First Holy Communion Celebrated at CDM Penang

They were given four years of faith instruction, a camp to prepare them and a day of preparation to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the big celebration of First Holy Communion on October 12.

Nov 14, 2014

By Ivan Filmer
They were given four years of faith instruction, a camp to prepare them and a day of preparation to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the big celebration of First Holy Communion on October 12.

In his homily, Fr. Martin related a story about sick little Nalie. A priest asked her what was Holy Communion. She replied that Jesus rests on her tongue and then goes to her heart. Similarly, we become Christ-like when we receive Holy Communion. He asked the first communicants if they would continue to come for communion each Sunday, week after week. And what if their parents didn’t go for Mass? They would reach out to the BEC leaders. If the leaders did not help them, then they would report to Jesus, because Jesus wants us to receive Him as often as we can.

In his homily, Fr Martin asked, “What have you done to deserve heaven? Many were invited to the party, just like us. Do we ignore the invitation with excuses and set aside the abundant providence of God? For admission into heaven, it is necessary to live lives worthy of the Kingdom. This is related to the Second Reading by St Paul (Phil 4:12-14; 19-20) about abundance as well as hunger and other adversities.”

Fr Martin went on to relate the story of a fighter pilot serving during World War II. Lt. Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour in 1942 for defending USS Lexington against 9 Japanese bombers. He brought down five of them and damaged the sixth before reinforcements arrived. His feat was declared as ... one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation ... The international airport at Chicago in the US is named after him. “Butch” was the son of the infamous “Easy” Eddie O’Hare, the attorney and business partner of Chicago mobster, “Scarface”Al Capone. Eddie had benefitted financially and lived in a big mansion. But he was devoted to his son to whom he could give everything except a good name and a good example. He eventually had a change of heart and testified for the Internal Revenue Service against Capone for income tax evasion. For this sacrifice, he was gunned down in a street in Chicago. For Eddie, offering his son a good name was more important than all the riches he could lavish on him and in doing so, he rectified some of the wrong he had done. He gave his son integrity, to become someone who cared for his fellow man more than himself. Similarly, we must also come prepared to the party, dressed in a life of integrity and virtue.

Fr asked the congregation to be prepared for the banquet. The heroes of God’s kingdom are often ordinary people who have repented from their failings and try to do what is good in their lives. We are greatly blessed as we have been called to the banquet because of our baptism. We often lose sight of our final destination because of daily distractions. So he asked the people present to put on the baptismal robe which is our wedding garment, clothed in service, obedience and love. He appealed to them to get involved in the BECs and to work for Jesus in our communities. By witnessing for Jesus, we respond to His call and reflect His body and blood, soul and divinity in our lives for one another.

Towards the end of Mass, the First Communicants went up to the altar to receive a gift and certificate from Fr Martin.

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