From Fr. Steve Lacroix, CSC
This Saturday we’re celebrating First Communion for our second graders. (I guess they’re not second graders any more, are they? They’re now rising third graders! Sorry about that.) Instead of our usual practice of celebrating First Communions at our regular Sunday Masses, this year we’ll have two private Masses on Saturday for the First Communicants and their families. This will allow us to gather in small enough groups to maintain social distancing.
First Communion Weekend is always special, but this year it feels a little extra special. These children prepared all of last year with the expectation that they’d receive the sacrament in May. Like so many other things, that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I know that it’s been tough for them to wait so long, but to see how eager they are to receive the Blessed Sacrament is truly inspiring. It shows that they really understand how special the Eucharist is and how close it brings us to the Lord. They remind us all that we should never take the Eucharist for granted or lose sight of how truly blessed we are to be able to receive His Body and Blood here at Mass.
When we see the “holy longing” of our younger parishioners preparing for their First Communion, it should remind us of some of our other parishioners who are experiencing that same longing. We still have many parishioners who are homebound or in nursing homes who can’t attend Mass. We have many others who haven’t come back yet because of medical vulnerability or anxiety. They are all part of the Body of Christ, and we miss them. When we receive Holy Communion at Mass, let us take a moment to pray for […]