Dear Parishioners:
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is whisked away by security after the shooting at the Whitehouse Correspondents Dinner at Washington Hilton.
Last Saturday’s violent attack at the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner calls us to pray for elected officials and those who protect them. We should also pray for a conversion of heart for the deranged shooter and anyone who thinks violence is the way to solve political differences. All human life is sacred, so violence is never the answer.
However, the political polarization in our nation is vast and too often devoid of civility, decency, and actual debate. More often, debate deteriorates into silly name-calling, intolerance of the opinions of those we don’t agree with, and heated political rhetoric. It is not unique to any political spectrum or party.
As Catholics, we must take to heart Jesus’ invitation to follow the example of the Good Samaritan, who challenges us to “become neighbors to all.” As a Church and a nation, we are far too polarized and divided. But as Pope Francis wrote in Fratelli Tutti, we can seek “a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good” (no. 154).
Last Saturday, Pope Leo, in an address to Parliamentarians from the European People’s Party, stated: “The search for unity has the courage to go beyond the surface of conflict and to see others in their deepest dignity. In this way, it becomes possible to create something new and constructive, whereas conflict highlights differences, fosters the pursuit and assertion of power, and ultimately leads to destruction.” Let us pray for unity and peace in our nation and for an end to all senseless violence.
Next Saturday, we celebrate First Holy Communion Mass at Noon for forty-five children of our parish. They have been preparing for two years for this day with study and prayer. It is always a joyful celebration. As a parish family, we rejoice with the children and their families.
Saint Pope Pius X pictured giving First Holy Communion to children
It was St. Pope Pius X, in his decree Quam Singulari on August 8, 1910, who lowered the age for First Communion to 7, emphasizing that children need only know the difference between Eucharistic Bread and ordinary bread. The decree stated that children should receive communion when they reach the "age of reason," roughly age 7, changing the previous custom of delaying until ages 12–14. Fr. Brodeur and I interviewed all 45 children, and we believe they understand that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. Please pray for the children that, as they receive Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the first time.
May they continue to grow in faith, devotion, and love of Jesus in the Eucharist. In 2005, during an audience with children who had made their First Holy Communion, Pope Benedict XVI recalled his own. He said: “But at the heart of my joyful and beautiful memories is this one: I understood that Jesus had entered my heart, he had actually visited me. And with Jesus, God himself was with me. And I realized that this is a gift of love that is truly worth more than all the other things that life can give.”
Next Sunday is Mother’s Day, and our First Communion Class will celebrate the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother at the 10:30 am Mass. It is always a beautiful celebration as we crown Mary, and the children call upon her to lay her mantle of love upon them. We will offer Sunday Masses on Mother’s Day for all mothers, living and deceased. Please return your Mother’s Day envelopes with your mother’s name so they can be remembered at the Masses.
Also, next Sunday, the OLM youths attending the Franciscan University’s Steubenville Youth Conference in July will be selling tubes of M&M's after Masses. The Conference includes talks by an array of speakers, as well as opportunities for worship, adoration, and confession. They enjoy fellowship with hundreds of other teens from across the country who share the same Catholic faith.
The tubes are $2 a piece and make a great gift for your Mother! On each tube, you will see a sticker that says "return the weekend of May 24." Each tube holds exactly $15 in quarters. So please enjoy your M&Ms, then fill the tubes with your spare quarters. All proceeds go toward defraying the cost of the trip to Ohio in July. We thank you for your generous support. Be well. Do good. God Bless.