Jesus comes to us in Holy Communion, personally. That is awesome and fantastic. God with us!
Do you know the exact date of your First Holy Communion? Did you actually know Jesus personally on that date? (Not just about him)
The question is WHO comes to you in Holy Communion – when you eat the consecrated host? When teaching children, for example, about First Holy Communion, the more appropriate question is not “WHAT do you receive?” The question is not about a “what.” It’s better to ask, “WHO comes to you in Holy Communion?” It’s about a Person, the loving Jesus, who is present to you in person. Your First Holy Communion was heavenly for you. You know, it was also a very special day for Jesus, because He came to you as HIS first time, a moment of glory for Him and for you.
Since our First Holy Communion, we come to know and love Jesus more and more. And, hopefully, every time we welcome Jesus into our life now, our adoration and love is even more meaningful.
All this goes back to the First Holy Thursday, when Jesus celebrated the Passover of the Old Covenant with his Jewish Apostles. Toward the end of that ritual, Jesus announced that the New Covenant was beginning. It was a new form of intimacy with God when He instituted the sacrifice and sacrament of the NEW Covenant: the Eucharist.
Jesus pronounced the world-shaking words about the unleavened bread: “THIS is my Body.” Not something else. His own Self. It means that when we eat the sacramental sign of the New Covenant, Jesus is really present to us. And, by the way, this is the only thing he told us to “DO” to remember him. It’s about offering his sacrifice and then consuming the sacrifice. This is what the Mass is all about; and it’s the most important thing we DO as Catholics. [Thank you, Jesus, for the New Passover.]
My First Holy Communion was on April 13, 1947 . . . without even a drop of water after Midnight.
Fr. Bernie Jakubco MSC