Communion offers reminder of God’s goodness

Editor’s note: The Rev. Paul Graves is in Albany, Ore., this weekend to see his oldest grandchild, Katie, celebrate her first Communion. This is his letter to her:

My Dearest Katie,

Tomorrow is your very special day. On the phone, you told me you are very excited but also very nervous about what will happen. You and 49 other children at St. Mary’s Catholic Church will each have a special day, for this is when you will take your first Communion.

Grandma and I will be there because your first Communion is special to us, too. We know you have been given good instruction from your priest and your teachers about what Holy Communion is. We also know you won’t fully understand everything there is to know about this very special sacrament.

But that’s OK, Katie. There are very few adults who would claim they know everything there is to know about the mystery of Communion, or any sacrament for that matter. In fact, I tend to think any person who claims to know everything about Communion is just fooling himself.

Sacraments like Holy Communion will remain a mystery exactly because they point to a truth of God we will never fully understand. That is why sacred rituals (sacraments) are so important for us to take part in.

They remind us that God is so much greater than we are and that God blesses us in ways we will never fully know.

When we spoke on the phone, Katie, you were excited about the pretty dress you will wear and you were nervous because you wanted to do everything right on Sunday.

I know you will be beautiful, honey, and I understand why you are nervous. But I want you to know something I learned from God many years ago: Whatever happens during your first Communion – even if you think it is “wrong” – will not be a mistake. It will become only a very special memory.

Since I first learned this piece of truth, I have shared it with couples I marry and at all kinds of special gatherings I have helped lead. It helps people to relax and enjoy themselves more.

Please try to relax, Katie, because whatever happens at your first Communion, our God of radical hospitality will smile and laugh with you. God is very pleased you and your Communion friends have chosen to be a part of “the body of Christ” in this way. What you might think is a mistake, God will make into a special memory.

When we spoke the other day, I asked you why you wanted to take first Communion. I didn’t write down your answer, Katie, but you said something about how you wanted to take part in the body of Christ. I realize that is part of what you are being taught about your first Communion. It’s a very important part.

I hope very much that you keep learning what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. Holy Communion is such a rich, symbolic way to remember that each of us is part of Christ’s body.

St. Paul even spoke of it in his first letter to church members at the ancient Greek city of Corinth: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Cor. 12:27)

The Communion meal of bread and wine that you will first share tomorrow is also shared by millions of Christians around the world. The way we share this meal may differ from church to church, but that is less important than the reason we share it.

Holy Communion reminds us that we are never alone. God is with us as close as our breath, as close as our mouths when we take in the bread and the wine.

We are never alone when we can share this meal with other people. You will share it with your mommy and daddy, your grandparents, your aunt and uncle, and your sister and brother – when they get old enough. You will share it with friends now, and as you grow older.

Every year of your life, I hope you will find new people to share Communion with and that you will find new reasons why you want to share your faith and your life with others.

But the body of Christ doesn’t happen only when you take your first Communion, or even your 1,000th Communion. As you grow up, Katie, I hope you will remember that you are a part of Christ’s body in a gazillion different ways.

You are part of Christ’s body when you reach out to cry with a friend, or when someone cries with you. Christ’s body is always healthiest when we give love to people and when we serve another person in the simplest of ways.

Sometimes it isn’t easy to love another person or even serve another person because of how we might feel. But being part of the body of Christ is a special source of courage and strength, Katie.

We love and serve better when we know we can be helped when we feel weak, angry, fearful or without hope. We can also help another person in Christ’s body when that person feels weak, angry, fearful or without hope.

We can love others because God first loves us. Then we are strong enough to help anyone who needs us.

Your first Communion, dearest Katie, means all this … and more. Have a wonderful day tomorrow!

Love, Grampa