How the Eucharist Is Administered in First Communion

• Depending upon the Christian denomination, a priest or minister performs a ritual in which bread and wine is offered in sacrifice in the same way Christ did at the Last Supper. Following this ritual, the priest or minister offers each recipient a part of this meal, presenting the recipient with either the bread or wine and saying "the body of Christ" or "the blood of Christ." The recipient shows her acceptance of this statement by saying "Amen" before receiving the bread or wine.
  
  

What the Eucharist Symbolizes and Produces

• First Communion represents a coming of age where the recipient is first considered old enough to understand the profound effects of the Eucharist. In Catholicism and most other Christian denominations, the Eucharist is believed to symbolize unity and produce nourishment. The belief in unity stems from the writings of St. Paul, who says, "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17 ESV). At the same time, the Eucharist is believed by most Christian denominations to be either literally or symbolically the body of Christ, and thus its consumption nourishes not only the body under the appearance of bread but also the soul through Christ's holiness.
  
  

How Confirmation Is Administered

• Though a priest or minister usually administers this sacrament, Christian denominations with an ordained hierarchy usually have a bishop on hand for routine diocesan confirmations. The minister asks the recipient what his chosen inspiration is for his future life and holiness, and the recipient usually responds with the name of a saint. The minister then crosses the recipient's forehead with anointing oil, saying, "[Chosen name], receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Because Christian denominations prefer the recipient to be properly catechized before he may receive the sacrament, a sponsor (overseer of religious education) is usually present as well.
  
  

What Confirmation Symbolizes and Produces

• Strictly speaking, the sacrament of confirmation symbolizes exactly what it produces: the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At confirmation, the recipient receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit and is made a full member of the church. More specifically, however, Thomas Aquinas in his "Summa Theologiae" notes that "the anointing signifies the strength given for the spiritual conflict; the balsam contained in the chrism, the fragrance of virtue and the good odor of Christ; the sign of the cross on the forehead, the courage to confess Christ, before all men; the imposition of hands and the blow on the cheek, enrollment in the service of Christ which brings true peace to the soul."