For the day children receive the Body and Blood of the Lord for the first time
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
What the children receive today looks like bread, but it is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus, given for them.
God fed Israel in the desert with manna; Jesus gives himself as the bread that gives eternal life.
The danger is that First Communion becomes the last. Ask parents to bring the children every Sunday.
Confession, the fast before Communion, reverence and thanksgiving afterwards.
Dear children, today is one of the most beautiful days of your life. For many weeks you have prepared, learnt your prayers and made your first Confession. Today Jesus himself comes to live in your heart.
When the priest gives you the Holy Communion, it will look like bread. But Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” It is really Jesus: his Body and Blood, his whole self, with all his love. In the desert God gave the people manna; today he gives you his own Son.
When you receive Jesus, close your eyes and speak to him. Thank him. Tell him about your family, your friends, your fears. He is listening. And remember: this is your first Holy Communion, not your last! Jesus wants to meet you every Sunday.
Dear parents, the beautiful clothes and photographs will soon be put away. Please do not put away the Holy Mass / Holy Qurbana. Bring your children every Sunday, and receive with them. Amen.
Jesus gave His Body and Blood on the very night of betrayal (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). His love is stronger than our failures.
The Holy Mass / Holy Qurbana is not a reminder only; it makes His sacrifice present.
At Emmaus the disciples knew Him in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:30–35).
After meeting Him, the two disciples ran back to share the news. Communion sends us out.
Dear children, today you will receive Jesus for the first time. Let us go back to the evening when He first gave this gift. It was the night before He died. Judas had already gone out to betray Him, and the disciples would soon run away. On that very night Jesus took bread and said: this is my Body. He took the cup and said: this is my Blood (1 Corinthians 11:23–26).
Why that night? Because Jesus wanted us to know that His love is stronger than our weakness. He did not wait for His friends to become perfect. He gave Himself to them as they were. You do not need to be perfect today either. You need to be ready, prepared by a good confession and a heart that says: Jesus, I want you.
Then think of two disciples walking to a village called Emmaus on Easter Sunday (Luke 24:13–35). They were sad. A stranger walked with them and explained the Scriptures. When they sat down to eat, He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them, and suddenly they recognised Jesus. That is what happens at every Holy Mass / Holy Qurbana: first He speaks to us in the readings, then He gives Himself in the bread that has become His Body.
The host you will receive looks like bread, but it is not bread any more. It is Jesus, truly, really, wholly present: His Body, Blood, soul and divinity. Receive Him with folded hands and a quiet heart. After Communion, do not hurry to talk to your friends. Talk to Jesus first. Tell Him thank you, tell Him your worries, and ask Him for the people you love.
The two disciples at Emmaus did not stay at the table. They ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others. Dear children, today is not your last Communion; it is your first. Come back every Sunday. And dear parents, bring them, and come with them. Let this day begin a lifetime of walking with Jesus.
Christ is present whole and entire under each species (CCC 1374, 1377).
By the consecration the whole substance of bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Christ (CCC 1376).
State of grace, one-hour fast, reverence (CCC 1385–1387).
Union with Christ, forgiveness of venial sins, strength against sin, unity of the Church, love for the poor (CCC 1391–1397).
Dear children, parents and friends, today our children receive the most precious gift the Church has. It is good for all of us to remember what the Church teaches about it, because the way we receive Communion shows what we believe.
The Church teaches that in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is present truly, really and substantially: His Body and Blood, together with His soul and divinity (CCC 1374). This is not a symbol only, and not a nice feeling. At the consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ spoken by the priest, the whole substance of the bread becomes His Body and the whole substance of the wine becomes His Blood. The Church calls this change transubstantiation (CCC 1376). What we see remains the same; what is there is completely different.
Jesus Himself said it in Capernaum: whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life (John 6:54). Many disciples left Him that day because the teaching was hard, and He did not call them back to explain that He only meant a symbol. He let them go. The apostles stayed because Peter said: to whom shall we go?
Because He is truly present, we prepare. We receive only when we are in a state of grace; if we are aware of serious sin, we go to confession first. We keep the one-hour fast. We dress and behave with respect, and we receive with faith, saying Amen: yes, this is Christ (CCC 1385–1387).
And what does Communion do? It unites us to Christ, wipes away venial sins, strengthens us against serious sin, makes us one family in the Church and opens our hearts to the poor (CCC 1391–1397). Dear children, you will receive this gift many times in your life. Never let it become ordinary. Every time, it is Jesus.
Lord Jesus, bread of life, today these children receive you for the first time. Stay in their hearts, make them hungry for you every Sunday, and keep them always close to you. Amen.