Yesterday at mass Sadie was standing next to a window (we were at the very back) at the English Mass that we'd gone to after oversleeping (waking up at 7:17 am is oversleeping in our house) when she slipped and banged her face against the marble windowsill.
This picture was taken a little over and hour after Mass was over. It's now turned into a noticeable purplish-blue color, that's not entirely unexpected since we'll be snapping quite a few pictures this week, and somehow the possibility of picture taking seems to be preceded by some sort of a facial injury in our family.
And since this is a Sadie picture I thought I'd add the latest variation of her favorite prayer. She's getting a little more wordy:
"In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear God. New Baby. Give Mae Bae a new sister. Give me a Mary. (mumble, mumble, mumble). In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Sadie and I also had a small misunderstanding after walking home from Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception last week. Since Sadie had tried to receive yet again, I tried to explain that in a few years she would be old enough to receive communion, and that when she was she'd get to wear a beautiful white dress and a veil. When we got home she set out to find her angel dress. And she found her veil. Then she stomped around the house wearing it.
I have a feeling that this is her newest strategy in her attempt to convince us that she's old enough to receive the Eucharist. I can't help but wonder what her next move in her campaign is going to be.
Then there's Mae Bae. Don't let her sweet princess fluffiness in the above picture fool you like it did the Eucharistic minister (and me) at Mass on Sunday. Some time after the window sill incident it was time to go up for communion. For obvious reasons to long time readers of this blog, I'm a bit nervous when I go up to receive from a Eucharistic minister, because if there's going to be a tongue/hand incident it seems far more likely to happen in an... "extraordinary"... situation of that sort (although I'll be the first to say that I can see why this parish needed a giant flock of eucharistic ministers because it was huge and very, very crowded).
Anyways, I was holding Mae Bae and I opened my mouth, received the eucharist without incident and breathed a sigh of relief that there'd been no dropping or slipping... and Mae Bae lunged. I barely caught her hands as she went for the shiny golden dish, while the eucharistic minister quickly slipped her hand over the plate. It was a seriously close call. So apparently I have two little ones with big plans as we go forward for communion.
Now hopefully they don't start working together...
In the eastern rites they follow the original tradition of the Catholic church which is to give Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist together even for infants. In the west, we give all three together to adults and children over the age of reason who are entering the church-- unless someone in a local replaces the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults form with his own and refuses the child at the age of reason what is part of the rite when their families enter the Church. It is only Children born Catholic who have to receive the sacraments out of the ancient order and spread out. Rather illogical IMO based on the efforts made to return to the ancient practices in the canons written into the Rite of Christian Initiation book. When we entered full communion my son received all three Sacraments of Initiation because he was past the age of reason (7). So he was confirmed several years sooner than cradle Catholic children.
ReplyDeleteIn the west the practice changed due to difficulties traveling that meant a community might only see their Bishop every 10 years or even longer, but that reason no longer exists yet the Church has not returned to the older practices.
Some Bishops have spoken out about this irregularity and in favor of restoring the order of the Sacraments of Initiation, at least to moving Confirmation down so that the children receive that sacrament before Eucharist which is the correct and traditional order for those sacraments-- yes, the order is considered Baptism, Confirmation, then Eucharist, but the practice (due to travel issues) caused the order to be changed in practice.
I pray for the return to the ancient practice for our children-- they NEED it!
Arnica:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/arnica-000222.htm
I dont know if you are into homeopathics, but it works. I was skeptical... not of HP's, but this one. Well, when my little queen decided to get in a tickle fight with me at the grocery store, she squirmed a bit much and banged her face off the shopping cart edge. Needless to say, the midwife later that night gave her some and the bruising went away in MINUTES. In a way, it was almost.... freakish.
As for the Blessed Sacrament "problems" - I take envious joy in your battles :) No offense.
The love and desire that your girls have for Our Eucharistic Lord is nothing short of beautiful, and I have to say, is a real inspiration, encouragement, and consolation for me as I continue my studies for the priesthood. Inspiring because it reminds me of the devotion to the Eucharist which I should be cultivating; encouraging because I know that this is the beauty of faith which I will be thrilled to encounter from the altar each and every day in the future. It is a consolation to know that there are wonderful parents out there who are instilling such a love in their children. Be assured of my continued prayers. --Your servant, a seminarian
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue with my 3rd year old daugher, she always tries to receive Eucharist, after many failed tries she asked the priest if she could have a snack, that didn't work. I don't know what she will try next, so don't worry your not alone, and at the church we attend they all think its cute.
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