Communicants reminded to live their lives as disciples of God

Fr Martin Arlando announced to the 22 First Holy Communicants on October 8 that he was going to give a key to a house to each one of them. He gave each one a tag bearing their name and a blank key. He mentioned that the grooves made on the key will depend on how they live their lives. St Thomas, the doubting apostle, when he was asked to touch the side of Jesus, exclaimed “My Lord and my God.” Now that they were going to experience the body and blood of Jesus, they need to learn this acclamation. They were asked to eat Jesus every week in order to remain spiritually alive.

Fr Martin said that the house is in heaven and that the grooves made on their keys will open it for them. He asked them, “ What good have you done today that was a blessing and how did you share these blessings? … Jesus is with you and you need not be afraid to become his disciple by living a good life and sharing your blessings with everyone.”

In his homily to the congregation, Fr Martin asked how many of them remembered what they were taught when they were in kindergarten and quoted some nursery rhymes. He remarked that these rhymes are short and simple, making them easy to remember. However, some rhymes were composed to make fun of the times. Baa Baa Black Sheep was to ridicule the King for his export tax on wool in 1275; Jack and Jill made fun of King Louis XVI of France and his Queen, Marie Antoinette, who were both beheaded in 1793. Humpty Dumpty was no egg but a nickname for a large cannon which protected the city of Colchester during the English Civil War (1642-1649).

Similarly, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. In the gospel (Mt 21:33-44), Jesus related the story about the wicked tenants from the First Reading of Isaiah 5:1-7. In Isaiah, the Lord asked what more He could have done for His people, who were not satisfied with his actions. When He gave them peace, they sowed war, goodness they chose evil, humility and they chose to be proud. Yet God is loving and merciful and sought only to give love and justice. This is also apparent in parents today who sacrifice a lot for their children in terms of time and money and, in spite of this, the children sometimes do not live up to their expectations. Yet, they still keep on loving them and will continue to help them do better.

Fr Martin reminded the congregation that every task given to us is from God who expects us to return it in goodness. If we fail or reject Him, He always gives us another chance to succeed. With God’s grace and blessings come responsibility and accountability. It is imperative to listen and do His will as God expects us to bear good fruits — to change our lives and do His will, not ours. Fr Martin then reminded the parents of what they should be doing for their children. Are you teaching your children to pray daily, to produce good fruits for their families and to share these fruits with their BECs and their communities? Do you give them a chance to grow and be a blessing to Jesus and to one another?

Towards the end of Mass, a representative of the First Holy Communion students thanked Fr Martin for being a Jesus to them and the teachers for being the remote control every Sunday, switching them back to the right path. She also thanked all the parents for their care and love.

Then the children gathered in front of the altar to sing a song entitled 10,000 Reasons, expressing the many reasons they were proud to be Catholics.

Fr Martin then handed out the certificates. Later, everyone assembled for fellowship at the church basement, to cut a cake and receive a souvenir mug to remind them to pray daily.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online