Catholic Sacraments - The Very First Communion
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The 1st Communion is usually a Catholic rite when a young child receives Holy Communion for the first time. Aside from being able to receive Holy Communion, this ceremony is supposed to signify the young faithful's first official encounter with the Holy Eucharist, which is the focus of Catholicism. As the seven sacraments, the First Communion also works as a pre-requisite to the sacrament of Confirmation, the third Sacrament which is deemed as a perfection of Baptism being the first.
The ceremony of the First Communion is a very special affair, especially for religious families as well as schools. The children (although there is no age restriction for receiving this Sacrament) usually wear special clothing, where the girls don a white dress with a veil to symbolize purity and the boys wear anything formal. In other cases, both girls and boys simply wear their school uniforms, but the girls always wear their veils. Often, a family party or feast is thrown after this ceremony as an easy way of expressing gratitude for a child having the opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist.
Though Holy Communion is a Sacrament for all Catholic faithfuls, not just anyone can receive it. It is required of everyone, even children, that a confession must first be made before a priest prior to becoming worthy of receiving the Eucharist. The Catholic religion makes it necessary that somebody be 'without sin and in a state of grace' prior to being in a position to receive Holy Communion. This is the reason why children are made to confess their sins first before they are ready to engage in the First Communion ceremony. After the confession, you will have penance, which will consists of prayers that are to be said so that you can erase or atone for the confessed sins or misdeeds.
Since the third of the seven Catholic Sacraments, a person, no matter whether a child or an adult, cannot receive Holy Communion without first receiving the first, which is baptism. Yet having said that, there are other requirements that have to be attained. Receiving the Holy Eucharist for the very first time is certainly a special event for Catholics. It is not at all something that is received as part of a religious or academic schedule. The fact is, children must study it first in school, while those who never attend Catholic institutions are required to have classes during weekends. Normally, schools go over Holy Communion in their religious subjects for two years before students could be in a position to be involved in a First Communion ceremony. |
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Author Resource:-
Are you throwing a small family gathering to celebrate your child's First Communion? You can make it more memorable by giving out First Holy Communion favors to your guests. Whether these are very close family members, friends, Church members or a combination of everyone important in the family's life, take time to make meaningful and interesting communion favors as a way of celebrating and immortalizing this very important event in your child's life.
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By :
Corinth James
Submitted
2012-01-24 11:11:47 |
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