A Letter to my Daughter on Her First Holy Communion

Dearest Cate,

The days and years leading up to this morning have been busy but so very beautiful. Thank you for the gift of you! I mean that. You have been such a blessing to this family and to me as a mother that it is truly a double gift that we are celebrating today: Jesus is coming to you and you, my sweet, are going to Him.

He is just as excited as you are!

I know that you are nervous this morning and I remember that feeling very well. Even now, years and years after I made my First Communion, there are moments when I do not feel worthy to receive Our Lord. I guess that’s why we recite the prayer of the centurion at every Mass: Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

My sins make me feel shy and embarrassed, but Jesus doesn’t want that. “Silly girl!” He says to me. “I have died so that you might live!” If I need to go to confession before receiving Him, I do…and I always feel one hundred times better after going. He is so kind and loving. He forgives me every time.

But this gift of Jesus in the Eucharist, Cate! Oh my goodness. Sometimes I start to cry when I receive Him because I know—I feel—how close to my heart He is right then. He is God, Cate, and He lets us receive Him! That makes us like God!

And so we are. We are His sons and daughters.

I am thinking today about what it means to be God’s child. It means that one day you will leave your daddy and me—this makes us nervous and excited—and you will go off to make your fortune in the world. We will not be there every day for you the way that we are now, but do you know what? Jesus always will. You will always have Him close to you—in the Eucharist at daily Mass, and in the tabernacle of the nearest church. What a gift we have in this humble king! What a friend to the end.

We love you very much, Cate. May God bless you today and always, and may our Blessed Mother hold you close.

Yours in Jesus, yours in Mary,

Mommy