I want to talk first to the grown ups for a minute or two.
Jesus said, at the end of the Gospel today,
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.
To live, we need food.
To live the fullness of life, we need food for the whole person,
not just for the body,
we need Jesus in Holy Communion.
For this we need priests,
so as well as praying earnestly
for these children making their First Communions,
– that they may know the fullness of life that Jesus brings –
we should pray for vocations to the priesthood.
Now I want to say a word to parents:
when your child has received Our Lord for the first time,
help him or her to respond to this in prayer.
Make sure you, or someone else suitable,
is by their side as they come back from communion
and get them to pray straight away.
Don’t hesitate to whisper prayers into their ears,
or to suggest prayers they might say.
They need your help and encouragement.
Who has a candle?
Put your hand up.
Yes, it is everyone who is receiving Jesus for the first time in Holy Communion today.
So, now I want to talk to you especially, so try to listen very carefully.
That candle reminds you of your baptism,
you cannot remember it,
you were too little,
but your parents can.
The candle reminds you that you are a child of God,
one of God’s family.
Now you have grown up enough to join in fully with God’s family meal.
We really need food.
Sometimes I go out to work without breakfast
– I bet your parents will not let you do that –
Sometimes, the things going on at work
mean I do not get time to get food during the day.
Do you know what I notice on these days?
I notice that by the end of the afternoon
I cannot think very well,
My head feels a bit fuzzy,
And I notice that cycling home from work is really hard,
My legs feel tired as I cycle up the hill.
We really need food.
Without food we cannot think straight,
Without food we lack energy, it is hard to do things.
Our bodies need food.
One food is bread.
It comes in lots of shapes and sizes.
At Mass we take bread, very simple bread,
it is at the back of Church at the moment.
The priest, Fr Tolan, says over it Jesus’ words
‘This is my Body’
and, at that moment,
it stops being bread and is Jesus.
The taste is the same, and it doesn’t look any different,
But it is really different.
Today, you will be gathered round Fr Tolan
for that special moment
when the change happens,
when Jesus comes among us.
Jesus comes to us.
He is food, not ordinary food,
but food to help us think like Him,
food to help us to grow more like Him,
food to give us energy to be like Him.
You will receive Him when you come to Holy Communion.
He comes very close to you in Holy Communion.
You can talk to Him.
Today when he comes to you in Holy Communion,
when you go back to your place
pray in your heart to Jesus – one of your parents might help you
Say thank you to Jesus for coming to you
Say thank you to Jesus for your family and friends here today
Say thank you to Jesus for Fr Tolan
Ask Jesus to help you be more like Him
Ask Jesus to be in your family
Ask Jesus to send us priests, to say Mass for us.