First Holy Communion

From the Pastor:    First Holy Communion

    The day that one receives Holy Communion for the first time should be one of the most joy-filled days in any person’s life. God made us with a longing deep within our hearts and souls for union with Him. Although our understanding of that longing matures as we grow in our faith, it is present even within the smallest infant. For the Catholic child, this longing is brought into his life in a very tangible fashion every time mom and dad bring him to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. From the time a Catholic infant knows how to reach out and put things into his mouth, he desires to receive Holy Communion. As he is carried in his mother’s arms while she opens her mouth to receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, the Catholic infant will invariably reach out to try to “receive” Holy Communion as well. His understanding of this sacrament in which Jesus is fully present--Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity--is not highly developed, of course, but it is there nonetheless. 
    To the extent that he is capable, he understands that the church is a place unlike any other place his family takes him. It is a place of reverence and prayer, where he is taught to be quiet and still, much beyond his desire to do so. He observes others kneeling in prayer and adoration, and although he may not fully understand what they are doing, he makes the connection between what they are doing in the church and what is done at bedtime when mom and dad pray with him and his siblings. He realizes that kneeling is not something he sees anywhere else and knows it must be special. He sees and begins to understand just how special is the church building (and the activities going on in it) when he notices the statues and stained glass windows; when he hears the bells ring and the organ play; when he sees the altar boys in cassock and surplice (looking like miniature—and practicing to be, perhaps—priests, plus those who are already taller than the priest!), and the priest in his Mass vestments; when he sees the candles lit and sees and smells the incense; and, most importantly, when he sees the confession line and the Communion line.
    Hence, the church is seen as a special place to a Catholic even from infancy. It is special even before there is an understanding of what the “special” really is. Long before he has even a small theological or scriptural understanding of the Mass or the Sacraments, the Catholic youngster burns with a desire to receive Holy Communion. As previously noted, whoever carries the infant must always hold his arms and hands so that he does not reach out and grab the Host. Whoever holds the hand of the pre-schooler in the Communion line must drag him away as he yells, “But I want one!” Whoever accompanies the slightly older child must constantly be on guard that he doesn’t kneel and stick out his tongue and receive his First Holy Communion long before his “official” preparation and reception. (This actually happens more often that you might think, for all it takes is the closest parent to be distracted for just a moment and, well, if the youngster acts like he/she is supposed to receive and mom and dad don’t indicate otherwise, the priest gives the Benediction and places the Sacred Host on his/her almost innocent tongue! Contrariwise, we sometimes skip youngsters—and, more rarely, adults—who don’t seem to be paying attention at the altar rail, and they have to wait until the next go-round to receive.) You may remember this from your own young life. Certainly, you see it in your own or others’ children. Our Lord knew we would have this craving, which explains why He chose to unite us to Himself in this manner. He knew what He was doing when He told us that to receive eternal life, we must eat His Body and drink His Blood, which He called true food and true drink.
    Today is finally the “big day.” It is the day that many children will have this longing fulfilled. Yet “fulfillment” is not an action that happens once and is then done away with. Those who receive their First Holy Communion this weekend will realize that in fulfilling this longing for union with God in the Blessed Sacrament, they will hunger more and more for union with Him in the Church, in the home, and in the community. Once they get a taste of God, so to speak, they will yearn all the more to grow in holiness, to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world so as to be happy with Him forever in Heaven. May this be the true desire of us all.
    Wait, I almost forgot! After the 10:30 Mass, we will have our May Crowning. Our Lady did not receive Holy Communion as a child, for the Church wasn’t founded until much later by her Divine Son, but she received Holy Communion on a regular basis, perhaps even daily, after the first Pentecost. She had been entrusted by Jesus to John, the Beloved Apostle, from the Cross. St. John, as a priest and bishop of the Catholic Church, which Jesus founded upon Peter’s rock-solid proclamation of Faith, would have celebrated Mass and given Mary Holy Communion regularly. Imagine that! After conceiving the Son of God in her womb at the Annunciation, giving birth to Him at the Nativity, nursing Him, nurturing Him, initiating His first public miracle, witnessing his unjust persecution and crucifixion, and, finally, laying him in the tomb, she was still able to receive Him for the rest of her earthly life in the Eucharist! Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, pray for our First Holy Communion children! May they love Him as you love Him!

With prayers for your holiness,
Fr. Edwin Palka