First Communion Day
Saturday a friend’s grandson received his First Communion. I attended the Mass, and later joined a celebration party thrown by Grampa for family and friends. As an old bachelor, I love attending church functions centered around kids such as this. The highlight of my week is the parish school liturgy Mass with singing and a lot of participation by the students. Similarly, I greatly enjoyed watching these First Communicants file into their reserved pews along with their families. I was struck by the degree to which the moms and dads showed the ravages of life in the world, perhaps somewhat overweight, dull of expression, and settled into whatever helps cope with those things dished out by everyday life. I thought back to how my own parents never failed to do what was right for me, making sure I successfully passed the little milestones of life. At what cost did they put my interests ahead of heir own? As Mass progressed I noticed that some of the kids had joyful or attentive expressions on their faces, while others seemed to be merely enduring the event. Almost all did, however, manage smiles afterwards, when the group photo was taken.
