Things that may be of interest
Children's Liturgy
at Sunday 9am Mass
During our Sunday 9am Mass we have a Children’s Liturgy led by our amazing team of volunteers. It is the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel for all children under 11 years old. Children’s Liturgy runs during term time, listen out for the invitation at the start of Mass for all children to come forward.
Dates for the journey ahead
Week of 3rd Feb
Online preparation begins for First Holy Communion – We send you the first week of our prep.
Sun 9th Feb
9am Family Mass in the Church (children go to Baptismal font)
Sat 8th Feb
Groups for children – groups and their timing are allocated and sent by email
Week of 10th Feb
Week 2 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
17th Feb - 23rd Feb
Break from preparation
There’s a break from the preparation. Enjoy the break.
Week of 24th Feb
Week 3 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Sun 2nd Mar
9am Family Mass in the Church (children go to Baptismal font)
Sun 9th Mar
Lenten Family Day – 12pm Mass and meeting afterwards in the Parish Hall for Bring & Share lunch and Family Activities.
Week of 17th Mar
Week 5 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Sun 23rd Mar
9am Family Mass in the Church (children go to Baptismal font)
Tues 25th Mar
Parents gathering 7:30pm in the Parish Centre Hall. We run through how the First Holy Communion Masses will work in the Parish and we equip you as parents to prepare your little one for this joy filled moment.
Sat 1st Mar
Groups for children – groups and their timing are allocated and sent by email
Week of 3rd Mar
Week 4 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Week of 10th Mar
Family Week online – This week is all about spending time as a family and breaking open the Family Day.
Sat 22nd Mar
Groups for children – groups and their timing are allocated and sent by email
Week of 24th Mar
Week 6 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Week of 31st Mar
Week 7 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
7th April - 27th April
Break from preparation
There’s a break from the preparation for Easter. Enjoy the break with the family celebrating Jesus Saving Death and Resurrection.
Week of 28th Apr
Week 8 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Week of 19th May
Week 9 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Sun 22nd June
Corpus Christi 12pm Mass & Celebration – we celebrate the end of the journey towards First Holy Communion with Mass, a jubilant procession and a celebration together afterwards. The children will receive a certificate as a reminder of the day they made their First Holy Communion.
10th/11th May
First Holy Communion Masses – allocation of the Masses will be worked out in January after First Reconciliations. However, it is known in advance that this is the weekend of the FHC Masses.
Week of 2nd Jun
Week 10 online prep – We send you the online prep for this week.
Get in touch
formation@ealingabbey.org.uk
Welcome to your preparation for
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
First Holy Communion - Week 1
Week 1 – JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE
Today we will learn about the ways God provided for the Israelites and how Jesus provided for his disciples. We will hear about the miracles Jesus performed to feed people’s bodies and nourish their hearts. This will help us understand why we call Jesus the Bread of Life.
1.1 Letter to God
Bring this activity with you to our Saturday gathering (8th Feb)
Find a piece of paper, write a Letter to God about your First Reconciliation and how you felt knowing you were forgiven. Bring the letter with you when we meet on Saturday 8th March.
1.2 Why do we receive Jesus’ Body and Blood at Mass?
One day Jesus was teaching a very large crowd of people. The crowd had followed Jesus for a few days and were very hungry. The disciples started to worry about how the crowd would get food.
Andrew realised that a boy had some food but it was hardly anything, just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. That’s not enough for 5 thousand people.
However, Jesus took what the boy offered, he gave thanks to God for them and then gave the people as much as they needed to eat. Everyone ate loads. When they were finished, Jesus asked his disciples to gather up the leftovers. The leftover bread filled 12 whole baskets.
It was an amazing miracle! Imagine begin there.
The next day the people wanted more miracles. But Jesus replied that he wanted to give them something more important that ordinary bread. Jesus could give them the bread of eternal life. When we eat ordinary bread we get hungry again, but the bread from God is different. Jesus doesn’t mean that our tummies will never be hungry again, but that the Bread of Life fills our souls with God’s life. It brings us closer to God than we can ever imagine.
1.4 Closing Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father in heaven, We know that Jesus suffered, died on the Cross, and rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and now sits at your right hand. He gave his life for us so we can know you and love you. Thank you for loving us and giving us your Son. Thank you for his saving work and the joy of his presence in the Holy Eucharist. Amen.
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross. “Father in heaven, You have always fed your people, no matter where they are. Today you feed your Church in the Holy Eucharist. Teach us to know Jesus in the Eucharist. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
1.3
The people asked Jesus to give them this bread. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life, anyone who comes to me shall not hunger, and anyone who believes in me shall never thirst … I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, they will life for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Bread of Life is Jesus’ own Body. The Bread of Life is the Eucharist. We receive Jesus’ Body and Blood at Mass.
After some time Jesus gathered the disciples and those closest to Him for a meal, it is called The Last Supper. Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my Body.” Jesus took the chalice of wine and said, “This is the chalice of my Blood.” Jesus then told the apostles to carry on doing this.
When we gather together at Mass the priest continues what Jesus did at The Last Supper. The priest takes the bread and wine and says, “This is my Body … This is my Blood.” And the bread and the wine become Jesus’ Body and Blood, just as Jesus said it would.
Talk it out with your parent
What happens to the bread and wine in the Mass?
1.5
First Holy Communion - Week 2
Week 2 – JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE
Today we will learn about the Mass. We will learn about how Jesus gave us the Eucharist. He did this at the Last Supper, which is also when he gave us the priesthood.
2.1 Last Supper Comic Strip
Find a piece of paper, create a comic strip like the one below and fill it in with what you think the Last Supper was like. How did the Apostles react to Jesus?
2.3
Jesus also wanted the disciples to share this gift with others later. So Jesus said to the disciples to go out and carry on celebrating the Mass so that people could receive Jesus’ body and blood in Holy Communion.
The priests we have here at St Benedict’s are continuing what Jesus gave to the disciples. During the Mass they say the same words Jesus said and the bread and wine becomes Jesus’ body and blood. It still looks like bread and wine but it really is Jesus’ body and blood because Jesus said so.
Talk it out with your parent
When was the first Holy Communion?
What did Jesus say at the Last Supper?
Why do you think the bread and wine still appear to be bread and wine after they have become Jesus’ body and blood?
2.6 Priesthood
At the Last Supper Jesus gave us Holy Communion as a gift. But Jesus also gave us another gift, the gift of the Priesthood. Jesus told the Apostles to continue celebrating this meal with others. They did exactly what Jesus asked, they celebrated Mass for other people.
The Faith spread quickly and soon the Apostles weren’t enough in number to help care for all the Christians. So they ordained bishops, which means they passed on to other men the authority to care and look after local groups of Christians.
This still goes on today. We are part of a diocese which is called Westminster. There is a bishop who leads this area and all the priests of Westminster work with the bishop to care for the Christian people. All of us are cared for by the priests. It is a beautiful way that Jesus wanted us to be cared for, to receive his very own life in Baptism, Reconciliation and Holy Communion.
Talk it out with your parent
Why are there priests?
What do you think makes a good priest?
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, On the night before he died, Jesus and his disciples had their last meal together, and Jesus fed them with his own Body and Blood. Help us to know him and love him when we receive him in Holy Communion. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
2.2 Why do we receive Holy Communion at Mass?
On the night before Jesus was going to die he gathered together his disciples for a meal, it is called the Last Supper. During the meal, Jesus took the bread, He blessed it, broke it and gave it to them saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Then Jesus lifted up a cup of wine, gave thanks and gave it to the disciples saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
It may seem strange that Jesus called the bread his body, but the disciples had heard this before. Remember last week we heard that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” and “The bread which I shall give you is my flesh.” Jesus had been getting the disciples ready for this moment at this meal.
This meal that Jesus shared with the disciples was the very first Mass. It was also the very first time the disciples receive Holy Communion. This was Jesus’ gift to them before he died.
2.4 Video
2.5 The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
A sacrifice is a gift we give God. It is an act of love. In the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices to God for the Israelites. When Jesus died on the Cross, he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice (a perfect gift).
When we celebrate the Mass together, we are joining together to make present what happened on the Cross. Standing next to us at Mass is Mary our Mother, all the angels, all the saints, all of Heaven! Isn’t that amazing.
Mass is also known by another name called the Eucharist. Eucharist is a Greek word, do you know what it means? Thanksgiving.
When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion we give thanks. We give thanks for God’s creation. We give thanks for his goodness. We give thanks for Jesus and what he has done for us.
2.7 Closing Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father in heaven, You freed the Israelites from slavery and gave them manna to eat in the desert. Jesus changed water to wine and brought joy to a wedding party. He fed thousands of his followers with a few loaves of bread. In the Mass, he feeds us with himself. Thank you for feeding us. Thank you for the gift of your Son and the joy of his presence. Amen.
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
First Holy Communion - Week 3
Week 3 – TRANSUBSTANTIATION
Today we will learn what the Eucharist is. It is much more than a symbol, Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. This happens by transubstantiation. We will learn what that big word means.
3.1 Bread for our bodies and our hearts
Try and find as many words as you can, then as your parent to help you as well. What do you think each of the words mean?
3.3 Transubstantiation
The change that takes place is called by a big name, transubstantiation. The appearance doesn’t change, but the substance does.
We still see bread, we still taste bread, we still feel bread, but it is no longer bread. The substance, the reality, has become Jesus’ Body.
This happens because Jesus said it would. And it is something we can only see through the eyes of faith. By faith we know they have changed. By faith we know that at Mass it really is Jesus.
Talk it out with your parent
How can we grow in faith of Jesus and believe his words more?
3.5 Why the Eucharist?
In the very early days of the Church there was this saying – “God became one of us so that we might become God.”
What does that mean? God became human in Jesus, so that we humans might be able to have God’s life within us.
Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a gift so that we could receive his very own life into us. That’s amazing right! When we go to communion we actually receive Jesus’ life into us.
We should go as often as we can because Jesus’ life is strength for this journey of life. Holy Communion is spiritual food for our spiritual life. Just like you need physical food to stay alive and to thrive, so too you need the spiritual food of the Eucharist to stay alive spiritually and thrive spiritually. So, go to Mass regularly. Encourage your family to come too. It’s really important and it is really an amazing opportunity to spend time with Jesus. We should all go weekly to Mass, to spend time with our friend Jesus.
3.7 Closing Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father in heaven, We know that Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle at church. We know that he is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. Thank you for the great gift of your Son. Thank you for his saving work and the joy of his presence in the Eucharist. In his name, we pray Amen.
Let us pray the Our Father together.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, We know that Jesus is here with us. We know that he is truly present in the Eucharist. Teach us to know him and love him in Holy Communion. Help us receive him with pure hearts. We ask this in his name. Amen
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
3.2 How we know that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ?
While Jesus walked the earth he worked many miracles. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, changed water into wine, walked on water, multiplied the loaves and fishes. Jesus could do these miracles because he is God the Son.
Jesus told the people that they must eat his Flesh and drink his Blood to have his life in them. It was the strangest thing to say. But at the Last Supper, Jesus showed the Apostles how this would happen. Jesus took ordinary bread and wine, performed another miracle, and changed them into his Body and Blood.
As Catholics we know Jesus was really saying the truth, that the bread and wine do become Jesus’ Body and Blood. Jesus is performing this miracle, this change, at every Mass, through the priest.
The bread looks like bread still, and the wine looks like wine still, but they really are Jesus’ Body and Blood. They really are Jesus.
3.4 Video
3.6 Miracles
Sometimes we can think that the miracles stopped when Jesus went to Heaven. But that’s not true. There have been many miracles that have happened in the past 2,000 years since Jesus ascended to Heaven. Jesus works through people and brings about lots of different miracles.
One miracle that happens every day is at Mass, where the bread and wine change into Jesus’ Body and Blood. As we said earlier, it isn’t something we see with our physical eyes, we need the eyes of faith.
BUT, sometimes God allows the change to also be visible to our physical eyes. On rare occasions, God has changed the substance of the bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood.
These are known as Eucharistic miracles and they happen from time to time. You can get your parents to Google them. This happens sometimes to help us see that Jesus’ words are actually true. We really are receiving Jesus’ life into us at every holy communion. What an honour.
Talk it out with your parent
Are we going to Mass enough? Should we try to go more often?
Why do you think Jesus’ body and blood normally appears to be bread and wine?
First Holy Communion - Week 4
week 4 – The Eucharist Changes Us
Today we will learn about how important the Eucharist is for us as members of the Catholic Church. We will see that we celebrate the Eucharist as a family of faith and that it helps us get closer to God and one another!
4.1 What happens at Mass?
Imagine yourself speaking to a friend and they say – I have never been to Mass before, what’s it like?
How would you describe Mass? What happens there? What’s the best part of the Mass?
Your friend really appreciates you telling them about Mass but then they ask you to draw your favourite part. What is the most beautiful part of the Mass? Why? Tell your parent.
4.2 How did Jesus prepare the Apostles’ hearts to receive their first Communion?
Jesus and the Apostles were sharing the Last Supper together. While they were eating Jesus did something surprising. He got up from the table and poured water into a basin. He tied a towel around his waist and began to wash their feet.
Jesus is God the Son, why would he do this to the Apostle’s feet? He did it to show them how much he loved them. Jesus also washed their feet to show them how they should love one another. Remember, Jesus made the Apostles the first priests of his Church, when he washed their feet he showed them what Christian love means.
When we love someone we serve them. Jesus was showing the Apostles how to love one another and how to love the people who would come to believe in Jesus.
We also wash to get ready for something. Jesus was also washing the Apostle’s hearts. Jesus was making their hearts ready to recognise him in the Eucharist. We can only see with eyes of faith that Jesus is present in the Eucharist if we are humble. By allowing Jesus to wash their feet the Apostles were becoming very humble.
During the Mass Jesus also prepares our hearts to receive Jesus. Remember at the beginning of the Mass the Priest says, “Let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” Listen out for these words at Mass. This is the moment where Jesus wants to wash our hearts and get them ready for Holy Communion.
4.4 What does the Eucharist do?
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” It is the beginning of being a Christian and it is the very top point of being a Christian. It is the most important part of our week and the foundation for everything we do in our life. The Eucharist gives us the courage to live our lives as faithful followers of Jesus.
When you receive Holy Communion for the first time you will be closer to Jesus than you have ever been before. What do you think it will be like to receive Jesus into your soul in this way?
The Eucharist also makes us closer to the Church, the family of God. Sometimes we can think the Church is a building, but really the Church is people, the family that Jesus has gathered together. Jesus wants us to live this life as his followers alongside other people. We are meant to live this life on our own and that is why Jesus gives us this local family of ours at Saint Benedict’s.
4.6 Video
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“Father in heaven, When we go to Mass, we know something important is happening there.We know Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist.Teach us how necessary the Eucharist is for all of us.Teach us to receive Jesus with love and respect.We ask this in his name. Amen.”
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
4.3 Talk it out with your parent
Why did Jesus wash the Apostles’ feet?
How do we show someone we love them?
No greater grace
When we receive Communion we receive Jesus’ very own life into us. There is no way on earth to be closer to Jesus. By allowing Jesus into us and into our lives we become more like Jesus.
Jesus gives us many amazing gifts through Communion:
- Communion joins us more closely to Jesus
- Communion joins us more closely with the Church, the family of God.
- Communion nourishes our soul, giving it strength and energy (just like food nourishes our physical body)
- Communion strengthens our love for God and for others
- Communion helps us to become the person we were meant to be, the amazing person God wants us to be
This is why it is so important to go to Mass weekly. It’s a really great time in your life to make a commitment to go to Mass regularly. And there are so many different Masses at St Benedict’s over a weekend which means we can fit a Mass into our busy life for every weekend. There is Saturday 6pm, Sunday 9am, 10:15am, 10:30am, 12pm and even 7pm.
Talk it out with your parent
If you haven’t been able to make Mass regularly, is there a way you can come more regularly?
4.5 Talk it out with your parent
- Sometimes families are busy. They go to Mass but must run to something else afterward, like a football game or for a food shop. How can you share the love of Jesus with others after Mass, even when everyone is busy?
- What happens when Felicity and Mum light the candles? How is this similar to what happens when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion?
- Like Dad’s milk and syrup in the video, when we are filled with God’s grace through the Eucharist, we need to stir it up. How can we stir up our grace and share it with others?
4.7 Closing Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father in heaven, You give us the Eucharist to draw all of us close to you. You bring us together in your love. When we receive Jesus, we will also receive the graces we need to serve you together. Thank you for the great gift of your Son. Thank you for his saving work and the joy of his presence in the Eucharist. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
First Holy Communion - Family Week
Family Week – Lent together
This week we are reflecting together on Lent and what it is all about. We are going to look together at some ideas to help us get more out of lent as a family.
Be sure to place your Lenten paper prayer chain around the house as a reminder that it is Lent.
create a prayer table
As a family task, create a space in your home to be a place of prayer. It could be a table, or a mantlepiece, or a sideboard. Put some things there that help you to pray. A rosary, a crucifix, a saint statue, a drawing of Jesus. Make it look as nice as possible and make sure everyone in the family knows that it is a quiet space where anyone can go to pray. Here are some examples:
What is Lent?
It is a 40 day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday where we Christians walk with Jesus. Jesus prayed, fasted and gave his life for us during those 40 days. So during Lent we imitate Jesus by praying a little more, choosing to give up something like food or tv time, and we give to those who are in more need than us (with our time/money/food). We do these three things because it prepares our souls so we can receive the love of Jesus can save us. And so that the love of Jesus can transform us to be more and more like him.
What are you going to pray this Lent?
What are you going to give up this Lent?
What are you going to do to help others this Lent?
Make a firm commitment to do these 3 things with great love of Jesus during this Lent.
Here’s a handout to make a note of things you are going to do this Lent. Print this one or make a similar one yourself. Click the image to make it bigger.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, You are so wise and loving, you know that we need time to turn away from some good things so that we can make room for you to speak to us. Help us to get the most out of this Lent and grow closer to you than ever before. Amen.
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
Calendar for Lent
Life gets very busy at times, especially in the build up to Lent. This calendar is a way of slowing down with the family and preparing yourselves for Easter. Print the calendar or get creative and make your own. Then each day of Lent colour off the square for the day when you have done something for Lent (the second image has lots of ideas for things to do). Click the images to make them bigger.
Other ideas
One brilliant thing to do in Lent is to make time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. St Benedict’s has Confessions in the Church on Saturdays between 10-11am and 4-5pm. It’s a really good thing to go as a family to prepare for Easter.
Make a small giving jar. Encourage your children to keep track of their giving by encouraging them to write their little acts of love on a piece of paper and by then putting them in the jar. On Good Friday, remind your child that we imitate Jesus by giving to others because Jesus gave it all for us on the Cross to give us eternal life.
First Holy Communion - Week 5
5.1 Jesus the Bread of Life
Today we will learn about the Mass as a sacrifice. In the Mass, the sacrifice of Christ is made present on the altar. Jesus himself is made present at Mass. He remains with us as the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. We will talk about how we celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice for us together as a family of faith.
5.2 Psalm 23 Painting
Bring this activity with you on Saturday to your Group.
Find a piece of paper and some pencils. Listen to the words of the Psalm as your parent reads them.
What do you imagine as you listen to the words? What image of God comes to mind? Draw a picture of what you think of when you hear the Psalm. Bring this along with you on Saturday for the children’s group.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for the sake of His name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
5.4
Have you ever heard of the word sacrifice before? It’s a big word, what does it mean? Sacrifice means a gift.
In the Old Testament the people would sacrifice their animals to God. That means they would give their animals as a gift to God. But we already said, God didn’t want this to be the case for the New Testament. So what did Jesus do?
Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Jesus made a gift of himself for us, so that we can have life with God.
When you get a gift what do you do? You normally say a big thank you to the person giving it to you.
Well God has given us the biggest gift you could ever receive. God has given you the gift of life, the gift of love, the gift of friendship with Him, the gift of living forever with Him, the gift of being forgiven. The gift is Jesus and it is such a big gift that we could go on and on describing it for a long time.
And that’s what we do at Mass, we give thanks to God for the great gift of Jesus. That’s why the Mass is also known as the Eucharist, which literally means thanksgiving.
5.6
Did you hear that? Jesus sacrificed Himself for you, and gave you new life. So we go to Church every Sunday to give thanks, to be with Jesus and to be with our Church family.
Did you also hear what we give to God? We give our very best – our thoughts, our hearts, our very self. We give ourselves to God because God has given us everything.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, Long ago, you taught your people to worship you. You taught them to praise you, thank you, and make sacrifices. Now we worship you at Mass. The priest makes Jesus’ Holy Sacrifice on the Cross present to us on the altar, and we join our sacrifice to his. Thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for our priests, our parish, and all the people in it. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, You are our Father ,and we want to love you more and more. You gave us your Son to show us the way. Teach us to worship you. Fill us with joy as we worship you at Mass .We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
5.3 What is Worship?
What is Worship? It is love and honour that we give to God. The best way we can love and honour God is by going to Mass. At Mass we worship God through our prayers and songs. We listen to God speaking to us through the readings and the prayers, and we speak to God through our prayers and songs.
Mass is amazing because we receive so much from God. He feeds us with His Body and Blood, it is food for the journey. God also gives us tons of friendship with others at Church, our brothers and sisters in faith. God also speaks to us through the Bible readings.
But what about us and our part? God is prepared to give us so much, but what are we prepared to do?
Throughout the Old Testament the people would give their best to God. People would travel on foot for miles to meet with God at the Temple. They would come with their best animals or harvest to give to God through the Temple.
Obviously, now you don’t see animals at Church because God doesn’t want us to give him animals. God taught us what he wants us to give through Jesus, the Son of God.
Talk it out with your parent
What do you think God wants us to give to him?
5.5 The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
First Holy Communion - Week 6
Week 6 – Ready to Receive
Today we will learn why the Eucharist is a gift. We know that we show gratitude when we open a gift. Today, we will discover how we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Eucharist.
6.2 The Best Gift
What’s the best gift you have ever received? Who gave you that gift? What made it the best gift?
Talk to your parent about these questions.
6.3 Preparing ourselves
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus talks to his followers about taking their gifts to the altar. Jesus tells them to think first. Do you have a problem with anyone? Is there something you need to forgive? Jesus says, “First be reconciled, and then come and offer your gift.”
Jesus is saying that before we go to the altar at Mass we need to be at peace with other people. If we are upset with someone or know that someone is upset with us, we need to work it out with them. It could be a brother, a sister, a neighbour, someone at school, a friend. Whoever it is, we must make an effort to be friendly with them again before we receive Communion during Mass.
The most precious gift we will ever receive is the Eucharist. It is the gift of Jesus Christ himself. When we receive Jesus in communion our hearts are united to his.
That’s why it’s really important to make sure we have prepared ourselves to receive Communion. We have access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That’s where, with Jesus, we sweep clean our soul. In our Church here we have Reconciliation available in the Church on Thursdays 7:30pm-8:15pm and Saturday, 10am-11am and 4pm-5pm.
Try really hard to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with one of your parents before your First Holy Communion.
Talk it out with your parent
When could you go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation before your First Holy Communion?
How else can you prepare to receive Jesus in Communion?
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in Heaven, You give us the Eucharist because you love us.You give us Confession so that we may come to Jesus with a pure heart.Teach us to receive Jesus in Holy Communion with reverence and love.We ask this in his name. Amen
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
6.4 Video
6.4 Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, You invite us to adore Jesus and talk to him in the Blessed Sacrament and in front of the tabernacle in any Catholic church. We thank you that he is always close to us. Thank you for the great gift of your Son. Thank you for his saving work and the joy of his presence in the Eucharist. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
First Holy Communion - Week 7
Week 7 – Staying close to jesus
We have the gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Eucharist. This allows us to receive him at Mass, worship him in Eucharistic Adoration, and pray before the Blessed Sacrament! Today we will learn how we can stay close to Jesus in all these ways.
7.1 Imagine that
Find a piece of paper for this exercise. Imagine you have just arrived home from a busy day. You sit on your sofa and then you realise Jesus is there.
What do you want to share with him? What do you say?
On your piece of paper draw the two of you speaking. Write what you’re talking about? Write it down on the paper.
7.2 Help us see
As human beings we learn about the world around us by our senses. How did you learn about colours? By seeing them. How did you learn that some things are hot and some things cold? By touching them. How do you know what a dog sounds like when it barks? By hearing it. How do you know that freshly baked cookies have the greatest smell? By smelling them. We come to know things mostly by what our senses. So sometimes it is hard to know that things are true when we cannot see them or touch them.
You know who knew about this? St Thomas in the Bible. Jesus had died and risen from the dead. Jesus visited the Apostles and they were shocked to see him but St Thomas wasn’t there when this happened. When St Thomas heard about this he didn’t believe the other Apostles, St Thomas wanted to touch and see the risen Jesus.
Jesus understands this. We as humans like to see, touch, smell, taste, hear. That is why Jesus comes to us through physical things. That’s why the Mass on Sunday is full of things we see, touch, smell, taste and hear.
Jesus said to St Thomas that the blessed are those who believe in Jesus without needing a physical sign. However, Jesus wanted us to have something physical. Although the bread and wine continue to look and taste like bread and wine, they really have become the body and blood of Jesus.
Sometimes, very rarely, Jesus even allows the bread and wine to look like his body and flesh. This happens to show us that our faith is real and goes beyond our senses. These are called Eucharistic miracles but they are rare and happen to strengthen our faith.
Talk it out with your parent
Why do you think Jesus wants us to believe in him?
What do you think is the main reason to believe Jesus’ words that the bread and wine become Jesus’ body and blood?
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in Heaven, You created this beautiful world. We are amazed that you love us and want us to be close to you. Jesus said he is the way to you. Teach us how to pray to him in the Blessed Sacrament. Help us love him and learn from him. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Let us pray the Hail Mary together.
7.3 Spending time with Jesus
Jesus wants us to be close to him and grow in his friendship. How can you grow in friendship with anyone? You must spend time with them. That is why Jesus invites us to go to Mass every Sunday so that we can spend time with him.
We can speak to Jesus in prayer at home, in the Church, on the way to school, on your holiday. Jesus wants to be a part of everything you are.
Talk it out with your parent
How could you spend a bit more time with Jesus as a family?
7.4 Video
7.5 Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, You invite us to adore Jesus and talk to him in the Blessed Sacrament and in front of the tabernacle in any Catholic church. We thank you that he is always close to us. Thank you for the great gift of your Son. Thank you for his saving work and the joy of his presence in the Eucharist. In his name we pray. Amen
First Holy Communion - Week 8
Week 8 – Why Prayer Matters
Our calling by Jesus is to live as Jesus taught his followers to live. This means we pray, receive the sacraments, and serve others. Today we learn about prayer—how we talk to God! Prayer gives us the chance to share our hearts with God and be guided by him. There are many ways to pray, and they all help us draw closer to God
8.1 Prayer Plan
Find a piece of paper for this.
Sometimes we know things are important to do but life gets busy and we forget to do things. Like tidying your room or doing your homework or many other things. That’s why it is important sometimes to make a plan of when to do important things. One important thing is making a little time for prayer. In this exercise use the sheet below or make your own.
8.3 Many ways to pray
There are lots of different ways to pray and you can try them all to see what prayer works best for you and your life.
St Therese of Lisieux said, “For me, prayer is a simple look turned toward heaven.”
The Mass is a prayer. There are lots of prayers in the Mass too. There is the I Confess prayer, the Gloria prayer, the Holy, Holy, Holy prayer.
There are the Our Father and the Hail Mary prayers.
There is the Rosary, novena, litanies. You can find these prayers online, print them out or write them out.
There is personal prayer, where you remain still and quiet.
There is prayer with a Bible reading, where you read slowly and calmly. You can imagine yourself in the scene with the characters.
You can put prayers into your own words too, just like you would speak to a friend.
You can even google prayers for certain situations, e.g. prayers for times of worry or trouble or to thank God.
8.5 Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, You teach us to pray in many ways.You help us adore you. You teach us to ask you for help for ourselves and the people we love. And you teach us how to say we are sorry for our sins. Thank you for listening to us and answering our prayers. Thank you for the great gift of your Son and the joy of knowing him.In his name we pray. Amen.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Teach us to pray as he taught them. And teach us to hear your voice—in Scripture, in the Mass, and in our hearts. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
Let us pray the Apostle’s Creed together.
8.2 Prayer is so important
Prayer is important. Without prayer, our friendship with Jesus begins to get lost in how busy life is. Prayer is what makes friendship with Jesus a real thing in our lives.
Jesus taught his disciples that they must pray. He taught them this prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
This is the perfect prayer. In the prayer we speak to God as our loving Father in heaven. We come to him with trust, humility and joy. We adore God and we ask God for what we need. We also ask God for forgiveness, promising to forgive others.
Jesus tells us to “Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Then Jesus compares God with a good father. If a child asks for bread, will the father give him a stone? Of course not. If the child asks for a fish, will the father give him a serpent? Never! So if human fathers give their children good things, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask.”
Talk it out with your parent
Why is prayer so important?
How can you make time for prayer together as a family?
8.4 Video
First Holy Communion - Week 9
Week 9 – what are you grateful for?
Congratulations, you have received your First Holy Communion. What a special moment in your life and what a way to mark the beginning of the rest of your journey of faith with Jesus. This week has a small but important prayer which is also an activity.
9.1 Litany Prayer
Find a piece of paper for this exercise. Pray the prayer below with a parent. The first time pray it together. The second time, write down the things you are grateful for in your life.
Then, make a poster with all the things you are grateful for and bring it with you for the Corpus Christi gathering we will have in June.
A Litany Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all God’s gifts so freely given to us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea, we thank you, O Lord.
For the gift of life, we thank you, O Lord.
For creating us in your image and likeness, we thank you, O Lord.
For our parents, we thank you, O Lord.
For your fatherly love, we thank you, O Lord.
For the gift of your only Son, we thank you, O Lord.
For the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we thank you, O Lord.
For revealing yourself to us, we thank you, O Lord.
For the sacraments that bring us closer to you, we thank you, O Lord.
For Communion that sustains us, we thank you, O Lord.
For the love found in family, we thank you, O Lord.
For the friendships that nourish us, we thank you, O Lord.
For the Church that guides us, we thank you, O Lord.
For holy and wise priests and people who pass on to us the faith, we thank you, O Lord.
For the peace that is found in you, we thank you, O Lord.
For the joy that comes from praising you, we thank you, O Lord.
For times of hardship that help us to grow in virtue and holiness, we thank you, O Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends, we thank you, O Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, we thank you, O Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play, we thank you, O Lord.
For the opportunity to help bring good to others, we thank you, O Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places, we thank you, O Lord.
For opportunities to love you we thank you, O Lord.
First Holy Communion - Week 10
Week 10 – Caring for others
We have learned so much about the gift of the Eucharist, and today we will learn about how to live as disciples of Jesus! We will hear about the ways that we can love others as Jesus did
10.1 Sharing God's Love
There is something you can do today to share God’s love with someone.
Find a piece of paper and write/draw what you would like to do. Put it somewhere just for you and ask God to give you the courage to do that nice thing.
10.2 Why do Catholics help others?
One time Jesus explained why. He said that one day he would return and he would gather everyone in front of him. He will put people into two groups, the sheep and the goats.
The sheep are people who helped others. Jesus will say to them – “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
The sheep didn’t see Jesus physically, but they saw others who needed help and they helped them. But Jesus, who cares for sick and suffering people, tells them that when they helped others, they were really helping him.
Sadly, the group that were goats were people who didn’t do anything to help others in need.
So Jesus is saying, allow him to fill you with his love through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion, so that Jesus’ love can overflow into the world around you.
We help others because Jesus did the same thing. Jesus loved those who were in need and he tells us as Catholics to do the same thing, to love those in need and around us.
Talk it out with your parent
How do we show Jesus that we love him and accept his love?
Who in your life needs Jesus’ love? What can you do about it?
10.5 Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, Thank you for Jesus and the joy of receiving him in Holy Communion. Thank you for loving us and giving us your sacraments. Thank you for the people we love and those who love us. Bless our families, our teachers, and our friends. Bless those who have no one to love them. Help us to love others as you love us.In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for joining us in this preparation. It has been a wonderful year. What’s next? Well there are so many ways to get involved with the Parish. Is there something you are being invited to do in the Parish by Jesus? Could you be a part of something or bring new ideas to something? Don’t hold back, get involved, and spread the Good News of Jesus here in Ealing.
Prayer
We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross.
Father in heaven, You ask us to love other people as you love us. Please show us how. Show us how we can help the people who need it, especially those in our family, school, and parish. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Let us pray the Apostle’s Creed together.
10.3 We have a mission
You are a part of God’s family. You are God’s child. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion help you to love God more and more each day.
Being a part of God’s family means you have a role to play. You are to live as Jesus lived and to spread the news of Jesus and the love of Jesus to everyone. The only way we can spread the news and love of Jesus to others is if we hear that news regularly and receive the love of Jesus regularly. We should spend time with Jesus at Mass every Sunday.
Talk it out with your parent
How could you spend a bit more time with Jesus as a family?
10.4 Video
