The feast of Corpus Christi, which we celebrate today, reminds me of a lesson I learned from a First Communicant about 25 years ago. It was a Sunday morning right after Mass; the day after he had received his First Communion. During the Mass that day I had encouraged all the First Communicants to come back to Church on Sunday in their First Communion attire to receive their “Second” Communion and to allow the entire parish to celebrate with them. I was very happy that many of them did indeed come back in all their finery. Right after one of the Masses, as I was going to the sacristy, I saw one of the First Communicants, dressed in his white suit kneeling so reverently with hands prayerfully folded in front of the tabernacle. It was such a wonderful sight to see that I stood and watched from a distance for a few minutes. But, after a while, I went up to him, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Daniel it is so wonderful for me to see you, just after receiving your “Second” Communion praying to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament! You have made my day.” He then looked up at me from the kneeler and with the simple, blunt honesty of a child said, “Yea, well, my Mom’s still back there talking, so I really don’t have anything better to do.” Perhaps it might sound like a typical response that a child would give but he was absolutely correct. He taught me a lesson that I try not to ever forget. He didn’t have anything better to do. I don’t have anything better to do. You don’t have anything better to do. It is a lesson that we all need to learn, to believe and to put into practice: When we have the opportunity to pray before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament there simply is nothing better to do.
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