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June 1, 2021This second week after the end of the Easter season, we celebrate our central teaching on the Eucharist. It is also a traditional weekend for First Communion and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, often featuring processions of different types around the world. We are excited to celebrate three First Communions at the 6:00 PM Mass this week. Throughout the year we have also been celebrating First Communions at both the English and Spanish Masses.
During the final blessing at baptisms, we remind those newly baptized and their families that this is the hope for our future: That one day this child or adult will be welcomed at the table of the Eucharist when they make their profession of faith and can believe that it is the Body of Christ, the real presence that they are receiving at Communion.
I still remember my First Communion, at the altar rail in my home parish of St. Michael in Lowell. (I also remember that I fought with my brother on the way home, he pushed me down and I got grass stains on my pants. As this was a suit that had two more brothers to go, my mother, was not pleased.)
At a former parish in which I served, I remember a small child with learning difficulties whose parents wanted their son to receive Communion. They were worried that he couldn’t understand the meaning of the Eucharist, and really, all the classes were overwhelming for him. But in a startling moment of grace and joy, when I asked him what happens at the Mass, he simply said, “It looks like bread, but it is really Jesus.” It was astounding, and at the same time, a great example of how grace works in the most powerful of ways to overcome many things that sometimes block our understanding. At that moment, grace informed the mind of a small boy and brought great joy to his parents. His parents and the whole body of Christ rejoiced the day he received the Eucharist for the first time.
It also was the moment when I recognized that with all the learning of St. Thomas, the beautiful reflections in the Gospel of John that we have just heard in the bread of life discourses, it boils down to that simple statement that is made in faith by everyone who receives each week. He is a young adult now and serves Mass at his church. The body of Christ needs all the parts, and the body of Christ feeds all the parts. It is a great feast and mystery, and we are graced to experience it.
Building News: We have signed a contract to have the bell at Immaculate Conception repaired and the timing mechanism updated. The work will begin in a few months, as the company that does this work has a two-month forecast. The job will be to replace the bolts on the harness, repair the worn spot where the clapper has been hitting the bell, remove the rust, paint the harness with a rust preventer coat, and then replace the clappers to make them less damaging on contact. The final part of the project is to replace the wiring, if necessary, and then mount a new digital control panel (no more late-night Angelus, so I am sure the neighbors will be thrilled).
