On the Feast of Corpus Christi, a day celebrating the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Mason received his First Communion.  His excitement leading up to the day was contagious.  And afterwards?  Once he received the Lord?  He couldn’t stop talking about it.  He was radiant.  Which is what is supposed to happen.

I’ve spent my parenthood teaching my kids about the Faith, I don’t leave it to others, it’s something we live.  We celebrate the saints’ lives with treats, crafts and books, we talk about the church and what things mean, they see me go to Confession, they go as well, we hit daily mass…it’s who we are.  Does that make me strict?  I’m not sure I’d agree with that sentiment.  I love being Catholic, but didn’t know “the why’s” until I was in law school.  I was an every Sunday kind of Catholic.  I didn’t want that for my kids.  I wanted them to know our faith, to know why we were at mass every Sunday and why we spend Holy Week the way we do.  My kids know more than a lot of adults, and because of that knowledge they love it too.  They’re kids so is there grumbling at mass or glares during mass for goofing around?  Yes.

But there’s also this little boy, a child who tells his classmates he wants to be a priest.  A child who talks about Bible stories with his friends of other faiths and invited someone to come to church with him.  I’m not sure it means anything yet, but it’s enough to make my heart swell with pride.  This little boy listens in mass.  He sure does move around a lot, but he can tell you what the homily is about and always has questions afterwards.  So when it came time to prepare for Mason’s First Communion, I too became giddy.

I have few go to books on Communion explaining the importance of the Eucharist and then we learned from the Baltimore Catechism  in addition to the workbook from the church.  He soaked up the knowledge and learned.  He asked a lot of why  questions, which were questions a teenager should ask.

And so last week, we hit confession one last time before his First Communion.  He knows the importance of confession and doesn’t mind going, which makes me go more often as well.  We prepared the house for after the mass, we laid out the clothes for the following day and we arrived early for church.  And you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face during mass.  He was happy to see both sets of grandparents, my brother and his family, my best friend and her kids as well as his best friend’s family.  After mass our wonderful friends from Austin arrived, Aunt Stacy and Nikki  making the day even better.

When he received his First Communion, he got a little shy, he was nervous, but once it was over, you could not shut him up.  The joy was bubbling over, with more questions and comments.  He was happy.  Pure happiness.  Afterwards, our favorite priest gave him a hug and told him how proud he was and to always listen to God’s call.  You know, Mason may not have a vocation to the priesthood, but maybe he does.  Too many boys have missed their calling due to parents who didn’t care or didn’t want that for their kids.  I don’t want that to happen.  If he has a calling, it won’t be missed and if he doesn’t, he still loves God.

The other day someone I love who isn’t Catholic and doesn’t have much of a faith system made a comment about church goers.  I’m fine with it, I know her, she’s a great person, someone I would trust with my kids.  But as she made her comment I shot right back that I would be devastated if my kids left Catholicism.  It’s true, I would.  And you know why?  Mainly because of last Sunday.  Holy Communion.  The Eucharist.  It’s that important.  And guess what, Mason gets it.

Praise God.  Mason gets it.  And so I pray that he always keeps that joy in his heart that he had last Sunday.  The joy of receiving Our Lord for the first time.  It’s a gift.  An amazing gift.  A mystery we can’t fully understand, but it’s here for us.  To fill us and cure us.

My sweet son, Mason, I love you with every fiber in me.  You were a gift I begged God for and he has rewarded me.  I cherish every second we spent preparing for your First Communion and you brought new light for me in appreciating this gift.  God bless you always, my sweet boy.  Never forget today, the day you received Jesus because the Eucharist is the source and summit of all we believe.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.  St. Gerard, pray for my boy!  And those five little saints in heaven, pray for him too!  He misses you guys!