Thursday, July 15, 2010

gingham and the Eucharist






So I made it to Mass today, pretty good for a Thursday these days. On my way out the door I prayed for Jesus to reveal something, some kind of word or moment like he used to give me. He's been rather quiet lately. I dragged Adam with me, who was sorely angry with me for interrupting his computer game. Gave him the usual lecture on the way about the gift of a mass and the great tool prayer is in life. He shot back with 'no one else has to go'...well they were at camp or work..and besides, they used to all come with me everyday. So 'don't worry about them, just you'. Ive let myself get lazy with daily mass, the two babies put me over the edge. The church is half a mile from my house, I really have no other excuse. My 'littles' aren't getting what my big kids did and I'm constantly reminded to simplify so that I can return to that place and nurture the souls of the younger half of the family better.




Heads turned as Ellie cooed and Adam sulked. When it was time for communion I walked up behind a woman with gingham shorts. Purple and green gingham to be exact. I had the same shorts 20 years ago. I never wore them, but my grandmother loved them. She wanted them, but when I tried to give them to her she refused to take them. Kind of a silly memory of her, but for some reason I remembered today. She was my Dad's mother, she never had a daughter and I was her only granddaughter. Though she wasn't perfect, she was special to me. My baby Ellen's middle name is Lucille after her. She passed away 15 years ago. Though not Catholic she is the one who gave me holy water from Lourdes that we used on Emily's eye when she was a baby and had surgery. The surgery was so successful that her eye is in a text book....that's another story. Grandma is present, still she sends me little hello's here and there. The shorts were definitely a Grandma 'hi'.
As I walked up to Father Vinny Flynn's book popped into my head, The Seven Secrets of the Eucharist. http://www.ignatius.com/Products/SSE-P/7-secrets-of-the-eucharist.aspx . We are all a part of the mystical body, those here on Earth and those who sleep in Christ. We are unified in Eucharist. It's why we share the sign of peace before we receive, it is 'communal', we go forward as the body to receive the body. Even those we have lost are present. He spoke of his Dad in the book that he had recently lost, for me today it was my Grandmother. So my word from God was a visual, a pair of shorts. My little reminder that love doesn't die with the person, love and life is eternal.


....As for Adam, he was still annoyed, but lucky for him (and me) our Parish is now offering confession after Thursday mass. We both got to go. A little lighter, soup removed, we continue our day close to our creator and those we love here, and there.

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