Pentecost and First Communion - Transubstantiaion

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. It is to celebrate the Holy Spirit being poured upon a group of the Apostles to form the Church. The Holy Spirit opened each Apostle’s heart to understand various tongues they began speaking – enabling them to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all nations. 

In my parish, this Sunday is also the celebration for 3^rd grade and some 4^th grade students on the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) program to receive their first Holy Communion. As I have been directing this program, this Sunday promises to be a busy one! But, it will be loaded with blessings that the Holy Spirit will bring for the First Communion candidates and the rest of us, the Church! 

Guided by the Holy Spirit, in accordance with Code of Canon Law 914 and Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1457, through committed parents/guardians and catechists,  the First Communion candidates have attained enough wisdom to understand and appreciate the Sacrament of Eucharist as the real body and blood of Christ.

Though they may not be ready to fully comprehend the theological concept of transubstantiation in transforming the bread and wine into the real body of blood of Christ, they now understand the mystery of the Holy Spirit in changing the bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ as a presiding priest lays his hands. 

The candidates also understand that they receive the real body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine, remembering Jesus offering the bread and wine as his body and blood to the Apostles during the Last Supper table fellowship. They also understand that the body and blood of Christ they receive is called Eucharist, which means “giving thanks”, because Jesus gave thanks for the bread and wine (Matthew 26:26-28;Mark 14:22-23; Luke 22:17-20). In addition, they now know that the Eucharist is also called communion because it brings the faithful together around the table (alter) in the sanctuary. 

It is also my hope that by the time they are ready to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, they also conjure up images from Psalm 23:5, You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Song of Songs 2:4, He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love; leading to the heavenly wedding banquet of the Lamb (Christ) and the bride (Church) in Revelation 19:1-21, in further deepening their appreciation of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 

Because this is Pentecost Sunday, it is also important that I further explain the relevance of the Holy Spirit, for which Pentecost is celebrated, to the Eucharist. 

According to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, “Dominum et Vivificantem”(The Lord and Giver of Life), the Sacrament of the Eucharist has been what the Church identifies with, as guided by the Holy Spirit (n.62). It means that what transubstantiates the bread and wine on the alter into the real Body and Blood of Christ is the Holy Spirit, as a presiding priest lays his hands for consecration.  Laying hands is a gesture of receiving the Holy Spirit (see Acts 8:17). The hands function as a receiving antenna for the invisible Holy Spirit. The CCC defines the Sacraments, which includes the Eucharist and Confirmation, as actions of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church (1116), and the mode of this work’s efficacy in the Sacraments is called “ex opere operato” (by the very fact of the action's being performed) , as mentioned in St. Thomas Aquinus’ “Summa Theologica”, III, q.68, a.8, c.. Thus, the Eucharist, which the First Communion candidates are anticipating to receive for the first time, is one of the seven Sacraments made available in tangible forms by the Holy Spirit and thanks to its effects of “ex opere operato”.

Now, we have a better understanding to link First Communion celebration with Pentecost, which commemorates the Holy Spirit invigorating the Apostles to form the Church, one body of Christ with many parts and gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of the Church.

In my last blog entry, “Pentecost - Divine "fertilization" of the human community into the Ekklesia”, I associated fertilization of an egg to the effect of Pentecost. 

Just as an woman cannot become pregnant and give birth to a child without her egg fertilized by her husband’s sperm, we cannot form the Church, Ekklesia, without the “fertilization” (or pollination) by the Holy Spirit – no matter how faithful we maybe. 

As Jesus’ physical presence was gone with Ascension, now the Church has been formulated with the Holy Spirit through the unity of the twelve apostles (Acts 2:1-11). Jesus’ physical presence will not be available until his return envisioned in the Book of Revelation to bring the New Eden (New Jerusalem) upon his (the Lamb’s) wedding with the Church. In the meantime, the Church, which is as tangible as we are, the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19) brings the effects of Jesus. Sent by the Father, the effects of the Son, Christ, are made tangible to the world through us, who make up the Church, as one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). In order to enable us to form the Church as one body of Christ with many parts, the Father in heaven is sending the Holy Spirit.  This is how we become “fertilized” by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to give birth to the renewed Church.

The Holy Spirit is also a fresh breath of life (Ruah) to the Church on earth, by transforming the small community of the twelve Apostles into the core of the Church. The Holy Spirit poured upon the Church was inspired to speak different tongues so that it can reach out to all nations. This makes a clear contrast to the problem of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) as the Apostles, who spoke different tongs upon inspiration of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost were not confused but rather understood each other, while the people involved in the Tower were confused. The Apostles were united, but the people involved in the Tower were scattered. The Apostles, who spoke different languages, were to proclaim the Good News of Christ to all nations in every language.

The Holy Spirit invigorates us by activating all the potentials in us because it is the breath of God. The Holy Spirit also teaches us and reminds us of Jesus’ teaching in place of Jesus – until he returns.

In a way, this is similar to how the Holy Spirit can transubstantiate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Though the outlooks of the Apostles were still the same with Pentecost, they were no longer the same persons once the Holy Spirit “transubstantiated” them fully into what they were called to become! The psychospiritual substance of the Apostles were ever changed upon Pentecost. 

Now, we are fired up! Let the Holy Spirit of Pentecost “transubstantiate” us! We are ready to embark on our respective mission more powerfully to bear fruits of the Holy Spirit abundantly!