Transubstantiation

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fnz2thrght

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I am a co-CCD teacher for first graders. After watching a cutsey feel good Easter movie today we were trying to explain the finer parts that the movie missed… (oh little things like the crucifixion…:eek: That went over well…it was like they had never heard these things before) Anyway, we were speaking about the last Supper today and how it relates to mass, and my co-teacher said that at mass the Eucharist and the Wine “represent” Jesus’ body and blood, which I know is totally wrong, and I tried to explain to her that we believe that it IS his body and blood. Well, it went over her head. She got fixated on “represents”. I found myself at a loss to EASILY explain transubstantiation to her and to 6 year old children. So I was trying to find some simple way to explain how a substance, the bread and wine, can be still bread and wine physically, but can be actually Jesus’ body and blood at the same time.

Can anyone help me with this? simple terms. small words…I want do do right by these little ones, I don’t want to confuse them, but at the same time I think they’re missing out if I don’t try to at least explain. Children aren’t dumb. They will “get it” if its explained, but I just can’t seem to get the right words.

(sorry if this isn’t the right forum…I wasnt’ quite sure where it should go)
 
I can only assume that you are looking for a word picture/analogy. All analogies have weaknesses so be aware of that point.

Having said that you might try this one:

Water is a liquid but when it turns into ice it is still water. In this case the appearance is different but the substance is the same. The Eucharist has an appearance that is different than the substance of Jesus body and blood. Ice has an appearance that is different from its liquid form. The substance is H2O, but the appearance is not that of a liquid.

I hope this helps, but like I said…analogies have their weaknesses.
 
fnz2thrght said:
I am a co-CCD teacher for first graders. After watching a cutsey feel good Easter movie today we were trying to explain the finer parts that the movie missed… (oh little things like the crucifixion…:eek: That went over well…it was like they had never heard these things before) Anyway, we were speaking about the last Supper today and how it relates to mass, and my co-teacher said that at mass the Eucharist and the Wine “represent” Jesus’ body and blood, which I know is totally wrong, and I tried to explain to her that we believe that it IS his body and blood. Well, it went over her head. She got fixated on “represents”. I found myself at a loss to EASILY explain transubstantiation to her and to 6 year old children. So I was trying to find some simple way to explain how a substance, the bread and wine, can be still bread and wine physically, but can be actually Jesus’ body and blood at the same time.

Can anyone help me with this? simple terms. small words…I want do do right by these little ones, I don’t want to confuse them, but at the same time I think they’re missing out if I don’t try to at least explain. Children aren’t dumb. They will “get it” if its explained, but I just can’t seem to get the right words.

(sorry if this isn’t the right forum…I wasnt’ quite sure where it should go)
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First off, if your co-teacher is teaching the students heresy, it might be a good idea to tell the pastor.

As for explaining transubstantiation, I think you should just plainly tell them that even though it looks like bread, tastes like bread, smells like bread, etc., it’s no longer bread but the Body and Blood of Christ. Tell them that it can no longer be correctly called bread; instead, it is 100% Jesus who is both 100% God and 100% human. Do the same for the wine. Personally I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to 6 yr olds about substances or accidents. Pax’s idea of using an analogy is also a good idea in my opinion.

I hope that helps, and God bless you for teaching children the faith! Catechesis is very important and in my opinion is the key to ending the decline of Catholicism in this country and in other countries.
 
As a child, Therese of Lisieux (the Little Flower) was being taught about the Eucharist, and she understood right away because “Jesus is God and can do anything He wants.” So He can be there and still look and taste like bread and wine. No problem. Children are blessedly simple. Too bad we have to grow up and get complicated.

Betsy
 
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baltobetsy:
Jesus is God and can do anything He wants
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that’s what I resorted to when I couldnt’ find a good explanation. But I think they rather felt like I was saying “because I’m mom and I say so”, so I wanted to give them a bit more.
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francesco920:
First off, if your co-teacher is teaching the students heresy, it might be a good idea to tell the pastor.
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I think its the case of any warm body to fill the class, as they’re so lacking in parents (or other adults) who will teach the children…I wasn’t even supposed to be teaching CCD at all either, at the first class the CCD coordinator asked if I could just help “watch” the kids, so I think it was more than happanstance that I was there. So when she says something incorrect, I just use it as a teaching moment for her as well as the children. But I’m not ready to start the Spanish Inquisition all over again…
fransesco920:
Personally I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to 6 yr olds about substances or accidents. Pax’s idea of using an analogy is also a good idea in my opinion.
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Ok, you’ve lost me there - to me they’re the same - pax’s analogy is talking about accidents and substances. Or do you mean just keeping it simple - don’t bring up the whole theory of it? If that’s what you mean, then yes I agree.
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pax:
Water is a liquid but when it turns into ice it is still water. In this case the appearance is different but the substance is the same. The Eucharist has an appearance that is different than the substance of Jesus body and blood. Ice has an appearance that is different from its liquid form. The substance is H2O, but the appearance is not that of a liquid.
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Yes! That’s perfect! That’s exactly what I was looking for - but for some reason I couldn’t come up with the words!
 
fnz2thrght said:
…it was like they had never heard these things before)
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And they probably haven’t!

We used the Baltimore Catechism when I was in 2nd grade, and nobody had any problem understanding that although the appearances remained the same, Jesus was truly present under those appearances.

Appearances are what we can see, touch, feel, and taste, and those remain. But underneath the appearances, Jesus is truly present.

If you need an analogy, you might point out that when they sit in a movie theater watching a movie, the movie seems very real. It may even be in 3D. But it’s all just appearances. Beneath the seeming reality of the outward scenes and sounds of the movie, the reality is a movie screen and speakers!

In the same way, beneath the appearances of bread and wine, the reality is Jesus, whole and entire.
 
Dear fnz2thrght,
As I have said in reply to others on this site, you don’t try to explain transsubstantiation. This is a concept created by Aristotelean philosophy and is an attempt to “explain” the words of Christ at the last supper. It cannot be explained, as no one actually knows how the bread and wine become Christ. It just can’t be done.
If you must say something beyond that we believe that Jesus is really present, just say that a lot of very smart and wise people have tried to explain it and haven’t been able to do it. So we just believe.
Again, please don’t try to explain it without a solid grounding in Aristotelean philosophy. Even then it isn’t easy. I can’t imagine burdening a group of first or second graders with such abstruse concepts.
In the Father’s Love,
Matthew
 
Again, please don’t try to explain it… (snipped)
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I understand that - explaining it is probably the wrong term. Even I can’t understand it nor explain it to myself, which is why I’m here, and I certainly don’t expect 1st graders to fully understand. For me “we just believe it” works. That’s what I believe. And that’s what I told them… it’s just “what we believe”. But at some point, someone (my father probably) must have laid out a small framework for why it looks like bread and wine but isn’t bread and wine. That’s all I’m trying to accomplish. In very child-like terms, how best to explain it, without really explaining it. Again, most of these children don’t even go to Mass, nor have they ever heard these things before, and for many of them the concept of “Jesus can do it” and “we just believe it to be so”, is foreign to them and as much as I’d like to just say that, they’re not even to that point that they accept that God can do anything just because he’s God. Does that make sense?? It is a sad commentary, but that’s neither here nor there.
 
My younger granddaughter, age 6 or so, explains it thus:

"It’s not bread, it’s Jesus.
"It’s not wine, it’s Jesus.
"There are things we don’t understand, so that’s just the way it is.
“Jesus can do anything He wants, anyway.”
 
Maybe this is something that your little ones will understand. An insightful 5th grader that I was teaching a few years ago likened transubstantiation to the Grinch. Remember when the Grinch’s heart grew 3 times that day toward the end of the story? Well, he LOOKED exactly the same but, in reality, he had TOTALLY CHANGED. It is the same with the Eucharist.
 
Thanks everyone (and to whomever moved my thread - I"m not 100% familiar with all the forums here yet)

I’ve got some great ideas.
 
fnz2thrght said:
…

Can anyone help me with this? simple terms. small words…I want do do right by these little ones, I don’t want to confuse them, but at the same time I think they’re missing out if I don’t try to at least explain. Children aren’t dumb. They will “get it” if its explained, but I just can’t seem to get the right words.
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fnz2thrght, its great to see that you care so much for these kids. While I like the analogies offered by others, I feel that you have a golden opportunity here. It is never too early talk to kids about true faith. After all there is no faith in the world like that of little children. Encourage them to believe in faith that it is Jesus in the Eucharist.

Like you said, kids aren’t dumb. They will get it.

👍 👍 👍
 
As a CCD teacher myself, please - for the sake of these children, talk to the DRE and the Pastor. First grade is an important year - next year will be 1st Communion, the 1st grade CCD teachers ARE doing Sacremental Prep.

Do not be afraid, just speak to the DRE and the Pastor, perhaps like this “Last week we had a some lively discussion re the Real Presence. These kids are very bright and interested, would you Father be able to pop into class next week to give the kids a talk?”
 
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