As you know, I have a 2.75-year-old and a little one on the way.  How, then, can I talk about a “First Communion” so soon?  No, the Jesuits didn’t take over my parish (meaning of course only the liberal wing of the Jesuits - no disrespect for the likes of Fr. Mitch or Fr. Fessio!) It’s just that at Mass yesterday morning, my daughter told me she wanted to walk to Communion to receive her blessing.  Since her birth, I have been the one carrying her to Communion.  She’s gotten bigger and my back has gotten sorer each Sunday.  Somewhere 6 or 8 months ago she learned to cross her arms over her chest by herself, instead of having me put them in position for her.

So after we talked about it once or twice during the week, Sunday morning she told me she wanted to walk up by herself, as long as I kept a hand on her shoulder and stayed close behind her.  We were in the Deacon’s line, and he went out of his way to bend over enough to where he could make eye contact with her and she could hear him as he blessed her; when he stood back up to give me the Eucharist, I wonder if he noticed my eyes mysteriously watering….