I recall a time when my now twenty-one year old daughter was
about five. We were sitting quietly listening to a solemn homily delivered at a
Sunday morning mass. She was a precocious little thing, but knew she had to be
quiet and still; and for that I was grateful. We weren’t frequent church goers,
then. Anyone with young kids knows it’s a task and a half to keep them from
wiggling and squirming for the hour and a half long service. Every now and then,
she’d shift a little and look me in the eye; a sign I had learned to interpret
as “When is this going to be over?” I pressed her little hand in reassurance,
silently praying the old priest would hurry it up a little.
Then the Homily was
over (thank God), but it was time for the Eucharistic prayer. The priest, in
simulation of the Last Supper, held up the communion and the wine amid the silent,
prayerful congregants and intoned:
“…He took the bread/wine and gave it thanks and praise, gave
it to His disciples and said; “Take this, all of you and eat it/drink it. This
is my body/blood, which will be given up for you.”
My little daughter looked at me in horror and squeaked
loudly:
“We’re going to eat the body? And drink the blood?”
Hahaha! I love this. You've captured the moment perfectly! And how many times, as the homily ends, has someone thought, "thank God". I love this whole slice.
ReplyDeletePoor thing. She was probably terrified.
ReplyDeleteI love the things little kids say. That made me laugh. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat I like most about this piece is the way the whole thing flows so nicely. Your voice is authentic and natural, like I'm just sitting around listening to you tell a story.
ReplyDelete