THIS book of Preparation for First Communion, which it is my
privilege to introduce to the reader, was originally undertaken at
the suggestion of the late Father John Morris, S.J., who as long as
he lived took the warmest interest in its progress. Unhappily only
a few chapters had been completed at the time of his lamented
death, and in the sense of that great loss the work for a while was
laid aside. It would have been a matter for much regret if the
author had made this decision a final one. The book now completed
has suffered, we cannot doubt, from the lack of Father Morris's
always helpful criticisms, but the originality of its conception
and the knowledge of child nature displayed in it can hardly fail
to justify its publication. In the address "To the Children" which
will be found further on, it is stated that the book is intended to
aid the little ones to prepare themselves for First Communion.
Perhaps it may be well to add a word of explanation here to
anticipate possible misconceptions. It is not in any way the idea
of the author that a child should be presented with a copy of this
work and then cut adrift without further help, in the expectation
that when the proper time comes the needful process of preparation
will have worked itself out automatically. None the less, it is
believed that many children are quite capable, under the
supervision of parents or teachers, of reading for themselves
instructions couched in simple child's language such as this book
offers them, and furthermore the author has assumed that it may be
helpful to some who have to prepare others for First Communion, and
who, while conscious of the importance, are not a little
embarrassed by the difficulty of their task. To cram children's
minds with certain facts of dogmatic knowledge about the Blessed
Eucharist is comparatively easy, to prepare their hearts so that
they may approach this Divine Mystery full not only of faith, but
of love, this is a duty sometimes relegated by teachers to a
secondary place simply from a sense of helplessness and ignorance
of how to set about it. While the method developed in this volume
does not pretend to be better than many others which might be
devised, it will be found, I believe, to possess many advantages of
its own. And here I cannot do better than quote a few sentences
from a Prospectus previously issued, in which the idea of the book
is described in the author's own words: "To make the Life of our
Blessed Saviour enter largely into preparation for First Communion
seems the most natural way of drawing the hearts of the young to
Him. It would be sad to think of children coming to the altar-rails
knowing little or nothing of His Life beyond such facts as the
doctrine of the Holy Eucharist supposes. Yet there is danger of
this. There is so much to be done in the simple teaching of the
Christian doctrine during a child's school life, that the time
devoted to it barely suffices. But in the preparation for First
Communion time might surely be found, and ought to be found. Their
hearts are fresh and tender, and full of an eager longing, that
will never again in their lives be quite the same. If we could tell
them a little more about Him then, His character, His ways of
dealing with us, and so bring them to the altar able to say, in
their own fashion and degree: 'I know Whom I have believed, ' would
there not be solid work for the future done in their souls? Knowing
Him better, they would come to love Him more. Faith, Hope, and
Charity would have a firmer foundation; they would make the acts
more easily and more fervently, for there would be a living picture
of Him in their hearts."
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