First Communion Blog

By Kevin Sprehe

Recently, my oldest child and daughter, made her first Communion. It was such a beautiful and glorious day to behold. Being a witness to my first child hitting this milestone was nothing short of miraculous.

During Mass and leading up to that moment, I was reminded of the importance of receiving Communion.

A verse from the Gospel of Matthew came to mind, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

It occurred to me that in that moment my daughter was literally doing what Christ asked. She was going to Jesus, and she was tasting and seeing the goodness of The Lord.

God, out of his kindness and compassion, created us. He doesn’t need us, yet he shares himself so freely with us. He literally lets us eat of his flesh so that we may become living tabernacles.

In seeing my daughter receive her first Communion, I am reminded: a.) of just how important the Eucharist is; b.) the need to help my children understand the Eucharist and its importance; and c.) the grace that it bestows on us.

Her soul was cleansed in her first reconciliation, and then she received her first Communion. What a tremendous grace my child has received!

Toward the end of the day after the celebration ended, I could sense that my second child, and oldest boy, seemed to be trying to grasp the importance of his sister’s first Communion, which he will be receiving next year.

He was struck by the amount of joy, praise and excitement that went into this day. It was an opportunity to help him understand that receiving Jesus is more important than any birthday he may have and more important than any accomplishment he may earn. I could sense that this really resonated with him.

We chose to have a very large celebration at our house for her. Big parties usually aren’t our norm, and we wanted to make the impression on our kids that the day of one’s first Communion is far more reason to celebrate then even a birthday.

Receiving a sacrament is the greatest celebration we can hope for and when our children experience these sacraments there is an even greater reason for joy and celebration. God chose to not only create us but to also share Himself with us. Praise God!