What would the pope tell your child for First Communion?

Today he offered the Sacrament to 253 children in Bulgaria. This is what he said:

Pope Francis gave 253 children their First Communion today, during his trip to Bulgaria.

Dear boys and girls, now you will receive Jesus. Don’t think about anything else. Come to the altar with silence in your hearts. Think about how Jesus comes to your heart, and how he will do the same again and again. Think of your parents, your catechists, your grandparents, your friends. And if you’ve had a fight with someone, forgive them from the heart. Draw close to Jesus.

That was the Holy Father’s advice before he personally administered Communion to the children. Usually, the pope doesn’t give Communion, to avoid making this intimate moment for the soul into a media or photo opportunity.

Remember that Jesus is always waiting for you.

The pope is in Bulgaria and will travel to Macedonia on Tuesday as part of a busy 2019 travel schedule.

The pope encouraged the children to approach Jesus in the Eucharist many times.

I hope that today is the beginning of many Communions, so that your hearts are always like they are today: celebrating, full of joy, and above all, full of gratitude.

The pope also encouraged them to pray with the “enthusiasm and joy” that they have today.

Remember, as I said, that this is the sacrament of your First Communion, not of your Last. Remember that Jesus is always waiting for you.

See more here.

Update: On his return from the trip, on the press conference on the papal plane, Pope Francis made special mention of this event.

“I was moved because my memory went back to October 8, 1944, to my First Communion,” he said. The pope reflected that he was very moved by the experience and felt that those children “were the future of the Church; they were the future of Bulgaria.”