Dear parishioners and friends,

 

As we congratulate the 35 children who are receiving our Lord in their First Holy Communion this weekend, we are reminded of our connectedness to Jesus and to one another. This Sunday's gospel speaks of Jesus being the vine and we , the branches. There is no more poignant a sign of our connectedness to one another, and to our Lord, than the sacrament of Eucharist, which we receive at Mass in Holy Communion. Every time we come to the table of the Lord and we receive His Body and Blood, we are reminded of just how much God loves us. In receiving the Eucharist, we become so intimately connected to God, that Jesus Christ literally becomes part of us. For this reason, it is important that we take what we receive and bring it to the world outside of the walls of Sacred Heart of Jesus church.

 

Because God loves us so much that He becomes one of us, He also enters into our very being and uses us to bring His Body and Blood, through our very person, into the world; to all of the people, places and things, that we may encounter. We then, as church, become the body of Christ. We are empowered and challenged to go forth, not only to bring that Christ into the world, but to “become” and “BE” Christ for our world as well.

 

I ask your prayers for the young children receiving Jesus this weekend for the first time in the Eucharist. We pray for their families and most especially for their parents. We pray that they will learn by example. We pray that the enthusiasm with which they received Jesus for the first time only continues to grow throughout their lives. We pray that they will continue to be Christ for our world, making up for all of the times that we who are adults, have not been.

 

Love, Fr. Andrew