Thanksgiving of the child after First Communion

After receiving Holy Communion, the child remains a few minutes in silence to make thanksgiving. The Roman Catechism of St Pius V (1566), reaffirming a centuries-old practice, teaches that no time is more opportune to ask for the graces of the Lord than that in which he himself, in the Sacrament, is lodged in our soul. This thanksgiving is as important as the preparation: the child has received the very Son of God in his heart, and has within himself, under the Eucharistic veils, all the treasure of Heaven. The psalmist invites: «O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him» (Ps 33:9 = Ps 34:8). The Lord Jesus himself promised: «He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day» (Jn 6:55). This prayer is for the child to pray in silence after Communion, returning to his place in church or already at home after Mass. It may also be prayed at all subsequent Communions, throughout the Christian life.

(The child remains in silence, with bowed head, and prays in his heart:)

My dear Jesus, you are within me. You yourself, Son of God, have come to dwell in my little heart. I cannot see you with my eyes, nor touch you with my hands — but I know that you are here, alive and true, under the figure of the Bread.

I want to be still now, in silence, only listening to you. I have no great words to say to you. I have only my child’s heart, and it is filled with joy.

Thank you, my Jesus, for having come. Thank you for your Body, which is the true food of my soul. Thank you for your Blood, which has washed my sins.

Now, while you are within me, I want to ask you:

• For myself — that I may grow in wisdom, in stature and in grace before God and before men, as you yourself grew in Nazareth (Lk 2:52);
• For my parents — that they may be blessed in health, in work and in the unity of love, and that they may come with me to Heaven;
• For my brothers and sisters — that we may always love each other, and never hurt each other;
• For my grandparents and godparents — living and deceased: the living, give them long life with health; the deceased, give them your Paradise;
• For my priest and for my catechists — reward them for the work they did preparing me for this day;
• For the children who do not yet know you — that you may come also to the boys and girls who were born without the faith, or who were born in families where you are not loved;
• For the souls of my relatives who have already departed — open to them the gates of Heaven.

And one last thing, my Jesus: I promise that I shall always come back. I do not want to leave you alone in the Tabernacle, forgotten by so many. I want to receive Communion often. I want to go to Mass every Sunday. I want to go to confession whenever I need to. I want to be your friend for ever. Amen.

«O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet» (Ps 33:9 / 34:8).