A Silvery Anniversary at the Table

It was a glorious morning 25 years ago when I made another important step in my journey of entering more deeply into the mystery of God revealed in the Church.

Inside the gym of the St. Giles Parish School, gathered with the Family Mass Community, I received my First Holy Communion on May 2, 1999--so today is really a good reason to party like it's 1999 all over again.

Just in time for this milestone, I discovered a photo album with pictures from that special day.  (From what I recall, there was a photographer specially designated who took these photos during the Mass of all those in my class, which I think was about 12 students.)

Here I am at Mass, seated in the front row, with my parents behind me, Mom to the left and Dad to the right.

It's my turn to go up for communion.

I feel like this photo was near the end of Mass.  My parents are both standing prayerfully behind me, as are my grandparents.  Appearing between my Mom and Dad is my Grandma Vel and to the right of my Dad is my Grandpa Jose.

 

From what I can tell, this photo is from the end of Mass, as Mom embraces me.

There was so much formation in preparation for this moment, so I knew it was an important day when I encountered Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist, and I am grateful for all those people in the St. Giles Family Mass community who served as catechists in preparing us.  I had gone to Mass week after week in that gym, and now I enhanced my participation at Mass.

Similar to the question I posed for the anniversary of my baptism, this occasion calls me to consider what I have done with my first communion, the great gift.

In response, I recall our discussion of the parable of the True Vine in our preparation process, and fittingly, that story was the Gospel reading this past Sunday.  Partaking of the Eucharist is a way that I connect with Christ and His Body, the Church. I have come to realize that I'm part of something much greater than myself.  God offers Himself to Me in the Body and Blood of Christ so that I can edify His Body and serve the needs of the world.

Furthermore, I have come to appreciate the Mass as a particularly special way to encounter God.  We transcend time in the re-presentation of the Paschal Mystery so we can continue to experience its life-giving power.  That power compels us to go forth and make God known in the world.  Indeed, the sacraments are meant to transform us to go forth and act on our encounters with God.  The Mass commissions us, and I seek to discern what I can draw from each Mass and how it is sending me forth.

One great example of someone who acted on what happens at Mass is Blessed Carlo Acutis, and in the past few years, I have become aware of his amazing story.  The day after my first communion anniversary, May 3, is his birthday, and he was born in the same year as me.

Carlo developed a strong devotion to Mass and the Eucharist, going daily from a young age.  He was saddened to realize that people weren't coming to Mass in droves, like they would to stadiums for sports games, and appreciating the gift of the Eucharist.  He yearned to help kindle faith in the Eucharist.  As would befit a millennial, he created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles, which is still available.  He passed from this life in his teens, and his cause for canonization is active.

I'm inspired to think that someone my age had such strong faith, and I have a similar yearning to help people embrace the faith, which I have experienced in my life as a great gift from God shaped by so many.  Over the past 11 years, I've had the extraordinary opportunity to pass on this gift as I accompany my Religious Education students in encountering God through our learning in class.

This special anniversary is on a Thursday this year, which is the day of the week when Christ instituted the Eucharist.  One of my favorite Masses is on Maundy Thursday, when we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, which was accompanied by the mandatum, the command of Christ to love others as He loves us.  My First Holy Communion continues to live on as I seek to enter more deeply into the Mystery that I encountered that day 25 years ago and open myself to transformation in acting on it.

Last month, I attended the St. Giles Family Mass Community Mass to kickstart the 25th anniversary celebration of my First Communion. Alex Ryan, on staff at St. Giles, took this photo of me.