THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS a weekly bulletin & newsletter May 6, 2018 • 6 th Sunday of Easter
TO RECEIVE THE SACRAMENTS IS NOT A GOAL
It is a Journey!
The reception of the sacraments for the first time is not just a special time of grace for the children but also for their families and all the parish community. All Christians share the joy and happiness of this day; however, we need to debug some ideas that could detract from the wonder of the Sacraments. While many children of our parish are preparing to receive the sacraments for the first time in May and June, we can do some reflections, along with our prayers for them. Before other considerations, the first thing is to realize that Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with each of these little ones. We are in risk of despising childhood religiosity, thinking that children are not “mature” enough to discern and to make definitive life choices. However, this is not the thought reflected in the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18, 3) “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like 1
a child will not enter it.” (Mk 10: 13-16). Undoubtedly, these Gospel readings show that the pride of the adult is much greater obstacle for the union with God, than children´s immaturity. God is perfectly capable of transmitting His timeless message in a simple language for his children. The First Communion of our children reminds us of the Gospel ideal of being like children with all their simplicity and purity, in following Christ. “Today, I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow”. It’s a mistake that we emphasize the fact that it is the “First” Communion, and let go unnoticed the “second” or “third”. For our children, beyond their natural enthusiasm for the new, we must convey that more important than the first Communion are the following ones, and this reflection must also cause us adults to examine the way we receive the most precious gift ... Jesus in the Eucharist. Let us pray for the children of our Parish who will receive communion for the first time, so they come to our Lord´s Table, with pure hearts and full of love.
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