By Gerard van Veen
Photo: Reverend Father Adam Oleszczuk (back row, centre) and a group of students celebrate First Holy Communion with masks and in smaller groups than normal, in the time of COVID-19. Photo taken May 23 by Chiaira Bowers.
First Holy Communion celebrations
Because of the COVID-19 situation, the children who are prepared to do their First Holy Communion this year in the St. Martin of Tours parish, will do so in small groups, which is different from usual.
What is not different are the words of Jesus at His last supper: “As often as you do this, you shall do it in memory of Me.” The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. Pope Francis called it “the Sacrament of Love”.
He said: “The Eucharist is at the heart of Christian initiation, together with Baptism and Confirmation, and it constitutes the source of the Church’s life itself. From this Sacrament of Love, in fact, flows every authentic journey of faith, of communion and of witness.”
For children who receive their First Holy Communion, this is a big deal. And for all of us, no matter how many times we have received our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, it should always be a big deal.
I myself joyfully commemorated the 80th anniversary of my First Holy Communion this month, and I am happy that I was able to repeat this encounter with the Lord numerous times. This Christian tradition is most common in many parts of the world in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church and the Anglican Communion.
Unfortunately, for many Catholics, “First Holy Communion” has become simply a rite of passage. The essence of the celebration is lost among the parties and gifts. “Parties and gifts are fine,” a priest once said, “as long as the focus never strays from what the celebration is truly about.”
Jesus comes to us in a unique way in the Eucharist. This is very beautiful, personal and intimate. We should not take it for granted. This is why the first time a family member receives the Bread from Heaven, it’s an exciting event for the whole family. The boy and girl preparing for this sacrament are going to be profoundly united with Jesus in a way they never had before.
Confirmation underestimated?
When the young Christian is a little bit older, Jesus gives his Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation. It is a kind of personal Pentecost. The fruits of the Spirit are best described by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” It is for the youngster one step further on the way of Christian life; and this sacrament, just like Baptism, is received only once in a lifetime.
I clearly remember that I was confirmed on September 28, my grandfather’s birthday, and I felt it was a very special day for me. Throughout the whole afternoon, numerous family members came out to congratulate my ailing opa on his 80th birthday, but nobody got the idea to congratulate me for my Confirmation!
Peru is helping Venezuela
The Peruvian episcopal conference stated that the Church is continuing its commitment to assisting more than one million Venezuelan immigrants, and another 500,000 requesting refugee status in Peru.
Caritas Arequipa, in coordination with Caritas Peru, has helped tens of thousands of people with food packages, warm clothing, personal hygiene kits, accommodation, psychological support, legal assistance and transport. Venezuelans are fleeing the country because of the ruinous economic and political policies of the regime led by Nicolas Maduro.
To the post-pandemic Church
Bishop Michael Duignan of Clonfert, the youngest bishop in the Irish bishops’ conference, has spoken of the future of the Irish Church pandemic. “There may even be a growing realisation that, although much of what we normally do as a Church was absent these last months, for many people, it was not really missed,” he said. “We have often spent much time and energy to engage with and convert secular society. Perhaps now is the time for us to seriously engage with and convert ourselves and the way we live as a Christian community within that secular society.”
