4/25/2015 – 4th Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday - First Holy Communion – John 10:11-18

At our vigil mass at 4:30 on Saturday we will celebrate First Holy Communion with our children.  Below is the homily for that mass. 

      Today, we celebrate a lot of different things.  Today, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, the 4^th Sunday of the Easter season.  We celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in our Church.  Today, we also celebrate a very big day for you, boys and girls.  We celebrate your First Holy Communion with your parents, with your brothers and sisters, with your family and friends.  Your teachers and parents have been preparing you for this day when you receive the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time in the Eucharist.  I know it is a very exciting time in your life.

       Jesus is our Good Shepherd.   He tells us that he knows he sheep very well.  He calls them and he feeds them and he guides them.  Most, importantly, Jesus lays down his life for his sheep. Several weeks ago, we celebrated Christ’s death and resurrection during Holy Week and the beginning of the Easter season.  Jesus was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to have eternal life. Each time we celebrate mass together, we remember Jesus and we remember what he did for us.  Most importantly, today, on the day you receive your first communion, we celebrate that way Jesus enters our lives through the Eucharist in a very special way.  When you receive the Eucharist for the first time today, I will look you right in the eye and I will proclaim to you: “The Body of Christ.”  And you respond with “Amen.”  You will declare that this is the Body of Christ that you are receiving.  When I proclaim to you “the Body of Christ,” this signifies that not only is Jesus is present in the host that you are receiving, but that you are the Body of Christ as well!  What a wonderful miracle we celebrate today – Jesus entering our lives in the Eucharist and we becoming the Body of Christ.

      The stole I am wearing comes from the country of Chile.   It was handmade by a group of women in the Catholic Church down there.  This stole depicts different events that happened in Jesus’ life, such as the Last Supper he shared with his disciples, his baptism in the River Jordan with John the Bishop, his calling of the fishermen to be his disciples, his visit with Mary and Martha, and his encounter with the woman at the well.  I received this stole before I became a priest when I was studying in the country of Chile one summer, and today, I remember all the different people in my life who had a role in helping me become a priest.  As we celebrate your First Holy Communion today and as we recognize the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we know that some of you here may be called to the priesthood or to be brothers or sisters in a religious congregation.  Some of you may be called to be musicians or catechists or lay leaders in the Church.  Some of you may be called to different vocations that serve our community – teachers, police officers, doctors, nurses, or men and women serving in our community. But we need to hear Jesus’ voice to recognize where he is calling us.  We need to cultivate a relationship we Jesus in our lives.  We are all called to hear the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd.  And I pray that all of you hear his voice calling you to a specific vocation in life.

       We celebrate with all of you today in a very special way.  I remember when Bishop Kopacz visited us last year for our First Communion mass.  We were right here in our parish hall celebrating First Communion the weekend after the tornado hit Tupelo.  Bishop Kopacz is the shepherd of our Diocese of Jackson.  I know that he sends his best wishes to all of you today boys and girls, and to your families.  The Eucharist that you receive today is to give you strength and nourishment on your journey through life. May you always remember how special this day is for you.  May you always remember the joy you had in your heart when you received Jesus in Eucharist for the first time.