Church of the
Annunciation

Today is Corpus Christ Sunday. In a special way we remember Jesus at the Last Supper giving bread to his disciples saying: “This is my body.” We receive the Body of Christ and we are/become the Body of Christ. Today appropriately is First Holy Communion at Annunciation. The girls and boys have made little squares with four cut-out symbols: a heart, a host, a cross and a fish. The “heart” speaks of God’s love for us. The “host” represents the consecrated bread, the Body of Christ, the very life of Jesus that the girls and boys receive in Holy Communion. The “cross” reminds us of Jesus giving up his life on the cross for our salvation. The “fish” is an early symbol in the Church identifying a person as a friend and follower of Jesus. The children who receive Jesus today are living out their baptism by deepening their friendship with Jesus and by promising to bring Jesus (his love and forgiveness) into their homes, where they go to school and when they play. Indeed, today we celebrate both “the real” presence of Jesus and the mission entrusted to us to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. Our response is always: “Amen.” “Yes.”