04/26/2026
It was a big day for Jake! He made his first holy communion today with his classmates, in a packed church full of family and friends. Seeing his little face light up when he noticed his whole family in our reserved pew is a memory I won’t soon forget. He’s been working hard this year to learn about his faith and I’m so proud of not only how much he learned but also how excited he was to learn about it.
I’ve talked a lot this year about how I’ve struggled with organized religion, which is ironic bc I’ve been to church more this year than I probably have been in the last 10 years, after being in only catholic schools for the first 20 years of my educated life. It’s made me not only do a lot of soul searching, but also say way more “help me understand” prayers. In a lot of ways I feel like most of those prayers have been answered, which has not only brought me peace, but has helped me to guide Jake forward as his primary teacher of our Catholic faith.
I will never be the “perfect” Catholic, and honestly that’s not what I want for Jake either. The sacraments, while important, are just the “pomp and circumstance” of the religion. Too many Christians in general are missing the mark when it comes to being a good Catholic or Christian. (The last two popes agree 😉) Being a good Catholic or Christian is way deeper than following all the man made rules and rituals.
What I do hope for, is that he continues to grow in his faith, that it carries him through the challenges in his life, and that he truly learns what it means to love like Jesus. The rest I told him, is just the pomp and circumstance to help remind him how too.
“Do this, in remembrance of me”
