoungpeoplefindthemselvesinaconditionofradicalinstability.Ontheonehandtheyliveinaonedimensional
universeinwhichtheonlycriterionispracticalutilityandtheonlyvalueiseconomicandtechnologicalprogress.Ontheother
hand,thesesameyoungpeopleseemtobeprogressingtoastagebeyondthisnarrowuniverse;nearlyeverywhere,evidence
canbefoundofadesiretobereleasedfromit.

Preambles and motivation of faith

Two subjects are key to understanding Catholic faith: the preambles of faith and the motivation of faith. The preambles of faith
include those rational steps through which the believer reaches the conclusion that belief in God is reasonable. The freedom of faith
is respected by affirming that such a conclusion is as far as the preambles can take one. That is, the preambles show that there is
good evidence for the existence of God and that belief in God is reasonable, but they cannot establish Gods existence with
absolute certainty or beyond rational doubt. Thus, the preambles leave one free to accept faith or to reject it.

Catholic Mass is the highest form of worship man can give to Almighty God because there is
nothing man can offer God except God Himself. Learn from host Michael Voris how the Son is
eternally offered to the Father in the Catholic Mass.