First Communion

Today my heart burned during the homily given by our parish priest for the thirty-odd children receiving their First Communion. He pointed out the reality (not imagined or merely symbolic) of the Eucharist, and used the radical shift in the life of St. Paul as a backdrop. He also pointed out that this was only the beginning, and emphasized the continuity of the sacramental life in frequent Communion. I pray that the parents listened attentively, and took those words to heart, because that sacramental life needs a serious follow-through in family life. As if to illustrate the point, my eight-year old son, Patrick, asked me earlier why some Catholics don't even go to Sunday Mass regularly. (I don't know if it was wise, but I then explained what "cafeteria Catholicism" was, where Catholics pick and choose which parts of the faith they preferred to keep to the exclusion of those they didn't.)