Weekly Message from Father Gase

My Dear Parishioners,

Next Sunday, May 2, our second graders will be receiving their First Holy Communion at a special Mass at 1:00 pm. Please note that this Mass will only be for our First Communicants and their families!

I always love seeing the wonder and awe on their faces as they receive our Lord for the first time- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! They have been preparing for this moment for several months. How do we prepare ourselves to encounter our Eucharistic Lord in this wonderful sacrament? Do we take the time to prepare ourselves? The perfect time to do this is just before Mass starts. St. John Damascene wrote a beautiful prayer which can help in our preparation:

Master and Lord, Jesus Christ our God, You alone have authority to forgive my sins, whether committed knowingly or in ignorance, and make me worthy to receive without condemnation Your divine, glorious, pure and life-giving Mysteries, not for my punishment, but for my purification and sanctification, now and in Your future Kingdom. For You, Christ our God, are compassionate and loves mankind and to You we give glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever and ever. Amen.

May we always treasure the Most Blessed Sacrament as the greatest gift we can receive!

Father Gase