Homily for May 6, 2007

Homily May 6, 2007 When I looked ahead to this day, I remembered my own First Communion. It was 60 years ago in this same church. And I remember I was sitting right about here, because the pews came all the way up to the communion rail then. And there were about 60 of us, because the school had a lot of kids in it then and there were two second grades. And I'm going to share with you some of my memories and invite you as you listen, maybe to think of your own memories of your First Communion. I remember first of all, we got here very early because our First Communion was at the 7:30 Mass on Sunday morning. There was a reason for that, because in those days you couldn't eat from midnight the night before, so we had it early in the morning. And we got to school, and Sister had signs over all the drinking fountains warning us not to drink, because there was always that fear that some poor little boy or girl would forgot and take a drink of water and not be able to make their First Communion. Thank God those days are gone. But I remember the nuns were fussing over us, and we felt very important. I remember that I felt very much a sense of belonging. My family was proud of me, and afterwards we had a big party at home and I was the center of attention. I was sharing this with somebody last week and they said that hasn't changed much, so I realize as we do this, I'm talking and I hope I'm the center of attention, at least for this little snippet of time. I remember I got lots of presents. I was happy, immensely happy, to be who I was and to belong to the family that I belonged to. I knew that I was a child of God, and I knew that God loved me, and I knew that my family loved me. And do you know, I think those memories have been with me for 60 years or more. Those are my memories. Would any of you want to add your good memories and feelings about your First Communion? [Inaudible response] "Everything was white, white suit, white shirt, white tie, white shoes." We had blue serge suits and white shirts and blue ties, but it was my first suit, and I felt really special all dressed up that way. [Inaudible response] "Blue pants blue tie, white socks." [Inaudible response] Good, so she remembered the white dress and the white veil and the long procession and feeling, for the first time in her life, holy, and the sacredness of it. Yes? [Inaudible response] She remembers she was the first and the tiniest. I was the last because my name began with "V." Yes? [Inaudible response] You were enrolled in the scapular society that afternoon. How many of you remember the scapular, wearing that, and again, those signs of belonging? [Inaudible response] The Archbishop was there and he gave them First Communion at the Cathedral, and it was a long sermon for little kids. By the way, in the theology, first Eucharist is one of the sacraments of initiation. In our school we have a picture of First Communion class in 1911, and it was the whole school, because up to then First Communion had been at the age of 14. And that was the year that Pope Pius X lowered it to the age of seven, because he said you don't have to know that much, and "Let the children come." By the way, as a point of interest, our present Pope is encouraging us to study the age of confirmation with the thought of making it before First Communion again, as it always was, to emphasize that First Communion completes our initiation. Those are big theological terms, but you know, I think it was soul for me, and as I said at the beginning of Mass, think of those images: Belonging, really belonging; being very much loved by your family and by God; people being proud of you. In that sense, being something that lasts through the years forever and ever and ever, and becomes a source of strength that makes us who we are. A lot of poets speak of the child being the parent of the adult. Anyway, that's my prayer today for these children making their First Communion, that it might be a permanent foundation and sense of belonging and being deeply loved, and being immensely happy with who they are and with the family they belong to. And for those of us who maybe can share in that prayer, you know that won't just happen by accident. We have to will it, we have to desire it, and we have to do the nitty-gritty hard work to make it come true in their life. So my prayer for us is that we're willing to embrace the nitty-gritty and the hard work of making that true for them.