Father’s Column 5/3

Posted on May 3, 2015 View all news

Laudetur Jesus Christus!
Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!
Praised be Jesus Christ!

Today we celebrate First Communion in our parish. Congratulations to Matthew, Claire, Agatha, Ayla, Erin, Leah, James, and Rose. Receiving first Communion is always an important event in the Church. It is the first time that a child receives the Eucharistic Lord and has perfect Communion with God.

The joy that they express on their faces and in their hearts should remind each of us of the importance of receiving Holy Communion. In their innocence, our First Communicants do not take advantage of our Eucharistic Lord. Rather, we each witness and are filled with great joy as we see them go to Communion for the first time. The same joy that fills us on this day, the same joy that fills them on the day of their First Communion, should fill us every time we present ourselves at the communion rail.

On the day of our baptism, our God Parents were given a candle, symbolic of our faith. They were instructed to keep the light of faith burning bright in our hearts until such a time we were to make our own choices. At that point, it was up to us to keep that candle burning bright. In previous generations, whenever one received a new Sacrament, that same baptismal candle was carried up by the recipient. A symbol and a reminder of the importance of keeping the faith burning bright within us that was begun in baptism.

Each time we go to Holy Communion, we should remember not only the joy we had on our First Communion Day, but also that baptismal candle. That it is up to us, through our constant Acts of Faith and prayer, to keep our faith in God not simply the same, but growing. May the joy we see in our first communicants, the love and devotion that they demonstrate, fill us with such devotion that we receive the Eucharist never out of routine, but with full faith and love.

Finally, please note that Mass Intentions for the 9:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday Masses in 2015 are no longer available. If you drop Mass Intentions in the collection, please be sure to indicate who is requesting the intention and your phone number. We have received a few requests for specific dates or specific Masses that we can not fill, so these intentions are assigned to other Masses. If we know who makes the request, we can contact you if there is a conflict. Thank you for your cooperation.

Have a blessed week ahead!

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