Jesus in the Eucharist Holy Card and Craft

This is one of my favorite holy cards of all time.  And "Why?", you might ask?  Well, lets take a look at it.  It has beautiful engraving and it's in perfect condition - not a rip or even a crease in the delicate paper lace around the edges.

I also love the fact that the original owner wrote her name and the occasion she received it on the back.  "Souvenir of my reception into the Children of Mary, the 21st of Aug. 1902.  M.C. Dupont"

It shows a girl leaning against the altar before the tabernacle.  In front of her is a shining chalice, and over her head is .... maybe the biggest host ever!  I saw several of this style of holy card before I realized that it has a secret. 

When you hold it up to the light, there is Jesus in the Eucharist watching over her!  What a wonderful way to convey the fact to a child that Jesus himself is hidden under the auspice of the host in Holy Communion!

The symbolism is also wonderful.  You only see Jesus when you hold the card up to the light.  Just as we only see Jesus in the light of faith.  How many times a day do we encounter him without seeing him?  How many more times would we find him if we only took a moment to let the light of faith shine through our day?

The title engraved on the card echoes this sentiment.  The top reads "The Secret of the Altar".  Under the picture it says, "See that I am with you always, even to the end the age" (Mat 28:20)

Here's a craft idea that you can do to convey this message to your children:

1. You need one picture of Jesus.  It can be a sticker, an image printed off the internet, or your child could draw their own, and 3 sheets of construction paper: one yellow, one white, and one for the background paper, which can be any color you like.2.  Print out the template for the 1/2 of a chalice and host that is shown above.  Make sure your picture of Jesus will fit inside the host! (If you just cut and past the template onto a blank sheet in Microsoft Word you can enlarge or reduce it as you like before printing it.)
2. Fold the yellow paper in half and put the chalice template on the folded edge.  Outline and cut it out.  When you open it, you will have a complete chalice.  Glue it onto your background paper and let your child decorate it with crayons, markers and plastic jewels or sequins.  You can also stick tin foil on it to make it shiny!
3. Fold the white paper in half and put the flat side of the host template on the folded edge of the paper. Outline and cut it out.  You will now have an almost circular piece of white paper that opens like a door.
4. Glue the above the chalice, making sure the "door" opens the right way. Now open the host and glue your picture of Jesus inside.  You child can draw a cross on the outside of the host if you would like so it looks more special.  It's also fun to decorate the chalice with glitter or stick-on gems.
5. And there you have it!  Your picture should show the host above a beautiful chalice.  When it's shut, your child can't see Jesus, but open it and, surprise!  There is Jesus in the Eucharist just as he is in the real host during mass!