FIRST HOLY COMMUNION:

This weekend and next weekend we rejoice with our children who will make their First Holy Communion at Bishop Eton. The same will be true for the children of St Mary’s over the first two weekends of June. It is a momentous occasion for them and their families, and we surround them with our prayers and good wishes. We pray that the day will provide them with a memory that they will treasure for the rest of their lives, but more importantly build the platform from which their knowledge and love of Jesus will grow and flourish. With all my heart I beg their families to reflect that the Eucharist, the Mass, is God’s ultimate gift to us to sustain throughout our lives. The tradition of Sunday Mass for Catholics identifies us and reminds us that from the earliest days of Christianity, Sunday replaced Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, because it was the day of the Resurrection. The Eucharist is the great sign of Christ feeding us with himself, making us the Body of Christ, empowering us to bring his redeeming love to others as we are sent forth with the words: “Go forth in peace, glorifying the Lord with your lives”.