Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. It seems the perfect day to start this blog, that I have been pondering for some time. The changes in our lives over the last seven years have culminated in the acceptance of this feast. In other words, we decided to start doing things God's way, and life has never been better. It was two and a half years ago that life turned around. We found Dave Ramsey(another post for another time), and started going back to church. For the first time in our marriage we had hope that life would get better. Being Catholic, we went to Mass. We hadn't been faithful about going for two years, and had a hard time getting back into the Mass. The more we went, the more our faith grew, and the more we saw God working in our lives. I received this quote in my email just two days ago, and it is incredibly true.
"The longer you stay away from Communion, the more your soul will become weak, and in the end you will become dangerously indifferent."
We ended up listening to a CD we got from church in December 2008, called The Mass Explained. We were driving all over the state for Christmas, and listened in the car. We haven't stopped listening and learning since! God has used all the times of trial and suffering for good. His grace IS sufficient for us. It is an honor to be Catholic, to know the Truth, and to follow the Truth. I am most grateful to my parents for giving me life, and for giving me this great faith. I always said I wouldn't parent like my mother. Don't we all say that? Then you have kids, and you love your mother more than you thought possible. You understand her, and you become her. I have been blessed with the most wonderful parents. And I have become my mom. She was given a rather stubborn first born, and God saw fit to bless me in the same way. For all the battles I have with Mason, he is so much like me. God will use his strength, and his will, to do great things in his life. And I have never felt more blessed to be his mother than I did this morning at Mass. We have made the commitment to go to daily Mass for lent. Do we have time to? We don't have time NOT to. We must prioritize, and the God comes first. So we managed to get all five of us clean and dressed, and out the door for Mass at 8am. We got there early, and sat in the front row so the kids could see clearly what was going on. Mason was perfect. He is learning so quickly, and knows most of the prayers now. Molly is ornery, but she was pretty good. Kateri just praised her little heart out. She had a lot to tell God this morning. It was happy talk, so hopefully no one else minded. She is a child of God, and just had to share her joy. We got to the moment of consecration. I have been trying to point out, when the priest says the words of consecration, that the bread is now Jesus. The kids never listened. The second half of Mass is usually when you're sweating, trying not to commit too many sins before communion, and not half kill the kids. Today, they became perfect. Mason was kneeling beside me, and when Father raised the cup and said the words of consecration, Mason said " Mom, that's Jesus' blood now." He was so happy, so excited. He went up for his blessing, and bowed, as he knows to do. He always goes to the cup and bows as well, and waits for another blessing. When we knelt back down in the pew, he leaned over and whispered, " I can't wait until I can have Jesus. Can I do that when I'm five?" My eyes welled up with tears. I have taught him the most valuable knowledge I have to offer. He loves Jesus, and longs to receive him in the Eucharist. I am so blessed to be his mom.
