“As the deer long for the springs of water, so my soul longs for you, oh God.”
The first words, my friends, of Psalm 41.
Words that are very fitting for the occasion which we celebrate today, two young children receiving our Lord Jesus Christ for the first time in Holy Communion.
And my dear children, I wish I could speak directly to your hearts, and put inside of them, the feelings and love that you should have, when you receive your Good God today in your souls.
Imagine, a deer, a beautiful full grown deer in the woods. It is a very pretty creature, spending its time peacefully in the woods.
Now, imagine that a predator comes, a wolf, or something of the sort. The deer sees itself surrounded, and tries immediately to run away. Perhaps, in a trap, one of the wolves actually takes a bite, or scratches the deer’s leg.
But in a moment of luck, the deer, runs, and it runs and runs and runs for hours, you see the power of its legs, the speed that it takes, and how the sun is shining through the trees, as this amazing creature flies away through them, going up and down hills, trying to escape from the evil animals that are chasing him.
But as the deer runs away, he thirsts. When he is done running, his throat is dry, terribly dry, and the deer seeks for water, as if its life depended on it. It will do anything to get to water.
My dear children, this deer is you.
Your souls are beautiful creatures of God, and God loves them. You live in this world, and if your souls are in friendship with God, they are a very pretty sight to behold.
And my children, you run away, because you see that in this world, there are enemies that seek to devour you. The devil tries to make you sin, like the wolves, the devil and the world surround your soul, they set traps on you, perhaps they even injure you.
But you, like the deer, run away, you run away from sin, from the bad things of the world, and run as fast as you can, and now your soul is thirsty. Your soul greatly wants to drink. You need life in your soul.
And like the deer goes to the water, and drinks the water, and the water gives it life, in this manner, my dear children, you come to receive communion today.
When you approach the communion rail, you will be like the deer, drinking water, your soul will find life, and goodness, and you will be refreshed.
You are seating here today through Mass. And many thoughts are going through your head. But I want you to forget about those thoughts, forget about everyone else. And think only of this.
When you come to the communion rail, and you kneel down, and you open your mouth to receive the precious hosts that the Priest will give you, remember this:
That host is God himself.
I am not telling you to imagine. It is God himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
The same God that created the stars, and the sun, and the moon, and the seas, and the mountains, and all the animals and beasts and beautiful things that exists, he is the one in the host.
The same Jesus that was born in a stable, on Christmas Day.
The same Jesus Christ that did miracles, of which you have heard. The same that talked to the Apostles, the same Jesus Christ that was crucified. Him it is that you are receiving.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, that rose again from the death, and that ascended into heaven 40 days later. You are receiving Him.
And he comes to you, because He is your God, your creator, and the life of your soul.
My dear children, you are that deer. You have found the water for your soul. What will always make you feel better and refreshed and alive. Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Precious Host. Our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. He is your water. He is your life. Every time that you thirst for water on this earth, remember how your soul is also always thirsty to receive your God. And that the place to receive Him is here, in the Communion Rail.
And my dear friends, can we not apply this to ourselves as well?
Ah! When we look at our lives, if we could see this multitude of deer running towards the waters, how many of us are wounded, how many of us have fallen, how many of us are not running but rather limping or being dragged to the waters!
And it would all seem lost, when we see the wolves so close to us, maybe even pinning us down to the ground, trapping us, surrounding us and wounding us.
But my dear friends, if your mind ever tells you, “there is no way out” or if the wolves bark at you in their infernal breath saying to you: “There is no hope” “You are beyond repair”, do not listen to them.
Do not listen, because you would make injury to the power and love and mercy of your savior our Lord Jesus Christ.
For on this Easter, not only is forgiveness offered to us, but forgiveness and complete reparation and restoration. No, don’t listen to those wolves, because they are the ones that are beyond repair… we are not.
Because it is Our Lord Jesus Christ that repairs us, our Lord Jesus Christ that heals us. His power is without limits, and his omnipotence has no boundaries.
Believe, my dear friends, all of us, the deer, the flock of our Lord, let us believe beyond our doubts and our fears, and Hope in his Mercy.
As you lay down in your sins, and the wolves attack you, make an act of Hope. Tell to your God “I believe you are powerful enough to convert me. I believe you are powerful enough to fully restore me!”
And get up, even among the wolves, even among your sins, get up.
And start running. You will trip, you will fall sometimes. The wolves will chase you. Let them. Run even faster.
They will continue to harass you, and take bites at you. It will hurt, run even faster.
Run in the darkness if you have to, run until there is light, and as the deer don’t stop running, until they are far away.
If you repent from your sins, if you come to confession and say them all, and if you amend your life, you will come to these waters, to the fountain of waters that is Our Lord Jesus Christ, the way, the Truth and the Life.
My dear friends: one of the greatest acts of faith we can do in our Lord Jesus Christ, is to believe that He truly has the power to bring us into his light, out of our sins and vices, and totally restore our souls, not only out of sin, but even unto holiness.
Make this act of Faith. Believe it firmly, and act accordingly.
As for you my dear children, remember that you come to communion, as the dear comes to water, to receive your life.
Remember to Adore, and Love our Lord Jesus Christ, as he comes to your body, and soul.
When you receive Him, he will be with you, within you, in your heart, for a long while after. Talk to Him. Put your heart on your chest, as if you wanted to keep him there and shelter Him there, and ask Him to make you Love Him more and more.
Ask Him that you may never again commit any sin, ask him to take to heaven everyone on this earth, and most importantly your fellow Catholics, your family and friends. Ask him for the Priests, for the sisters, for the Bishops, for everyone. He is your God, and you get to talk to Him, one on one, as if you were talking to a friend’s ear. That close, and even closer do you get to talk to God after communion. Keep Him in your heart, and speak daily to Him. Never let him Go, and after communion, our Lord will tell you the same words that He told His Apostles: “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice: and your joy, no man shall take away from you”
