May 3, 2026

This Sunday, some of our young people will receive their First Holy Communion. What a beautiful gift! First Communion is always a great occasion, not only for the young people and their families, but for the whole Church. All of us feel their joy and enthusiasm and, hopefully, it brings back some of that excitement in us.

Each time we attend Mass, we have the opportunity to receive the Body and Blood of Christ! Although we may have done this hundreds (or thousands!) of times, do we still have a sense of the profound nature of what we do? This sacrament allows us to enter into a relationship with Jesus like none other. We approach with hearts made ready by our preparation which includes a one hour fast and, if necessary, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We walk towards the altar and bow in reverence. We extend our hands, receive, proclaim our belief in our “amen,” then consume the Body and Blood of Christ. It is important to note that when we receive EITHER the Bread or the Wine, we receive the sacrament in all its fullness.

When we take in the Body and Blood of Christ, it becomes a part of our human body and blood. It also puts us in touch with the Divine nature of Jesus. There is a powerful and amazing exchange between the human and divine never heard of before. When it comes to receiving Communion, “You are what you eat!” Or at least, that is God’s plan for us, that we would become the Body of Christ through our prayer, thoughts and actions. We make Jesus present to the world and we receive this power in the Eucharist.

It is important that we not “go to Communion” as a matter of routine. It is not! It is the most profound moment of our lives and we must treat it as such. There is no shame in recognizing that sometimes when we go to Mass, we may not be ready to receive Holy Communion. Better a worthy “Eucharistic fast” than an unworthy reception of Communion.

So as we celebrate these young people’s First Communion, let’s celebrate the beauty of each and every one of our own.

This weekend, we welcome a representative from Catholic Charities who will speak briefly about the important and life-changing work they do right here in our metropolitan area. Next week is a second collection to benefit Catholic Charities, and I urge your generosity.

On a very different note, once again there was an attempt on the president’s life. These despicable acts of violence are to be condemned. The taking of human life is an affront to God’s law. Political violence, the willingness to perpetrate vicious acts on another person simply because you disagree is a sign of the troubled days in which we live. I am grateful the president is safe, not because I agree or disagree with him but simply because he is a fellow human being. Most of the times, these acts are committed by people who are unbalanced. The availability of guns to irrational people is on us. Until we as a society choose to be better, we can only expect more violence.