BEHOLD & SHARE
“As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” - John 1:36
Have you ever asked a small child how old they are? You have received a more detailed and nuanced response than you ever imagined. For little kids, birthdays are a huge deal. When they are asked their age, the response is often nuanced, “I am four and three-quarters.” “I am eight years old but I will be nine in 7 months. My party is going to be at Build a Bear.” The countdown to these milestones is of the utmost importance.
Our 8-year-old along with two of her cousins made their First Communion this past spring. So now the countdown has begun for our 5-year-old. Each week at Mass, “am I old enough today?”... and then it continues the following week, “am I old enough today?” Each week, he thinks he will have aged three years. Nope, not today. On a recent week, he grabbed my fast and held it between his hands, “Mom! I got it! You can share the holy bread WITH me.”
What an invitation! Share this holy bread with me… I know what he wanted was for me to break off a piece and sneak it to him as he waited next to me. He doesn’t know that each day, I need the strength and grace that this Communion offers me to nurture and care for him. Each day I am sharing pieces of that holiness with him, and I will continue to do so even after he is old enough to receive Communion directly.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose feast day we celebrate today. A widow, a mother, a convert, and then a Sister, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton established the first community for women religious in the United States and then became the first American-born Saint. Her life after her conversion was dedicated to the education and care of the poor, a legacy that is carried out by the Daughters of Charity around the world today. On our tour of the grounds, I learned that at the end of her life she asked for her bed to be placed in a small room off of the chapel in view of the Blessed Sacrament. In her active ministry and into her state of infirmary, she knew she belonged at the foot of the cross. The call of Christ, to share His love, was clear.
Who cries out to you, asking “will you share Christ with me”?
Jen Coito