Thursday 14 June 2012

The Little Way - Memories of First Holy Communion


Two Spanish boys share their memories
of their Fist Holy Communion
Visiting England with their parents, we have a memory from some young people who made their Holy Communion in Spain.  They share their memories of their preparation for this sacrament.
My First Holy Communion was a very special day. During the 40 days before we used the same book that St. Therese (of Lisieux), the little flower, used when she was going to receive Jesus for the first time. Every day we had to say a special sentence to Jesus, as many times as we could, and do a good action. At night we wrote in our books how the day had gone. I did my First Holy Communion on the 11th of February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. I did it in my Parish, with my twin brother. The priest that gave as Jesus for the first time was the same priest that had baptized me 8 years ago. I was very nervous, but everything was wonderful. I said to Jesus that I love Him. I asked him many things and I gave him a big THANK YOU for coming. As I was nervous, it helped me very much to say the prayers I had learned for this day. My favourite is a short one a priest at my school taught me. It says:
"I believe in You,  Jesus, I adore You and I love You"
 St Therese of Lisieux
Manu tells us about St Therese of Lisieux, sometimes known as the little flower.  For further details see 
She talks in her autobiography “The Story of the Springtime of a Little White Flower” about how she prepared for her first Holy Communion:

I shall always remember my First Communion Day as one of unclouded happiness. It seems to me that I could not have been better prepared. Do you remember, dear Mother, the charming little book you gave me three months before the great day? I found in it a helpful method which prepared me gradually and thoroughly. ... each day I made a number of little sacrifices and acts of love, which were to be changed into so many flowers: now violets, another time roses, then cornflowers, daisies, or forget-me-nots—in a word, all nature’s blossoms were to form in me a cradle for the Holy Child.