My Catholic Family

A wonderful thing happens when I go to church. My sadness transforms into happiness, my longing into hope, my despair into certainty.

Today as Father Sexton spoke on families, I reflected on my own family and how much they mean to me. From my aging grandparents all the way down to my newborn grandson, my family is very important to me. I don't have enough time to spend with all of them the way I want to, but I cherish the times that I do spend with them.  It made me smile yesterday when Mama Jo told me how much she appreciated the pictures I shared with her from my cellphone.

Though I long to receive the Eucharist, I still look forward to my blessing each week.  The time of Holy Communion is so special to me. Sometimes I pray, sometimes I cry, and sometimes I watch. Today my eyes were opened to all sorts of things.

Holy Family pray for us.

The honor and respect that Deacon showed to Betty and Yolie, the two elderly ladies who worship from the front pew touched my heart as much as did their complete humility in receiving their Lord and Savior.  As I fell in line behind the Hispanic man, I took the place in line across the aisle from the three generations of beautiful Italian women.  The Oriental family, the black man, the beautiful Cambodian children were all in my line of sight. My own little Irish family and those other descendants of Ireland were in attendance. Infants and elderly, perfectly dressed families of moms and dads and beautiful children, sleepy children, single men, single women, people in blue jeans, some still with bed head...all make up my beautiful church family.  I was suddenly very aware of the freedom we all shared to be able to be there worshiping, and I felt a complete oneness that we were all there for the same purpose.  It was a complete moment of the Universality of the Catholic Church.

Then it was my turn to receive my blessing. It is important for me to genuflect when approaching the Blessed Sacrament, and this is a small feat for me because of my knees, but I rise to receive Deacon's hand on my head and the most sincere and heart-felt blessing ever that reaches down to my toes.  I am overwhelmed with the love of the Holy Spirit, and the Hope of receiving Jesus again one day.

I look forward to being reunited with my friends and family who have passed on and meeting my heavenly family. I have much to ask Mary.  I pray every day to be reunited with the Catholic Church.
The graces I receive at mass last me the whole week.  The mercy that I pray for me fills my soul, and the love I receive I take home to share.