“Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.” Galatians 5: 25
So, the big day has come for Reggie, Stanley, Tommy and Tavius – the day of their First Holy Communion!
So, the great day of Pentecost has come – the day we have all been preparing for, this year, since Sunday March 31st! In case you haven’t worked it out – that was, this year’s, Easter Sunday.
When preparing this homily, aware that this is probably only the second time our young friends have experienced the solemnity and formality of Sunday Mass, I was delighted to come across this story: -
‘a family was travelling to America across the Atlantic Ocean. As part of their preparation for the long journey, the mother of the family purchased some fresh bread and cheese prior to boarding: it was to serve for their provisions during the crossing. After almost a week of bread and cheese for breakfast, lunch and supper, the eldest child, a boy approaching his teens, complained bitterly to his father that he just could not stomach any more bread and cheese. His father took compassion on him, produced a penny from his pocket and told the boy to go and get an ice cream.
The boy returned later, grinning from ear to ear. His father, curious about his sons sudden overwhelming happiness, asked: “Did you have an ice cream?” “Not just one,” replied the boy, “but plates and plates of ice cream, not to mention the steak and chips I had first!” His father was confused, “And all that for a penny?”, he said. Promptly the boy took out of his pocket the penny and gave it back to his father saying, “No, it was all free, the food is included in the ticket.”
Well of course the father would have thought and probably said a few “If only I had…”: I wonder if he tried to blame his wife, “if only she had..”: none the less I expect they all ate well after the penny had literally dropped!
“If only!” is a very human condition, a famous “If only!” for adults is followed by, “concentrated more at school,” let that be a lesson to you four! A comforting factor is that Jesus knew his apostles, his chosen band would need time to prepare for their work, and so it was after 50 days that they were commissioned by the Holy Spirit and in our first reading from the book, so aptly named, ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, we heard of the first Chistian sermon that was preached in the Galilean language yet understood by those who only spoke in another twelve or more languages, all at the same time.
This is the event we celebrate today as you receive Holy Communion for the fist time, as we all come to the end of yet another Easter Season, that has been given to us as a period of renewal in our mission.
During our time preparing for Holy Communion, we have of course thought a lot about The Last Supper, the Institution of the Eucharist, and a few weeks ago we thought of the time when two of Jesus’ friends recognised, he had risen from the dead when he broke the bread at dinner in Emmaus. In the last few weeks at Sunday Mass, we have been thinking about that event as we have studied John’s farewell discourses, as we done so again today in our Gospel Reading, as Jesus’ promises his chosen the gift of the Holy Spirit that will be their strength and inspiration.
So, after 50 days of coming to terms with the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, he commissioned the apostles to go out and tell others of him and his promise of new life to all. In the last chapter of our First Communion book, entitled “To love and to serve” you will see the lovely account of the post easter breakfast that Jesus had prepared for his friends – the one when Peter is told he is to lead the Church. This Chapter is concluded with the lovely prayer: -
Christ has no body now on earth but ours,
no hand but ours,
no feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which is to shine out Christ’s compassion on the world>
Ours are the feet through which he is to go about doing good.
Ours are the hands with which he is to bless all people now!
Every Mass celebrated, every Holy Communion made is God’s free gift to us – it is if you like, included in the ticket of the Christian Pilgrimage – let’s all make regular and good use of it!
“Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.” Galatians 5: 25
Pentecost and First Communion
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