On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we come to celebrate our parish First Communion Mass. Therefore, my prayers are with all of the children of our parish who will soon receive their First Communion. Through the witnessing of such an act, may each of us also come to rekindle our relationship with Christ, present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion are all huge steps in our life of faith. These sacraments are not solely a rite of passage, but a font to which we flock in order to be given an abundance of grace so that we may live good and holy lives. As our Gospel promised, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Through the Eucharist, we are being invited toward such an abundance of life. In the early Church, we are told that Christians “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” This reality places Christ, present in the Eucharist, at the center of our life of faith.
Throughout this past year, the children of our parish have been prepared for such an encounter with Him. In their hearts is found a longing to receive our Lord who has made Himself present with us in the Eucharist. Through such readiness, they come to “know his voice,” for He “calls his own sheep by name.”
This calling requires a relationship with Christ to continue to be nurtured. We must be people of faith who desire to know Him. If we desire to know Him, we will make the time to come to know Him through prayer, and we will live lives that relate to the One for whom we have been claimed in the life-giving waters of Baptism.
Whenever life is difficult, let us remember that He is to be the rock of our life. He is the Good Shepherd who leads us toward restful waters and verdant pastures, and whose cup overflows. Many attempt to find fulfillment in areas that will never satisfy. It is Christ for whom our heart truly longs.
My dearest children, let Christ be the one for whom your heart always longs. To your parents: please continue to assist your children in the life of faith. Teach them to pray and to know Christ. Bring them to Mass every Sunday—not only when it is convenient—in order that they may know Christ. Allow your homes to be a place where Christ is made manifest.
Now together, let all of us look to the altar of sacrifice. From here, we will be invited to “Behold the Lamb of God.” Let us behold Him with our sight and our hearts. From this verdant pasture we will be nourished, and from this overflowing cup we will find our strength. This invitation leads us toward an abundance of life that can only be encountered in Christ Jesus.
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