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The Real Presence

This lesson is designed to help the students realize the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Skit I

This class will need to be in the Church. The skit is very simple. Lines do not need to be memorized as long as they are read with meaning. The most important thing to remember is the quality of sound. If the students can’t hear the skit, it will be totally ineffective.
You will need two actors/actresses. One should be dressed as an old man and the other should be dressed as an outer space alien. We used an upside down metal colander, green face paint and a toy voice synthesizer for the alien and a cane, suit jacket and hat for the old man.
The first few pews in the Church should be empty on both sides. Have your students sit close to the front. The Church should be dimly lit.

A man dressed in a suit, and hat and carrying a cane, enters into the church from the back. He is reverent and respectful. He walks very slowly up to the front of the church. The sound of his cane on the floor will add effect. He genuflects, and enters a pew where he bows his head and kneels.

A few minutes later, an “Alien” enters the church.

The “Alien” wanders in from the back of the church. He is looking around at the ceiling, the floor and the walls in wonder. He touches the wood on the pews and kneels down to feel the carpet. He acts amazed at everything his senses are experiencing. He has a box (Toy synthesizer) he speaks into. His name is “Orlon.”

Orlon: (Speaking into the box) Orlon to the mother ship. Orlon to the mother ship. Come in mother ship.
(Pretends to hear a response coming from the box) Yes, I’ve landed. No sir…Not sure I’ve followed the sensor and it is leading me inside this building. This is a strange planet sir. The soil and earth are beautiful, but they choose to cover it up with pavement.

Their modes of transportation are strange too sir. They never leave the ground. I guess their transportation could be likened to our ancient spaceships. Extremely primitive sir.

The people on this planet don’t seem to like it here much. The specimens I’ve seen look very unhappy. One of them almost ran over me with his grounded spaceship.

(Listens to the box) No sir, I’m very inconspicuous here. No one would guess that I’m from another planet. I blend quite well. As a matter of fact, the man who almost hit me with his spaceship apologized. He waved one of his fingers at me and sounded a horn.
(Listens, again to the box) Oh, yes sir, I remember my mission. My indicator is very strong in this building.
(Listens again) I think this is where we will find him.
(Listens again) Yes sir. I will report again soon.

Orlon continues to wander up to the front of the church where he spots the man praying. He taps him on the shoulder.

Orlon: Excuse me earthling.

Man: (Has been in deep prayer and is totally shocked and startled at the sight of the Alien.) Sweet and Holy Jesus……save me.

Orlon: Oh…so you do know Him.

Man: (Very leery) Know who?

Orlon: Jesus…of course.

Man: (Hesitantly) who are you? Please don’t hurt me!

Orlon: Why would you think I’ve come to hurt you? That is not my mission. I have been sent to track the path of Jesus. Do you know where He can be found?

Man: Uhhh…yeah I know who He is.

Orlon: The beings on my planet have been searching for Him for many lunars. Take me to Him. Where is He? Is He here?

Man: Well....uhhh…He was here about two thousand years ago.

Orlon: I do not understand. What is a year? Is it a mode of time?

Man: Yeah…I guess that’s what you could call it.

Orlon: But you said He was here? So, how did your planet celebrate? I know if the maker of all things would have chosen to come to our planet….there would have been extreme exhilaration, worship and praise. I can only imagine the joy that the life on this planet must have experienced when the One who is All Holy choose to come here. (Looks around a little annoyed).

Man: (Looking embarrassed) Well, it wasn’t quite like that.

Orlon: If there was not a celebration…then what? How did your people choose to honor Him?

Man: (Shakes his head and acts frustrated) you don’t understand how it was. We didn’t know He was God. He came as a humble baby. We were expecting a King.

Orlon: Did He not let you know ahead of time of His coming?

Man: Well….yeah, but we….ummm…I guess that we just didn’t listen very well.
You have to understand. We expected Him to come as a King. Instead, he chose to be born in a stable, by a virgin.

Orlon: Yes…yes. The God of all things is very humble. I can understand why He preferred to visit in that manner. He chose to enter your world in the purest manner. A humble birth by a virgin. That information is computing well. But I cannot compute why there was no celebration. Did you not welcome Him? Please tell me of his time here on this planet.

Man: Well, He grew up normally. Then He waited until he was older and started His mission. He did a lot of miracles and things. You know…to prove to people that He was God’s Son.

Orlon: (Totally disgusted) do you mean to tell me that the Lord of all things had to prove to you that He was God?

Man: Yeah…I guess. He did a lot of miracles and stuff. He talked a lot about the kingdom of God and He healed a lot of people and He even brought some back from the dead.

Orlon: (Excited) Yes…yes…it must have been wonderful. I’m beginning to compute His plan. So….after He revealed Himself as God…. then your people celebrated?

Man: (Sad) Not exactly. It was a long time ago…you know…I wasn’t here. Shoot….I wasn’t’ even born yet. It wasn’t my fault.

Orlon: (Puzzled) why do you say…..it wasn’t your fault? Explain please.

Man: You have to understand….there were a lot of bad people back then and a lot of them didn’t like having Him here. They….uh…they…..they…. tortured Him and hung Him on a cross to die. See. (Points to a crucifix then hangs his head down)

Orlon: (Shocked and disgusted. Shaking his head) my senses are not able to accept this information you are giving me. Why would a planet not rejoice with a visit from God…why would they not welcome Him and celebrate? (Upset now and getting louder) I cannot accept this information. I know He is here. My sensors indicate that He is here. In this very building.

Man: (Brightens) Yes…yes…He is here. Before He died….He left us with a gift. There are special men….men ordained by God….we call them Priests…they call down heaven to earth in a ceremony called a Mass. Every day all over the entire planet, we celebrate the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth and died for us. You see….here on this planet….we’re sinners. (Hangs his head) All of us. We didn’t deserve His visit to us. That’s why He chose to come here….to earth. Because we needed Him….we needed His goodness…..we needed hope. He gave us all of that…and more. He died willingly for our sins. But before He died, He left us a wonderful gift. He left us with the Eucharist. In a beautiful ceremony called the Mass, heaven reaches down to earth and bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. We call that miracle Transubstantiation. The men we call priests have dedicated their lives to this miracle…to serving God and spreading the good news. Every day, many times, all over the planet, we humans celebrate this miracle. You feel the presence of God, because He is here. Here in the form of the Eucharist. Every time we go to Mass or even sit in the presence of the Eucharist…..we are in the presence of the Almighty God. That’s why I’m here today. I needed to get away from the world outside and sit in the presence of Almighty God.
Please….will you join me?

Orlon: I would be honored.

It would be best if at this time the monstrance was brought in and a short time dedicated to Adoration. This will probably need to be done by a Priest.
My suggestion would be five minutes for Adoration now and then five minutes later after the lesson. (Older students do better with quiet time, so you be the judge)
Also, if you have any musical talent, have them sing, “Down In Adoration Falling.” (It’s usually listed in our Mass books,)


Lesson I - Plus Biblical & Catechism References

How many of you here believe in Jesus Christ?

Do you really want to know Him?

Do you want to put in the time and effort it will take to generate a relationship with Christ?

Those questions are brought home to my heart every time I remember Psalm 41:1
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God.

Have you ever been so thirsty that nothing would do but a long drink of water? Just water….not pop or juice, just pure sweet water?
If you have, then maybe you can relate to that scripture. That’s how King David felt when he wrote that Psalm. That’s how we should feel in our quest to know God.

Deep inside all of us…is that desire. That need for a drink of pure water…that need to know God and to draw close to Him. Nothing else will do. The world offers us other things to satisfy that thirst….it offers careers, money, sports, sex, notoriety and a lot of other stuff. But in the end….we need God….we thirst for Him and nothing else will satisfy us. We were created to desire closeness with the God who created us.

As Catholics, we are extremely blessed. We experience that closeness to God, every time we go to mass. Every time we go to communion.
Awesome…don’t you think?

In Matthew 18:20, it says: For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.

So…As long as two or three people are together in prayer, then Jesus has promised to be together with you.

How many of your families pray together before a meal? Jesus is there with you.

He is even more present with us in the Mass.

Have any of you wondered why the priest or deacon kisses the book of the Gospels? They do that to recognize that Jesus is being made present through the Word of God.

The Scriptures bring God alive to us. They help to satisfy that thirst we have. That need to draw closer to God.

Christ is really present in the priest. He takes on the person of Christ. He represents Christ in the celebration of the Mass.

Christ is the most present to us in the Eucharist. Simple bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
It’s called the Transubstantiation. It’s a really big word. But fittingly so…because the bread and wine becoming the body and blood of Jesus Christ…it’s a huge event.

Have you ever been to a Protestant service where they have an altar call? They ask people to come forward to be prayed with and to experience the closeness of Jesus.

We do that every week, when we go to communion. Our Mass is really an altar call. But in the Mass we aren’t just being prayed over, we are experiencing the closeness of Christ, by receiving His body and blood inside of us.

What a gift we have. To be able to come to Mass and experience the presence of God… to let Him fill you and satisfy that thirst.

Another beautiful thing that the Catholic Church offers us is Adoration of the Eucharist.

Maybe some of you have parents or grandparents who spend time doing what is called “Adoration.” In essence, what they’re doing is sitting in the presence of God and praying or worshiping.

We also have what we call Adoration and Benediction. It’s a ceremony where the priest, deacon, or communion minister, brings out the monstrance. (Make sure they see and actual monstrance on display)

A monstrance is basically is a holy vessel that displays the Blessed Sacrament (A consecrated host) so that we can adore and worship the presence of Christ in a unique way.

Right now, we’re going to do that again. So for the next 5 minutes or so, I’m asking you to kneel quietly and meditate and pray, while the monstrance is displayed and some soft music is played.

This little poem is from the Catechism. So even though it may be a little deep for some of you….think about it and meditate. It’s attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas.
If you could hand out copies of the poem it might be helpful for them to concentrate.

Godhead here in hiding, who I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? That shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

Songs

“Lord Have Mercy” by Michael W. Smith
“Breathe” by Michael W. Smith
“Breathe” by Natalie Grant
“Here With Me” by Mercy Me

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