Our sweet Nathanael received the sweetest gift of his life last weekend: the real Presence of Jesus for the first time! It really doesn't get any better than this---at least not on this side of Heaven, I don't think! To have Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity within us at every Holy Eucharist, filling us with His grace, strength, and love---what a Gift! I love being Catholic!!!
It was such a beautiful day for Nathanael. He was so happy and excited. I bet he felt like he had waited a lifetime for this day...watching his older brothers have their 1st Communions and watching them receive Jesus week after week and having to wait and wait for his turn to finally arrive. Well, arrive it did, and he was ready! He wore the same 1st Communion outfit that his oldest brother Joseph wore 9 years ago! It truly warmed my heart. As a mom, I am so happy that my children truly believe in the Real Presence, and I pray they always will. I heard a crazy statistic that over half of Catholics don't even believe that the bread and wine truly are changed into Jesus' Body and Blood (as Catholics we call this transubstantiation). I don't know how this can be...how can Catholics not believe this essential truth of our faith? Especially when you read about all the Eucharistic miracles that have happened and are still happening all over the world! I was so happy that our young, on-fire priest gave his homily about Eucharistic miracles and how there is no doubt that God loves us so much and wants to be so close to us that He literally gives us His Heart at every Eucharist! There have been numerous, well-documented miracles of communion hosts that have literally changed into bloody flesh, and when they have been scientifically tested, they all have AB positive blood type, they all come from living heart tissue, and they all show evidence that the heart has undergone a terrible beating of some kind. Coincidence...no way! Jesus gives us His real, living, wounded Heart at every Eucharist! What crazy-love our God has for us! I hope many hearts were inspired to believe more fully in the Real Presence at that special 1st Communion Mass.
After the gorgeous Mass at the Cathedral, we came home to celebrate with 2 other families that had 1st communicants (2 of Nathanael's very best friends), as well as 2 of our neighbors who wanted to share in Nathanael's special day. Despite the fact that we are in the month of May, it snowed outside. But we were all warm and happy inside, and some of the kids braved the weather and went biking and zip-lining anyway :) Perhaps that is how Nathanael came down with a fever and cold that night??? But we were SO grateful he waited to get sick until after his 1st Communion. It was a day that I hope he treasures in his heart always, and I pray that he will always firmly believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and grow closer to Jesus every time that he receives Him!
Nathanael (on the far left) with his 1st Communion Class,
as well as Deacon Bob and Fr. Christopher Lebsock
Nathanael with one of his best friends, beautiful little Emily,
who also happens to be my God-daughter.
They look like a little bride and groom...
They look like a little bride and groom...
wouldn't that be something if someday they got married! :)
Nathanael with his 2 best friends: Emily and Stevie
Paul and I so proud of our holy little man!
Nathanael showing a few of his special 1st Communion gifts:
A rosary from Grandma Jean
A Bible from Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Pat
A Sacred Heart picture from mom and dad
And with the money he got from friends and family, he wants to buy baseball cards :)
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