First Communion....Not A Laughing Matter Yet!

Father Bill & Luke

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

There could not have been a more perfect day to celebrate Luke’s First Communion at church.  He has been preparing for months, and today was his special day!  The weather was beautiful.  Luke was specially handsome.  Father Bill delivered the perfect message to the children.

Luke began preparing months ago as he went through his First Reconciliation at church.  Father Hitpas talked to the students about their sins or times in their life when they have pulled away from Jesus.  Father Bill told the children that Jesus will always have his hand extended wanting to be friends with them.  Jesus will never pull his hand away from them, no matter what they do wrong or what choices they make.  Jesus will always be waiting to welcome them back and rejoice when you reach your hand out to him.  I always want Luke (and Joshua) to remember this.  Jesus will always welcome you back to him.

Luke with his banner at the
same baptismal font he was baptized.

Luke has been attending Catechises of the Good Shepherd since he was three years old.  The Atrium has been such a special place for the boys to learn about Jesus in a very real way.  From taking care of the plants, sharpening pencils with a blade, drawing pictures, writing prayers, re-enacting stories with special figures, etc. the Atrium has been a very special place to spend time learning about Jesus. The boys have learned so much about their relationship with Jesus while learning at the Atrium.  It is a deep, enriching experience for all of the children that participate in the program.  The teachers and volunteers are absolutely amazing with how they approach and facilitate the learning.







The First Communion ceremony was beautiful.  The teachers and leaders spent a lot of time tending  to all the details of the ceremony to make it the most special day.  The choir sounded beautiful.  All of the children were dressed so beautifully.  The boys were handsome, of course!  Father Bill delivered a special message about the children’s special relationship with Jesus.  His message was clear and relevant to all of the children and parents.

St. Nicholas & Luke

We were very blessed to have Grandma and Grandpa there to celebrate with us as well as Miss Sarah Beara. We knew that Sarah was planning to join Luke, but we kept it a secret with both boys. Luke was so surprised when he realized that Sarah was actually there to see him!  The young girl who was seated with her family in front of us  was baptized at the same ceremony with Luke eight years ago! We also found out that Sarah knew her Dad.  What a small world!

St. Nicholas & the boys

This is the short prayer that the parents said for the children receiving their First Communion ion.  Short and sweet…….

We pray that you always keep the light of Christ shining brightly before you.  May this light lead you on your life’s journey.  May God give us the wisdom and courage to help you along the way.  Amen.

My thoughts during this time brings a tear to my eyes.  Not necessarily sad tears, but tears of the realization that you are growing up.  You are really ready for this next step with Jesus.  You know that Jesus has always been your friend and wants to be part of your life.  But now that you have received Communion for the first time, you have begun to realize that Jesus wants to be part of you and  you with him.  This brings your relationship with Jesus to the next level.


I want you to know that I want Jesus to always be a part of your life.  You can always bring your worries, fears and joy to Jesus.  Pray often and know that Jesus always listens.  He will answer your prayers and he will always be there with you.  He will not leave you alone.

These special days cause us to focus on the family that we miss having with us or the family that can no longer be with us.  We miss Grandpa Al, Grandma Nichols, and Papa Ed.  All of them are with you watching over and guarding you from danger.  They are also in your heart sharing these special days.

Your Dad and I try  hard to keep Jesus and our faith alive and to be your best teachers about Jesus and your faith.  We have taken you to church with us almost every Sunday since you were both about six weeks old. We pray together most nights before bed.  We have a prayer table very similar to the one you have in the Atrium.  I think about how many more things I wish we did.  I do believe that you both have an understanding of how important our faith and our relationship with Jesus is to us.  I hope that you both continue to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus each day of your life.

Luke showing his "cathedral hands" &
praying for a ride to First Communion

 Luke did a great job of following the program and remembering what he was supposed to do throughout the ceremony.  As the children organized themselves for the presentation of the gifts, Ms. Barb called Luke to the back to help take up the gifts.  This was a surprise As he hadn’t practiced with them, but he knew exactly what to do.  Luke also reported that the wine tasted “baaaad,” but wondered if he should try the wine at another church to see if it tasted better.   He asked if we could go to Cathedral next week to taste the wine there.  After our joyous celebration at Church, Luke chose to have lunch at Golden Corral.  After the feast, we headed home to relax and play. Dad took Grandma and Grandpa home.


Now for our funny story of the day…..we will laugh about this some day, but I am not ready yet.
Eric left early to pick up his parents.  I convinced Eric to take my van to make it more comfortable for his parents.  Eric and I were going to meet up at the Church at 11:30am. We were getting ready to leave the house about 11:10 am, and I quickly realized that I could not find my car keys.  I had keys to the van, but not Eric’s car.  I speedily checked all the obvious places and could not find a key.  I called Eric who had no idea where the extra keys were either.  By this time, it was about 11:35 am and we were supposed to be at the church at 11:30 am for pictures.  I called our neighbor, Stacey, to see if she could give us a ride to church.  Thank goodness she was home and able to give us a ride.  Five minutes later she picked us up and drove us to Church.  It is amazing how God puts the right people in our lives at the right time.  Thank you, Stacey, for saving the day and Luke’s First Communion.  We arrived at church
noon,but just in time to get the individual pictures done no to get ready for the ceremony!

I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mom