third sunday of easter

My dear friends,
 
Last Sunday I had the blessed opportunity to celebrate First Communion with eighteen of the children from our parish.  I must say I am grateful we did as these celebrations are postponed indefinitely in our diocese.  This is what these families needed.  To gather together, in their church, as a family, in a service that was simple yet still beautiful.  The focus was on one thing, or I should say one being, and that is Jesus.  Communion.  One.  Here is an excerpt of what I wrote to the parents / guardians:
 
At your child’s baptism, you gave your child the greatest gift that you will ever give them – the gift of faith.  You continue to nurture and feed that faith.  Now the time has come to do exactly that – feed your child with the Body of Christ in the beautiful Sacrament of Communion. 

Over this past year I have witnessed far too many special occasions in the life of the church that were either postponed or cancelled due to the church being closed or with limited capacity…I am blessed to care for the spiritual needs of this community – your spiritual home of St. Julia.  And now is the time to care for your child, by bringing Christ to these young people who are excited and ready to receive Jesus for the first time.  They have prepared extensively in their classroom at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School.  I have practiced virtually with them and have assured them that I will guide them every step of the way!

And that is exactly what we did.  They encountered Christ, the real presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity.  And it was beautiful.
In the midst of these challenging, and perhaps dark times, the light of Christ guided these children and their families to come and be one with us.  The Easter candle burned brightly, reminding us again of the light of Christ in our midst.  Everyone left with a smile, under their mask of course, for this was a moment of joy for all of these families.  It was a sign of hope.

​As the parish community of St. Julia, let us pray for these families.  May they hunger to return and be fed by the Body of Christ.  May they feel welcomed, and loved.  May the happiness the children experienced on the day of their First Communion be one they desire in their hearts every week.  May the gift of faith given to them at baptism be reignited.
 
May each of too be guided by the light of Christ.  May we too be people of hope, reminding ourselves that God has seen us through difficult times in the past, and that God too will see us through these times as well.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Once again, this weekend in our Gospel we will hear Jesus speak the words “Peace be with you.”  May God continue to bless and protect each of you and those that you love, and may the peace of Christ be with you always.
 
Fr. Greg