First Holy Communion for 31 at NBVM
On Sunday, 26th November, 31 children received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist for the first time in their lives. The multilingual Mass, which also commemorated the Solemnity of Christ the King and the end of a liturgical year, was celebrated by Rev Fr Ryan Innas Muthu.
Mass began with the children making a processional liturgical dance to the hymn Christ Be Our Light. In his homily, Fr Ryan spoke of Jesus, who, despite being the King of the Universe, came down to live on Earth out of great love for all of us. He went on to lay down His life for the salvation of the world. He is the Good Shepherd, the king who loves and cares for his flock, the Church. This same Jesus is really present to us today in the form of simple bread. He chose to be present in the form of bread and wine because He desperately wants to be with us, physically present to us in times of joy and trials.
As the Liturgy of the Eucharist began, Fr Ryan invited the children to pay particular attention to what he did. He explained that a part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the “Epiclesis,” where the priest calls down the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine. At this moment, the bread and wine are transformed in their substance to become the Body and Blood of Christ. We as Catholics believe that the Eucharist, which we consume at every Mass is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine.
When the most anticipated moment approached, the children eagerly lined up and reverently approached the altar. They received the Holy Eucharist under both species of bread and wine.
Later, Fr Ryan reminded the children that now that they have received their First Holy Communion, they must never miss a Sunday Mass as Jesus is waiting to be with them. He added that it is now their responsibility to remind their parents to attend Mass if they sometimes prioritise other events or sleeping in on a Sunday morning over Mass.
Before the Mass ended, a representative of the First Holy Communicants delivered a thanksgiving speech on behalf of her classmates. She thanked Fr Ryan for administering the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion to them, as well as their parents, catechism teachers, and the parish community for supporting them in their faith formation.
We continue to pray for these children, that they may grow to experience and believe in God’s personal love for each of them and for them to always live lives as good Christians.
For more photos from the day, please visit the following links:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OBSO0D61sYjV_qtaDzg_4r4C–ISPEuK
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gxP6ygJQpFD_GyGzvQnbx8L_eQeVyXAE