The typical Sunday morning can be a blur of cereal, a scramble for your favorite section of the newspaper, and a mad dash to get to Mass on time. It's hardly the way to prepare for Eucharist, but for many, it's real life.

Times like this tell you there has to be a better way. The Eucharist is, after all, Real Life—Christ's life. Scripture says the Eucharist will transform you on a grand scale—providing you with resurrection, heaven, and paradise with God. But your heart wants the Eucharist to make a difference right now—giving you peace, hope, friendship, love. Deep down, you know that the more you allow the Eucharist to influence your daily life, the better this life can be. So how do you begin to open the door to Eucharist and bring your children along in the process?

Start Where You Are
While you are rushing around and trying to get everyone's hair combed and shoes tied, you might say to the little ones: "We have to hurry now. We're going to meet Jesus." The mad dash is meaningful when you think of it in these terms. Everyone hungers for security, love, and meaning. Because Jesus fills these needs, people's hearts naturally seek him. Most children can hardly wait for First Eucharist. It is their own natural spiritual hunger, and parents can nurture that desire in their children.

If the person of Christ is not a big presence in your life, begin to search for your religious core. Your baptism has already started you on your journey towards Christ. Go with your family to church every Sunday without fail. Kids need to see that it is important for the whole family to be there.

Take Ten
Ask your pastor to order extra copied of the missalette so you and other families can take one home. Glance over the three readings for the coming Sunday and choose the one that you think is the easiest for the kids to understand. Then, take ten to twenty minutes Saturday or Sunday morning, read the passage together with your kids, and talk about it. Get them involved—ask them to tell you what it means to them. Avoid being critical. The idea is just to get them hearing things about God's Word. Share what it means to you, and wrap up by saying "Let's see if the priest at Mass got the same thing out of it that we did."

When the Liturgy of the Word begins, your children will be listening for "their" reading. You may find them also beginning to notice remarks from the homily connecting with the reading. The preparation is just a nudge in the right direction to help them take part in worship. It prepares their hearts—as well as yours—for the Eucharistic celebration. And, over a period of a couple of years, you will all be growing spiritually just by talking over the messages of Scripture. Many parishes today also send a question around the Gospel reading home with you to share within your household.

If your parish serves doughnuts and milk after Mass, go occasionally with your family. Spend time with your fellow Christians. Fellowship with those who belong to Christ is a natural extension of Eucharist.

Make Peace
When you finally head off to church, you can use the travel time to reconcile with one another. Point out that Jesus expects you to be at peace with one another before you bring your gifts to the altar. You need to forgive one another and let go of any grudges you may have. In other words, you need to "be in communion to receive communion."

You can begin by saying something like: "I'm sorry for getting angry with you last night, Matt. I was tired and impatient." Take turns asking forgiveness for the hurts you have caused others during the week. You can bet the youngest, even it not yet receiving Eucharist, is definitely listening, because forgiveness is always potent stuff. Your efforts at reconciliation will help get across the message that people need to be free of serious sin before receiving Christ.

Whispering Is Allowed
Once you are at church, there are a few simple things you can do to make a big difference in preparing children of any age for their First Communion. Sit where the children can see the priest and the altar and all the action; they'll have a better chance of absorbing some meaning and not being bored. The Mass, after all, is a fairly complex ritual whose meaning is not always obvious or engaging for children.

Let the kids know that they can ask questions during Mass: "Why does Father hold his hands up like that?" "Why do we have to kneel?" If your answer won't take long, deliver it on the spot in a respectful whisper. If the answer is more complicated, promise to explain on the way home.

If your kids don't ask you questions, raise the issue yourself. Young children think concretely. Teach them straightforwardly that Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Christ and not just the appearance of bread and wine. You might also make a quick comment during the Our Father, such as, "Jesus is our daily bread." The Mass is a teachable moment, and the kids need to know what they're doing there.

Make Connections At Home
Look for links between daily life and the Eucharist. Over the years there will be plenty of chances for you to say to your kids: "Happiness is not having the most toys or nicest clothes, but being loved and showing love to others. No one is really rich unless he or she has that love." At moments like these, faith becomes practical and real. The Christ of Eucharist becomes the love by which all other loves in your life are measured.

For you as parents, the golden moment is when it seems like all the effort to make the Eucharist part of your family's life really has made a difference. It's when you see in your children's eyes and actions that their hearts have opened up and are making room for the Real Life of Christ.