The past two days have been ones of great joy for, by the Lord has this been done! Some of the poorest of our children were Baptized and then received their First Holy Communion.

On Friday, October 9, twelve children were Baptized. The next day, Saturday, the feast of Blessed Mary Angela, those children–8 years of age and older–received their First Holy Communion. These two days were a taste of what the Gospel proclaims today. It was so beautiful! The question is how have we responded to God’s invitation to the banquet – the Eucharistic banquet of bread and wine, of celebration and community? We witnessed this yesterday.

Jesus repeatedly gives us the challenge to live what He preached throughout His earthly ministry; that Good News was and is to “Get ready! The Kingdom of God is at hand.” We saw it for a moment here on Friday and Saturday. What does heaven look like? The closest answer is this: The kingdom is here among us, but not yet. It is somehow earthly, but not quite. And when we accept the royal invitation, when we gather at the table of the Lord, we will catch a glimpse of the kingdom. We will experience a foretaste of the royal celebration, the Messianic banquet in the Kingdom.

It is around the table of the Lord, in community, that we will find our deepest identity, of who we truly are. The kingdom of God looks like that. Yesterday it was witnessed here among the poorest of the poor who might have never had an opportunity to come to the feast if God had not used the Felician Haiti Mission to do that. These children have been preparing for the past two years to be welcomed into the Church and to gather around the Eucharistic table.

There were soo many gifts and talents that God had pulled together to make it happen: Sr. Inga, director of the Faith Formation Program and the catechists; Sr. Marilyn and Annette, director of Liturgy and Music; Sr. Izzy who made all the dresses and crowns for the girls, with the help of Rosemarie, and the white smocks for the boys. Yes, the Kingdom of God is at hand.

“O Mary, my mother, remember that I am yours, guard me and protect me as your possession.” Mother Mary Angela