First Communion Day

I stitched an hour and a half this morning on the "sampler" within the 4th annual SH Charmed Santa ... while the dress I wore to the two First Communions today went through the wash & dry cycles. I have been preparing children for sacraments for thirteen years now and I can't quite get over the changes I have seen. More children are unchurched for all practical purposes ... oh, their parents send them to religious education classes to keep the grandparents happy or to satisfy their own sense of duty ... but it is clear that many of the children rarely attend Mass ... they have no clue as to how to participate in the liturgy ... or even how to behave during it. But today's second ceremony hit a new low ... the pastor had to actually call the congregation to order after the communion so that Mass could continue ... the adults were talking so loudly that Mass came to a halt. I guess the "main event" that everyone had come to see was done and they all felt free to socialize. The number of cameras used at church was disgraceful. There was no respect for the Mass at all, at all. Why send your children to religious education if you have no intention of practicing the faith yourself or of encouraging them to practice their faith. Superstition??? Ticket-punching ... the "I-must-get-all-my-sacraments" mentality??? Spiritual "insurance"???

Oh well, it's been a demoralizing day ... no energy or interest in anything but napping or reading now that the Communions are over. My husband did take me out to a late lunch after the two ceremonies and the pina colada was soothing but I hadn't the appetite to finish my lunch. He even bought me a Carvel Black Cherry Sundae with chocolate ice cream on the way home ... it's a treat from our dating days of nearly 4 decades ago ... and reserved for those days when either one of us seriously needs a lift ... a symbol of enduring love and support. Okay, so other couples think diamonds and roses and champagne are romantic ... but I rather like our little reminder of young love with all the hope and joy that it implies.