Today is another joyous occasion as we celebrate with our young people their First Holy Communion. When I see the excitement in the children, it is a reminder for me of what a precious gift the Eucharist is in our lives. As time goes on, it becomes too easy to take Holy Communion for granted. Several years ago I went to a “mega church” service in California. It was pretty amazing. There were almost five thousand people filling the church/auditorium. There was a lot of music and some interesting preaching, but at that service, they were offering Communion. They do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in Communion like we do. For them it is only a symbol. But before Communion, the preacher gave a short teaching on the significance of our disposition for receiving Communion. He spoke about how important it is for us to be as free from sin as possible. That the sharing of the bread and wine would bring us into intimate union with Jesus and for that, we must be prepared. He was quite good.

Receiving Holy Communion at Mass should not be automatic. Our disposition, our readiness to receive the Body and Blood of Christ is a part of preparation. If we are aware of serious sin in our life, it is important to welcome God’s forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Approaching the altar of God to receive Communion is intended to be our public proclamation of our belief. We reach out our hands and consume the Body and Blood of Jesus with reverent joy. And then it becomes a part of us, and we become a part of it — the Body of Christ, real and living in the world. As Saint Paul says, “We are ambassadors of Christ.” We become His hands, feet and voice. This is no small matter! We receive Communion so we may be changed! And we need to be ready.

Last Sunday was one of the most astonishing days of my life. About 600 people came to The Big Event, as we gathered to support three families in need. People from the Donohoe, Mercado and Dettmann families were all present and all blown away by the generosity of so many people. The energy in the room was electric. The City Lights Orchestra under the direction of my dear friend, Rich Daniels, was superb. In addition to the City Lights Orchestra and the Chicago Federation of Musicians who unwrote their appearance, we want to thank Mayor Michael Glotz and the Village Board for their continued support. We are grateful for their donation of $500 to this great cause. We thank the Tinley Park Convention Center for their generous help. There were winners of the Split-the-Pot raffles who gave part or all of their winnings back to the  event, to be shared with the families. I want to stress that neither Saint George nor Saint Julie profited from this.

In a special way, I want to thank our office staff, especially Renee Beemsterboer, Kathy Rubino, Kelly Conrad and Theresa Gonzalez; Jim and Johnnie Faller; our 90th Anniversary Committee; and the many volunteers who made The Big Event so memorable. To everyone who attended, to all who donated items, and everyone who gave so freely, thank you. I know this was an occasion that will live on in our memories for years to come.