From the Pastor’s Desk May 4, 2014 Do you remember your First Communion? I do! I was 7 years old, wore a white suit and went to Howard Johnson’s for breakfast afterwards. My brother Richard was 5; my sister Patricia was 6; my brother David was still in diapers and my brother Donald would not make an appearance for three more years. Going to Howard Johnson’s for breakfast was special and my First Communion made me special and that made the day a very special day. The fact that my Eucharistic theology was very under developed at the time did not bother me in the least. I don’t think it bothered any of my classmates who had their own Howard Johnson stories to remember First Communion by! This weekend we are celebrating the first of five First Communions here at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. These will take place at the 4 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass and the 11 a.m. Sunday celebration. The same will be repeated next weekend with the final celebration coming on Sunday morning May 18th. We situate these significant celebrations at our regular Sunday Masses because the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood for the first time is a parish event. It is not a private family affair but a time for the whole community to witness our Catholic faith being handed on to the next generation. While these Masses may last a few minutes longer, this is a small price to pay for the opportunity to acknowledge this annual religious milestone in the life of our parish community. Now, truth to tell, while all of our children can tell us that they are receiving Jesus, we all know that the full appreciation of this mystery will not become theirs for many years to come. In fact, if some of our First Communicants are not able to continue with Sunday worship and religious education, as sometimes happens, then they may never come to appreciate the significance and the richness of what Holy Communion really is. This means that parents and godparents have a very special responsibility to follow through on the promises that were made at baptism. In the baptismal liturgy for infants, parents and godparents present their babies for baptism. “In asking to have your child baptized, you are accepting the responsibility of bringing them up in the practice of the faith . . . do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” When parents and godparents respond “I do,” baptism takes place because of this commitment that has been made to form the newly baptized according to the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. The celebration of First Communion and Confirmation are two significant milestones in the fulfillment of this commitment. But these do not stand alone by any means. Hopefully, they are celebrated as natural sacramental moments for children who attend religious education classes and who nourish their lives of faith through the great gift of Sunday worship. During this Easter season, we are all invited to renew our baptismal promises. It is in and through our Sunday celebration of Eucharist that our faith is nourished and deepened. When we come to the end of Mass, we are told to go in peace to love and serve the Lord by loving and serving one another. This is what Eucharist is all about! It is the nourishment we need to live our faith every day by all that we say and do and think. As our children receive the Lord’s Body and Blood for the first time during this month of May, it is our hope and prayer that their First Communions will be the first of thousands of Communions that they will receive over their lifetimes. We also ask a blessing on their families who are fulfilling the promises made at baptism; and we promise to pray for them as they continue to provide encouragement and good example for all of our First Communicants. God Bless! Msgr. Paul
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 15:12:23 +0000
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