“Truly, I say to you,
1. i (obviously) don’t remember it at all
2. i received life more fully on my First Holy Communion
When our parents had their 25th Wedding Anniversary, my siblings and I decided to thank God with a Mass and a get-together for family and friends and we did.
HMMMMMMMMM.
I’m not saying that my parents are saints but i wouldn’t say they are the greatest of sinners either! Sure they fight and argue - sometimes a lot too - but they have always been faithful to each other and, with God’s help, they did …and continue to… do their best to bring us up with a love for God and our neighbour.
(Well the priest went on explaining what he meant etc etc… it was ok in the end)
Even before we were born mum and dad would pray for us. Everyday, at night, they’d pray a prayer. It was a prayer which i did not understand but which i still remember …since they prayed it so often!
It included our names and the names of any children who at that point in time, for some reason or another, needed more prayers:
We put our little children
under your protection and care,
Mary our Dearest Mother,
Make their minds grow up to love the Truths of Faith!
Consecrate their wills to the Service of God!
Fill their hearts with love for Our Creator!
Fashion their bodies in all perfection.
Let their organs be sound,
their senses acute,
all members strong and healthy!
You can obtain this favour for these little ones:
(here came our names, “the baby who will soon be born” and other children)
We thank you, Mary our Mother
and place our trust in Your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
Now i understand it and i am thankful they prayed it.
We, my siblings and i, were brought up in a Catholic home. When i started school dad started a routine: at around 6:30am, he’d would wake a 5yr old ruth and 4yr old Matthew for Mass. I HATED waking up so early and besides i did not understand much of what went on at Mass ...but now i am thankful for that too – if our father hadn’t shown such zeal for the Eucharist i’d probably wouldn’t care as much. (He’s changed his ways though – he doesn’t wake my younger sisters that early now – he goes with them to evening Mass instead :-)
Anyway so our parents, with God’s help, did their best to keep their promise: “to educate the children God sends in the Catholic Faith, love of God and neighbour” ...and they continue to that.
I (understandably ;-) don’t remember my birth-day at all but the gift of life – which i shall continue to care for and cherish – made much more sense and became truly abundant when Jesus came physically into my heart for the first time ...to keep coming.
The day i had my
i started to have life more abundantly.
I am thankful to my parents for their continuos co-operation with God: in giving us life and in helping us to love God: “The Way, The Truth and THE LIFE.”
I wouldn’t make a wish when i "blow the candles" but i’ll thank God for my parents and i’ll pray that we may all come to believe that God - despite our failings - loves us soooo much and so dearly. Then we can all, like Peter, say:
“Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We now believe and know that
You are the Holy One of God.”
(Jn 6:68,69)
