“What does it mean to receive Jesus in Holy Communion? It’s like Jesus is giving us a big hug, saying, ‘I love you so much. I want you to be close to me always,’” says Russell Pollitt, S.J., pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Johannesburg and chaplain to Catholic elementary and middle schools, to the children preparing for their First Communion.

Russell uses vivid, everyday examples—birthdays, friends, hugs and gifts—to help children grasp God’s particular love for them. His First Communion homily avoids the often abstract sacramental and Eucharistic theology, inviting all in the parish community—children, parents, guardians and catechists—to “imagine Jesus giving you a big hug today” and encounter God’s love in the Eucharist.

Part of the Preaching for the Sacraments series, in this episode “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talks with Russell about how this accessible approach helps the entire community experience Jesus as a friend. By engaging the congregation as a whole in deepening their faith alongside the children, “we can together form future disciples whose hearts are on fire with the love of Jesus.”

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