First Communion, Vacation, Grandchildren...

Next week Diane and I head north so we can attend our granddaughter's First Holy Communion at her family's parish in Hyannis on Cape Cod. There's something very special about a First Communion, especially when the children have been well-taught and prepared, and realize the beauty and greatness of the gift they are to receive for the very first time. You can see it in their expectant faces as they process to the altar to receive Jesus. And I know this will be true for our dear Camilla because her mom and dad love the Lord so much and will have reinforced what she has learned in their parish's sacramental preparation program.

It's important to remind these little ones that God, in Jesus Christ, gave us everything He had, including His very life. And so to ensure we remember this remarkable sacrificial act, God gives us this sacrament of Eucharist, this sacrament of thanksgiving. It's as if Jesus said to His apostles: "Remember me and all that I said and did in your presence. Remember my love for all, a love so great that I gave all that I had, even my very life." But the Eucharist isn't just a memory, and we must ensure the children realize this. In the Eucharist Jesus makes Himself present in a totally unique way, a sacramental way; and He is truly, really present, body and blood, soul and divinity. Let the children know that when they are lonely, when they need the comfort of another's presence, another's love, they need only come to Jesus in the Eucharist, and He will come to them as no one else can.

For these children First Holy Communion is the beginning of a new and closer relationship with Jesus, in which God gives us Himself, again and again. Jesus, in His last words to His disciples, told them, "I am with you always, until the end of the age" [Mt 28:20]. Through the gift of the Eucharist, Jesus keeps that promise.

The children also need to know that through the Eucharist God not only joins us with Himself but also with one another. We all receive that same Lord when we receive Holy Communion, and so we are joined together not only as a parish community but as a universal Church.

Diane and I are both looking forward to sharing this day with our beautiful Camilla. It should be a wonderful day.

Naturally, while we're in Massachusetts we'll make the rounds and spend some time with our other children and grandchildren, and visit some dear friends. We're looking forward to these visits and can hardly wait to see all the little ones. We have eight grandchildren and the eldest is only ten years old, so it's always a joy to see how much they have changed since we last saw them. They grow up to quickly

Travel, of course, should be one of the great pleasures of retirement. Without the constraints of work and other obligations, we can come and go pretty much at will, taking advantage of the good deals and saving at least a few of those scarce and increasingly valueless dollars. I have always enjoyed traveling, and still do. It makes little difference whether we fly or drive, or where we go. I simply enjoy the change of pace and scenery...at least for a while. There comes a point when you want and need to return to the comfortable surroundings of home, and that point seems to come a bit sooner with each trip. I suppose age has more than a little to do with it. About the only thing I dislike about traveling is the preparation -- going through the items on my list and checking them off one by one. And the worst item on that list is packing, especially for a trip in mid-spring when the weather is so unpredictable. The temptation is to pack two sets of clothes, one for warm and another for cool weather; but that just results in too much luggage. And so I guess we'll fall back on layering that lets us shed a layer or two as the temperature rises.

Well, it's time to start packing. I intend to post something occasionally during our trip, but not as often as usual.

God's peace...