EUCHARISTIC LITURGY FOR FIRST HOLY COMMUNION THEME: I.

BREADBROKENAND SHARED

INTRODUCTORY RITES

ENTRANCE PROCESSION (The first communicants, the parents and the catechists are assembled in a suitable place outside the Church. When everything is ready, they go in procession in this order: CROSSBEARER between two SERVERS carrying lighted candles, the CHILDREN dressed in white each holding candle which is not yet lit, the PARENTS, the CATECHISTS, the LECTOR who carries the Gospel Book, and finally the PRIEST-PRESIDER. During the procession, everybody sings the Entrance Hymn.) ENTRANCE HYMN (Appropriate liturgical song should be sung) (When everybody reaches their respective places, the priest-presider greets the congregation and introduces the significance of the celebration) GREEETINGS (All make the sign of the cross while the priest says:) P. All. P. All. P. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord, be with you all. And also with you. My dear children, parents, brothers and sisters in Christ, today is a very special day for us and for the whole parish community, particularly Bethany Montessori Learning Center because at this very moment we share the joy of the celebration of the breaking of bread. Dear children, you will come here to the altar to receive Jesus, the bread---brokenand shared for you. With Him, we will give thanks to our father for His love and for all His goodness to us.
1

entire Christian community. Let us warmly welcome them, and give them a big round of applause. (Clap hands.) My dear children, you have been privileged to receive Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, broken-and-shared. Being now, more fully one with the Bread of Life, you are called upon to be bread-broken-and- shared, like Jesus. That is why you have been given a cross, as a symbol of your willingness to be broken, to sacrifice by sharing your time, your talents, your treasures with your brothers and sisters. This is how Jesus would have us love as bread-brokenand-shared. From here on, let us follow Jesus more closely in loving one another as He loves us. (The priest-presider gives the crosses to the children who are lined-up by twos. After giving the crosses he returns to his chair. The commentator reads the announcement, if any) ANNOUNCEMENT C. P. All. Please stand. The Lord be with you. And also with you.

(After the greeting, the first communicants read a message of appreciation addressed to the parents expressing their gratitude and happiness for their presence and support in the celebration. They read from their seats.) Option: A representative of the children may go up to the lectern and read. Communicants: Loving parents, thank you for coming here with us to celebrate this wonderful Eucharistic Offering to the Father. This is the fulfillment of our desire to receive Jesus into our Hearts. Within this mass, we are going to renew our baptismal vows which you received in our behalf when we were young. (The parents will do the same. From their seats they read the following message addressed to the children. Or a representative from the parents may go up to the lectern and read.) Parents: We, your parents and friends, share with you your happiness because we too, will be able to receive Jesus our Lord, in holy communion. Like you, we believe that receiving Jesus is something very special. We are going to show our happiness and joy by joining you in thanking God our Father, and in renewing your baptismal vows during this Eucharistic celebration. (Then the priest-presider continues:) P. My dear children, when you were baptized, you were given a white dress, like what you are wearing today. It is a sign that you are a child of God and very dear to Him. At baptism, you were given a lighted candle with the words: Receive the light of Christ and keep the flame of faith alive in your hearts. Your candle today helps you to know that Jesus, the true light, is always with you. Today, you are invited with all the baptized to share the broken bread which is Jesus. We begin this celebration recalling our baptism as we light our candles and profess our faith. CREED (Two representatives from the first communicants come forward to light their candles from the paschal Candle and then pass on the light to the other first communicants. After this, all make the profession of faith which will take the form of question and answer as at baptism)
2

BLESSING P. My dear children, bring Gods blessing and love to your homes. Celebrate your happiness this day with your parents, relatives and friends. May the God of love bless you and be with you always, in the name of the Father +, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All. Amen. DISMISSAL P. The Eucharist has been offered. Go now in peace and joy to love and serve the Lord. All. Thanks be to God.

17

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace. COMMUNION

This we ask you through Christ our Lord. All. Amen. (The lighted candles are extinguished) Commentator: All please be seated and let us listen to the readings.

P.

Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health of mind and body.

II.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

(The priest genuflects and take some of the consecrated bread and the cup and extending them toward the people, he says:) P. All. This is the bread come down from heaven; whoever eats of it will never die. This is the cup of eternal life; whoever drinks of it will live forever. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

THE BLESSING OF THE CHILD READER/S (It is a part of Filipino culture to ask for a priests or an elders blessings performing a special task. This is normally done through the gesture of Mano Po, which consists of taking the priests or elders right hand to ones forehead. This gesture signifies respect for authority. The assigned readers (for the first reading and the psalm) go to the priest and make Mano Po. After which the priest blesses them by making the sign of the cross. Then the reader for the first reading goes directly to the lectern, while the psalmist/s sit on the chair/s at the side of the lectern. It is preferable that a group of children sings the psalm verses, while everyone else responds.) FIRST READING (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)

(The priest says inaudibly:) P. May the body and blood of Christ bring me to everlasting life. A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy COMMUNION PROCESSION (Everyone will receive communion under both species. Ideally both parents come forward with their child and receive communion as a family together. If this is not possible, the catechist leads the child to communion.) P. The Body and Blood of Christ. Communicant: Amen COMMUNION SONGS (The Choir leads the congregation in singing appropriate songs for communion.) All. SILENCE AFTER COMMUNION (A period of silence, or a song of thanksgiving may be sung after communion) Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He, therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 78) (The assembly repeats the response said or sung by the psalmist/s the first time and then after each verse.)
4

15

Remember Christians everywhere And all other people in the world We are filled with wonder and praise When we see what you do for us Through Jesus your Son, and so we sing: Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, Forever and ever. All. IV. Amen. COMMUNION RITE

Give them some food yourselves. They replied, five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people. Now, the men there numbered about five thousand. Then, he said to his disciples, Have them sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets. The Gospel of the Lord. All. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. a) Dramatization of the Gospel by children who are not communicants; b) Priest/catechist/teacher who is gifted to speak to the children.

HOMILY Options:

THE LORDS PRAYER P. In Christ, we have received the Spirit of adoption. Now, as children of God, let us all join our hands as we sing the Lords prayer. All. Our Father in heaven Holy be your name Your kingdom come Your will be done On earth as in heaven Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins As we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial And deliver us from evil Deliver us Lord, from every evil, And grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin And protect us in time of trial, As we wait in joyful hope
13

Points to be considered in delivering the Homily: 1. In baptism, we celebrate: a) that we are Gods children and very dear to him; b) that Jesus accompanies us on the path of life. 2. In the Eucharist: a) Jesus breaks bread --- shares his life with us b) to make us one community of love c) so we can break bread with others GENERAL INTERCESSION (After the homily, the Prayers of the Faithful will follow. The commentator invites the congregation to stand. After the presiders invitation, assigned catechist, parents (mother and father), and communicants go to the lectern to read the intentions.) C. P. Please stand. Brothers and sisters, Jesus nourished us with his word of life and invited us to his table. Let us present our petitions to the Father who cares for all his children and let us say to him: Lord, hear our prayer.

P.

Catechist: For the Church, that the Eucharist may remain the source of life and bearer of light for all Christian families, we pray:
6

All.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Please kneel. God our Father, You are most holy And we want to show you that we are grateful. We bring you bread and wine and ask You to send your Holy Spirit to make these gifts The Body + and Blood of Jesus your Son. On the night before he died, Jesus was having supper with his apostles. He took bread from the table. He gave you thanks and praise. Then, he broke the bread Gave it to his friends, and said: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT IT: THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU. When supper was ended, Jesus took the cup that was filled with wine. He thanked you, Gave it to his friends, and said: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT: THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD. THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT. IT WILL BE SHED FOR YOU AND FOR ALL, SO THAT SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN. Then, He said to them: DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. We do now what Jesus told us to do. We remember his death and his resurrection
11

present them to the presider. Then the parents may follow and the rest of the congregation. Two first communicants should be selected to bring the gifts of bread and wine. Meanwhile, the congregation sings the Offertory Song.) C. My brothers and sisters, we now have the offertory. a) The love offering and other gifts are offered to symbolize our solidarity with the poor. It symbolizes our readiness to give ourselves, our hopes and dreams, for others. b) The bread and wine, these are the primary elements for the celebration of the Eucharist. They symbolize the efforts, labors of joy, generosity and gratitude of the community which are offered to God, and shared for the good of the community.

C. P.

PREPARATION OF GIFTS (The priest takes the plate with bread and holding it slightly raised above the alter, says quietly:) P. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to present before you, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life. ALL. Blessed be God forever. (Then, he pours wine and a little water into the chalice, the priest says quietly.) P. By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.

(Before placing the chalice on the alter, the priest says quietly: ) P. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, through your goodness we have this wine to present before you, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become for us our spiritual drink. All. Blessed be God forever. (The priest then says quietly:)

P. With humble and contrite hearts, Lord God, we ask you to receive us and to be pleased with our sacrifice this day. 8 P. My dear children, now I ask you to renew your baptismal vows which you have made when you were young through your parents. Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of Gods children? Communicants: P. I do.

receive his goodness at this table, may we share whatever good we have with others. (After a period of silence, or the thanksgiving song, a representative fro the parents may go to the lectern and read in behalf of the parents, the Prayer for the Children. Everybody is requested to stand for the Prayer.) C. Please stand. PRAYER Parents: O Lord, with joyful hearts, we offer you our children. We ask you to help us keep our children pure and faithful to their Christian calling, to serve you generously all the days of their lives. O lord, with your constant guidance, help us to bring our children closer to you, by our own good example day by day. Amen. (Then, the prayer after Communion will follow) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION P. Let us pray. Lord, may this sacrifice and communion give us a share in your life and help us bring your love to the world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. All. V. Amen. CONCLUDING RITE

Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? I do.

Communicants: P.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.

Communicants: P.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? I do.

Communicants: P.

This is our faith. As I sprinkle you with water, thank God for baptism which has given you such a great privilege---to share the broken bread which is Jesus.

BLESSING OF CERTIFICATES AND CROSSES (Crosses and certificates are brought forward for blessing by the priest) P. Merciful God, bless these certificates and crosses, and bless too, the children who will receive them. May these certificates and crosses constantly remind these children of your great love for them, and inspire them to be always loyal to your Son, Jesus Christ. This we ask you through Christ our Lord. All. Amen. (The priest sprinkles the certificates and crosses with holy water) FINAL WORD OF EXHORTATION

SPRINKLING (The priest sprinkles the congregation with holy water while the choir sings a suitable song. After the sprinkling, the priest returns to his choir and says the Opening Prayer) OPENING PRAYER P. Let us pray. God our Father, we thank you for your Son Jesus. In baptism we become his brothers and sisters. In the Eucharist, we become his table guests. As we

P.

Having received Jesus Christ in the Eucharist for the first time today, these children now share a new level of oneness with us and with the

RESPONSE: The Lord gave them bread16 from heaven. Verse 1: Listen to the words of my mpouth For I will speak of stories of old; I will talk of things seen and heard Which your fathers have told you. He commands the skies above And opened the heavens; He rained manna upon them for food And gave them heavenly bread. They ate and had more than their fill As they ate the bread of angels They ate and had more than enough For he gave them what they desired.

As the day was drawing to a close, the twelve approached him and said, Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions, for we are in a deserted place here. He said to them, For the coming of our Savior Jesus 5 Christ. All. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.

Verse 2:

P. Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever. All. Amen. P. All. The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.

Verse 3:

P. As children of the God of peace, let us offer one another with a sign of peace. SIGN OF PEACE (the communicants move in silence, approaching their parents, and catechists to give the sign of peace. Ample time is provided for the communicants to go around. They make Mano Po to their parents or elders or may even kiss or embrace them. While to their teachers or catechists, they may shake hands or make some other appropriate signs of peace and fellowship.) Option: [If there is a great number of communicants, it is preferable to just give simply the sign of peace to each other according to what have been commonly practiced: such as bowing or shaking of hands.] BREAKING OF THE BREAD (Christians are gathered for the breaking of the bread. In communion, though many, we are one body in the one bread which is Christ.) [The priest breaks the host over the paten and places a small piece in the chalice, saying quietly:] P. May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.

Commentator: Jesus will speak to us in the Gospel. We stand now to give respect and prepare ourselves to listen to his message. ALLELUIA (The choir sings the appropriate Alleluia song) Alleluia Verse: (Luke 9:14) He took the five loaves, blessed and broke them, and gave them to eat. GOSPEL: (Luke 9: 10-17) P. The Lord be with you. All. And also with you. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. When the apostles returned, they explained to him what they had done. He took them and withdrew in a private town called Bethsaida. The crowds, meanwhile, learned of this and followed him. He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured.

(The choir leads the congregation in singing Lamb of God) Father: Mother:
14 For our government leaders, that they may always defend the rights of all unborn children, we pray:

For us parents, that we may be united in the Lord with a love that is ready to serve and attentive to the needs of our children, we pray:

(While everybody is preparing for the offertory, the commentator reads the symbolism of the presentation of gifts. After the reading, the first communicants come forward row by row to bring their giftslove offering or other items and And we offer you, Father, the7 bread that gives us life, And the cup that saves us. Jesus brings us to you; Welcome us as you welcome him. C. Please stand.

Communicant (boy): For us children, that as we grow up, we may appreciate and be grateful to the love shown by our parents, we pray: Communicant (girl): For all of us, first communicants and for this community, that as we are gathered around the Eucharist, we may share each others lives and concerns as one big family, we pray: Communicant (boy or girl): For our beloved (Bishop Jesse Mercado and Mass Celebrant Fr. Rex Tapales) our teachers, catechists, our parents and those who made this day a meaningful one, may God continue to bless them with his love and peace, we pray: P. Heavenly Father, who sent your Son to give us life, keep us close to him so that we may arrive at the heavenly meal with our baptismal dress spotless. We ask this through Christ our lord. Amen.

MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION (All say or sing: [one of these forms]) a.) Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Dying you destroyed our death, Rising, you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. When we eat this bread and drink this cup, We proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, Until you come in glory Lord, by your cross and resurrection You have set us free You are the savior of the world.

b.)

c.)

d.)

All.

P.

IV. LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST (The commentator introduces the Liturgy of the Eucharist)
C. Please be seated and let us prepare ourselves for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We now celebrate the memorial which the Lord instituted at His last supper.

Father, because you love us, You invite us to come to your table Fill us with the joy of the Holy Spirit As we receive the body and blood of your Son. Lord, You never forget any of your children. We ask you to take care of those we love. Especially of N and N) And we pray for those who have died.

PRESENTATION OF GIFTS TO THE ALTER

Remember everyone who is suffering From pain or sorrow (Then, he washes his hands, saying quietly:) P. C.

So that we can give you thanks and praise For all the wonderful things you have done.
12

Lord, wash away my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Please stand.

INVITATION TO PRAYER P. Pray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father. All. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church. P. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS P. Lord, may the bread we break and the cup we share make us in love with all humankind, through Jesus our Lord. All. Amen. EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (For Masses with Children) P. All. P. All. P. All. P. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. P. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give him thanks and praise. (I) God our Father, You have brought us here together

We thank you for all that is beautiful in the world 9 And for the happiness you have given us. We praise you for daylight And for your word which lights up our minds. We praise you for the earth And all the people who live on it, And for out life which comes from you. We know that you are good. You love us and do great things for us. (So we all sing/say together) (II) Father, You are always thinking about your people; You never forget us. You sent us your Son Jesus, Who gave his life for us, He cured sick people; He cared for those who were poor And wept with those who were sad. He forgave sinners And taught us to forgive each other. He loved everyone And showed us how to be kind. He took children in his arms and blessed them. (So we are glad to sing/say:) (III) God our Father, All over the world your people praise you. So now we pray with the whole Church: With N, our Pope, and N, our bishop. In heaven the blessed Virgin Mary, The apostles and all the saints Always sing your praise

Now we join with them and with the angels To adore you as we sing/say:
10