21 Children Receive the Greatest Gift of All
Twenty-one eager little hearts;
A host of loved ones;
And a whole community of joyful witnesses.
On Sunday, 20th November 2022, the Solemnity of Christ the King, 21 young ones of the parish received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the 9am Mass at NBVM Church. This was preceded by them receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation the previous week.
Decked in their finest whites, the children processed into a church filled with family, friends and the parish community joyfully singing the hymn Majesty. Mass was presided by parish priest, Rev Fr Dominic Santhiyagu.
In his homily, Fr Dom spoke about four graces that Jesus promises every one who follows Him:
Faith
“We are all here today because of faith. The children received several years of formation and are present today to receive Jesus because of faith,” said Fr Dom. In the Gospels, we see that many went away when Jesus said that they are to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Jesus then turned to the 12 and asked them, “Are you also going away?” Today, Jesus asks us this same question. Like Simon Peter, our response too should be in faith, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
Prayer
At the cross, the good thief prayed to Jesus to save him. In 1 Thes 5:17 we are reminded that praying constantly is the will of God for us. As disciples of Christ, we are called to the ministry of prayer. A simple prayer we can constantly pray is the same one uttered by the good thief, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
Forgiveness
At the words of the good thief, Jesus forgave him and affirmed that he will be in paradise. Similarly, when we seek forgiveness from God, He too will forgive us as He is merciful. Christ is the King of Kings and is bigger than all our sins.
Community
We are the Body of Christ. In the Eucharist, Christ makes us one with Himself and with one another. He calls us to receive Him as He wants to be a part of us (Matt 26:26). Holy Communion unites us more closely to Jesus, and it is also a sign that we are living in communion with His Church.
At the end of Mass, a representative of the First Holy Communicants addressed the congregation. She thanked Fr Dom, parents and teachers who have been instrumental in their faith formation, and hoped that they would continue to grow in faith and virtues.
To view more photos from the day, please click the following links:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YAbUd7ome8hIarvtLf1JJ4wWCn4cDr6M
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gdgqdo8TSE09_NOrXWwrTCSMTlG0f3BG
The children at their First Holy Communion Camp in early October.