One can always go over at home the book and materials given to her in her class. Sit down and review what she had in class. One of the teachers one of my son had required a parents signature on the lesson with the emphasis that the parent took the time to review and reread at home. One DRE shared that as long as the child knows (not necessarily always understand) that the bread and wine changed and can verbalize that then in her opinion they would be ready to receive the Eucharist. As you realize, she is seven and this is just the beginning. There is a difference between knowing and understanding. Understanding takes a lifetime of study and growth. As a 7 year old, she won’t have the understanding of an adult but as a seven year old, she can know. The same DRE likewise stated that if one doesn’t think their child is ready, there is nothing wrong with waiting at all. Considering it is getting close to the time of year that first communions are taking place, it probably would be more disruptive to step back now. Hope this helps, been through it with 3. Enjoy this special time with your daughter.
At 7, she isn’t capable of fully understanding the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. She will have a rudimentary understanding and the rest is faith. Over time, she will mature into understanding as you teach her more. Remember the fully grown apostles with Jesus who said, “But Lord, this is a hard teaching!”
From my experience as a father of six (three who’ve been through first communion), I think a child of seven is as capable of understanding the mystery of the Eucharist as well as any other human being can. After all, it’s a mystery just like the Trinity. No one alive really gets it until they die and see Truth face to face.
Yes, it starts at home, if the parents aren’t bringing their children to Mass or even reviewing the material they do get from class then how are they really going to learn and understand. I can only imagine what you see as a DRE. The school and church both my boys went through required that the children were brought to Mass at least 4 times before their first communion which seems silly if the children have been coming all along. Sadly, for a number of kids in a Catholic School, the only time they regularly get to Mass is through the school Mass, not on Sunday. I wonder how many you see drop out or leave after the child make their first communion. So sad to think about.
I was hoping that there is some other material to help me with this and that Jesus is not in pain because of communion.It’s the aspect of it’s the true body and blood, but it doesn’t LOOK like flesh and blood, that’s hard to comprehend when you are 6-7. And sorry, the human mind and brain does grow and mature in its ability to handle the incomprehensible. Children tend to be very concrete and simplistic and you may believe that they understand the same things you do. But they really don’t. That’s why we have to keep teaching them as they grow up.
This is not meant as any sort of criticism, but your daughter’s questions seem a little odd for a child of her age. Does she have any trouble in school? Her questions seem more along the lines that a younger child might ask. I would think that persisting about the magic might show that she’s not really ready for this sacrament and might benefit from being delayed from the Eucharist, but I know that’s not an easy thing to suggest. My son, who had other issues, didn’t receive until he was 9.Thank you all for the responses they are quite helpful and I am going to look into the books and DVD. Yes, we do go to mass and I help her to review her materials. My concern came mostly one day that she told me she was scared of going to communion because what if blood came out of the wafer and that it was going to be hurtful to Jesus because you are bitting Jesus body, I tried to explain to her that Jesus was God and he made miracles and it was miracle from God and then she insists Jesus is going to be in pain, I told her Jesus is in pain when we sin only and she was not getting it. Then she asked if priests learn to do magic tricks or go.to magic school!!! I tried to explain to her that is not magic but she says is magic, and last week she told me she wanted to ask the priest what kind of magic he does on Jesus because she doesn’t understand how Jesus is not going to feel pain when people are biting him
I guess my kids are just different. They get it.
This is not my experience. As a mother of 6, I have discovered that my children will rise to my expectation.
