Communicants reminded to see Jesus in others

Dec 15, 2017

PETALING JAYA: It was a joyous occasion for children, parents and catechists of the Assumption parish when 80 children received the Holy Eucharist for the first time on the Feast of Christ the King on Nov 26. Joy radiated from the faces of the children as they came into the church, as the moment they had been preparing for was now a reality.

At the beginning of the Mass, gifts were offered by the children. Potted plants to symbolise their growth in faith, boxes containing all the sacrifices that they had made preparing for this moment, their prayers of thanksgiving for God’s blessings and their religious education books that have helped them build their faith.

Parish priest Msgr Mitchel Anthony Joseph, VG, began by telling the children that Jesus humbled himself to come down from heaven to be with them when they receive the Eucharist. In his homily, he told the story of Mother Teresa and the young man who told her that even if he was given 10 million rupees, he would not be able to clean the sores of a homeless old man. However, she explained to him that she did so because she sees Jesus in that man.

Thus, Msgr Mitchel pointed out that this is the beautiful characteristic of saints: they see nature as an extension of themselves and everything is connected to Jesus. He went on to say that since our spirituality flows from the life of Jesus, therefore in receiving the Eucharist, the life of Jesus will grow in the children’s lives — to live the way He taught us, by helping the ‘poor, the marginalised and the sick’. He told the children to humble themselves and to see Jesus in others. He ended his homily by thanking the parents for bringing up their children in the faith and the teachers for their commitment in imparting Faith to the children.

After Mass, there was a fellowship which helped everyone get to know each other better.