First Holy Communion...day one

As many of you will know this afternoon several of the children from the parish will gather in St. John's at 3pm (looking wonderful I've no doubt) to make their very first Holy Communion. This is such a momentous occasion and brings them into a deeper and more profound relationship with Jesus Christ. Since today is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary please join me in saying the Litany of Our Lady for each of them and their families.

Litany of Loretto

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us.
Mother of Christ, Pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, Pray for us.
Mother most pure, Pray for us.
Mother most chaste, Pray for us.
Mother inviolate, Pray for us.
Mother undefiled, Pray for us.
Mother most amiable, Pray for us.
Mother most admirable, Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel, Pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, Pray for us.
Mother of our Savior, Pray for us.
Mother of the Church, Pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, Pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, Pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, Pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, Pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, Pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, Pray for us.
Mirror of justice, Pray for us.
Seat of wisdom, Pray for us.
Cause of our joy, Pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, Pray for us.
Vessel of honor, Pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion, Pray for us.
Mystical rose, Pray for us.
Tower of David, Pray for us.
Tower of ivory, Pray for us.
House of gold, Pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, Pray for us.
Gate of heaven, Pray for us.
Morning star, Pray for us.
Health of the sick, Pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, Pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.
Help of Christians, Pray for us.
Queen of angels, Pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs, Pray for us.
Queen of prophets, Pray for us.
Queen of apostles, Pray for us.
Queen of martyrs, Pray for us.
Queen of confessors, Pray for us.
Queen of virgins, Pray for us.
Queen of all saints, Pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, Pray for us.
Queen assumed into heaven, Pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, Pray for us.
Queen of families, Pray for us.
Queen of peace, Pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare as, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Grant, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, that we Thy servants may rejoice in continual health of mind and body; and through the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, be freed from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Corpus Christi

Today, as you will all know by now, was the feast of Corpus Christi and whilst all feasts are joyful celebrations of the goodness of God this one is something extra special. Two weeks ago Eastertide came to a triumphant close with the solemnity of Pentecost and the birthday of the Church and we (after much celebration, of course) were plunged back into the so-called Ordinary Time. As I was reminded recently during a homily there is nothing "ordinary" about this time at all and this feast certainly tells us of that. After forty days of fasting followed by six weeks of feasting and celebrating the Lord's resurrection from the dead it could be easy to become...too relaxed...perhaps a tad complacent...to fall back into old habits and just go through the motions as always. But today we are not allowed to rest on our laurels, instead we are shown the beauty, the magnificence, the almighty power and love of God for his people, how he cares for and nourishes his Church each and every day. Today we celebrate, we adore and worship, the presence of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Under the guise of bread and wine he humbles himself again, brings his divinity and majesty down to earth and gives his very flesh and blood for us to eat and drink. During the Mass our offerings are united to Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, we immerse ourselves into his passion and, by the grace of God, are invited to share the fruits of his resurrection and ascension. And this is not a one off thing, this is what happens at every single Mass, every single day, all over the world. Our Lord loves us so much that he offers himself, the whole of himself, his very life, to us on a daily basis. He stretches out his arms towards us and all we have to do is turn back towards him (in particular through the sacrament of reconciliation) and humbly accept.

Today at St. John's we made a big point of rejoicing in the love our God has for us and that we have for him in return. We had a Eucharistic Procession (a practise Pope Benedict has been commending at St. Peter's today) around the church building, heralded with songs such as O Salutaris Hostia, Sweet Sacrament Divine, Tantum Ergo. It was fantabulous to walk as one Body, one Church in faith following behind the one who saved us from our sins. And it didn't rain! (Hooray!) Here's a few pics (and a poorly shot video...please excuse the singing from our end of the pew) taken from my iPhone.

Fr. Richard exposes the Blessed Sacrament

The procession entering the...car park...

As you can see, lots of people came out, singing praise to God
(and there were waaay more than pictured here)

Happy feast day everyone!