Sean was 10 years old and having been in a religious education program for 4 years, had been prepared to receive his First Holy Communion. However there were family circumstances that made scheduling the event difficult. With Sean, it had to be a big celebration, as he wanted to share this important milestone with everyone he knew. We were faced with many questions: should it take place at the Sunday liturgy he regularly attended at Little Flower Parish? Inclusion was practically unheard of then, but we wondered, should Sean join the parish first communion day in May with the second graders, or should there be a separate Mass for him? Perhaps we should have a home Mass with one of his priest cousins presiding.
Each Sunday at Communion time, Sean would tug at my arm and say; "I get God today?" I would answer, "not today, and he would ask "When?" and I would reply "Soon". So Sean would stay in the pew, with his head bowed while his brothers and I went up the aisle to receive Eucharist.
It was Christmas Eve, 1977. About 40 relatives would gather at our house for festivities at about 8:30 p.m. The children's Mass at Little Flower Church was at 6:30. Sean's youngest brother, Chris, would be carrying the statue of St. Joseph in the procession. We arrived a little later than planned, as we had to be sure everything was in place for the party at home after Mass, so when we arrived, there was standing room only. Matthew, Sean, T.J and I had to not just stand, but to stand in the center aisle all during Mass. It occurred to me that I would not be able to leave Sean in the pew, as we had no pew to sit in.
When Communion time approached, he tugged at my arm as usual, asking; "I get God today?". I answered "No", he said "When?" I said "soon". I took him up to Communion with me, as one would take a small child up with them. After I received the Sacred Host, Fr. O'Grady turned to Sean and lifting the Host before him said, "Sean, The Body of Christ". Sean blurted out joyfully, "Amen" and extended his hands.
We returned to our place in the aisle, and Sean lowered his head reverently. As I looked down t him, I saw tears streaming down his face. I asked "Are you OK Sean, Why are you crying?" Sean smiled through his tears and whispered, "I got God".
Jesus had taken the situation out of my hands, and decided to celebrate His birthday with Sean. I had nothing to say about it. After Mass, I asked Fr. O'Grady if he realized that he had given Sean His First Holy Communion. He looked surprised and said "Did I?"
We went home to our family celebration, and shared the news with everyone there. It was indeed a joyous and unforgettable celebration, because finally, Sean got God.
