Endorsement for Meet The Gentle Jesus First Communion Program

Author and ministry consultant Mark McCann offers a thorough review of Ligouri Publications' new First Communion program with components for the participant, catechist and family. 

One of the most joyful catechetical tasks for the Church is preparing children to receive Holy Communion for the first time. The Eucharist is the heart of who we are as Catholics, and the Meet the Gentle Jesus First Communion preparation program offers a complete soup-to-nuts process for communicating a thorough understanding of the centrality of what it means to participate in the Mass each Sunday and carry the Gospel to the world through all we say and do. 

The key to the Meet the Gentle Jesus program is how it ties together all the elements of our Eucharistic faith, bringing the children, their families, and the entire parish into the experience. It imparts the Church’s teaching on First Communion while highlighting the faith of all who are joined together in the sacrament we celebrate each time we gather together for Mass. This comprehensive, practical guide provides a clear, well-designed blueprint that maps out the glorious journey of salvation we experience in the Eucharist.

The scope and sequence of the program cover essential scriptural foundations, worship rituals, liturgical practices, and Church teachings in order to show how the Eucharist is our communal meal of salvation and the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ that takes away our sins. Every aspect of the program is intimately knitted together to show the meaning behind the Mass as it draws the children into the process of understanding what it means to receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ in the bread and wine of Communion. 

The 8 in-depth sessions take the participants on a joyful journey through the Liturgy, from the opening rites to the final sending forth, demonstrating the biblical roots and catechetical basis for our rituals in a way that is easy for children to understand and integrate into their lives. Each lesson builds on what has come before, using props and prayers to help the participants become more and more a part of the celebration of the Eucharist. The entire process builds anticipation for the day when the children will receive Jesus for the first time, beginning a lifelong journey of faith that will lead them ever forward into the Kingdom of God.

Each Scripture story presented is connected to a part of the Liturgy and reinforced by practicing the prayers and rituals that take place in the Liturgy. As the catechist shares his or her faith, asks thought-provoking questions, and explains the meaning behind the celebration of the Eucharist, the children come to see that the Mass is not only a re-presentation of the salvation won for us by Christ at the cross, but our own willing offering as a body of believers to be broken and poured out before the throne of heaven. The true power of the program lies in how the process itself becomes a prayerful experience of becoming, as the children walk the wondrous path to the day of their First Communion.

The Leader’s Guide leaves nothing to chance, spelling out the foundational aspects of the program and addressing every concern in a clear and concise way. The background information gives the reasons for the methodology and outlines clear-cut goals for carrying out the process. The guide also offers a number of options for dealing with different logistical concerns and working with children with specific needs. The appendix provides a wealth of additional information to round out the program, including sample email templates, a glossary of terms, reproducible art, supplemental materials, and outside resources for further study.

The Catechist Guide offers complete step-by-step instructions for teaching the lessons that allow even the most inexperienced adult helpers to feel comfortable exploring their own understanding and experience of the Eucharist while going through the process with the children. Woven into the lessons are ways to include the parents/guardians at the beginning and end of the teaching time to pray together with their children and to help them become more actively involved with the entire process.

The family materials help to continue the learning at home. These simple, thoughtful exercises help the parents/guardians encourage their children to further integrate the lessons into their lives by reflecting on the learning and expressing these new ideas through fun artistic projects. In this way, the parents/guardians are called to examine their own connection to the Eucharist and to strengthen their faith and the faith of their entire family.

All in all, the Meet the Gentle Jesus First Communion preparation program gathers together catechetical understanding, experiential learning, and relational living into a powerful sacramental process that brings each person it touches to a level much deeper than simple Sunday school studies. It calls forth the participants, immerses them in a journey of wonder and discovery, and challenges all involved to become broken bread and poured out wine to a world in need of the power of the Eucharist.