Today, in his homily, Father Tiburon my director, said “whether it’s your first communion or your millionth…” Well, before his homily was over, I figured that a person would have to (assuming you make your first communion at age 8 which most of the kids are) live to be around 100, a little over 90 years, and attend Mass every day, about 30 times each day receiving communion- all this order to receive the Eucharist one million times in one’s life. My director was so happy that I listened to his homily.
In another part of his homily he talked about his passing with one of the second graders the week prior, who happened to be right in front of him. The child told him that he had tasted the bread for communion practice, but that “it wasn’t blessed.” The child told Fr. Tiburon that it tasted like rice and he didn’t like rice. However, the child said that next week when it’s the actual Eucharist, it will taste delicious. My director asked how he knew it would taste delicious if he hadn’t tried it yet. The child said, ‘because one of the third graders told me.’
God bless those children! Today over 50 children at our parish made their first communion. They all were just adorable. This afternoon, some of the novices and I went to one of the child’s get together lunch whose family we know well. Boy was it an outing. Some of the adult women, all relatives, started interrogating us about becoming priests and two of them wanted to ‘corrupt’ us to leave while the other two would make comments about how unholy the other two are and to leave us alone. It was an entertaining family fight. Everyone spoke their mind regardless, and it made me miss my family, at how different people can be yet still not be afraid to say what they think.
The guys and I talked a little about evangelization on the way back. Representing the Church, we have to reach out to everyone. The two ladies who weren’t the church-goers, were definitely funny, so we didn’t mind them, but also we have to reach out to where they are at and intrigue them. One of them asked what it meant to receive your first communion. Her sister then made fun of her for not knowing after 8 years of Catholic school. One of the novices did perfect by saying it’s okay that she doesn’t know and it’s great that she’s asking. I think that in all families we assume a lot of ourselves and our own lives on our family because they are our family, but forget that they have their own lives, own struggles, and own feelings. So as fun an afternoon as it was, trying to support and reach out to both parties of the family feud, it was good to reflect on as I am getting to go home to see my whole family this summer.
