Mark made his First Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday. It was a beautiful day. The DRE at our church has given me the option of choosing our own day during a regular mass or doing it with the big group. Both Kate and Mark have opted for going by themselves at a normal Sunday mass. The other kids served on the altar. It was nice to have them up there together and they were all happy to watch Mark receive up close. He was so brave and not nervous at all. There’s a dear retired priest who helps our pastor and he was scheduled to celebrate the Mass. He’s always so sweet on special occasions and gave Mark a little card.

A few days before, we met with the DRE to practice and she gave him a DETAILED tour of the sachristy, the sanctuary and the stained glass windows of the church. She was firing questions at him constantly. I didn’t get the feeling that she was testing as much as sharing, teaching and also wanting to discern his overall readiness. She remarked at one point at being surprised that he knew or was familiar with some of the things that she was talking about and frankly, I was too.

We were all so proud of him and I think he’s grown just a little bit in maturity-I mean ever so slightly. As the youngest of 4, he’s babied a lot. He’s not reckless as much as he is impulsive but I noticed this week that he’s just slightly less so. Grace? Maybe. But I’ll continue to pray that he stays as close to Jesus as he was on Sunday.