Blessings in the Vineyard

Our second oldest, Grant will be receiving his First Communion in just a few days!   He’s been preparing all year at home and with his second grade class.   In the Catholic faith tradition this is an enormous occasion (remember Gabriel’s big day?!)   As we prepare at home, aside from special prayers like the Amina Christi, and reading books like the story of St. Imelda, I also wanted to do something special to convey the importance of the sacrament.   Since this is a rite of passage of sorts, we wanted to treat Grant like the young man he is becoming.  We arranged for a babysitter, got dressed in our finest, and Jim and I took Grant to a lovely formal dinner.   We are blessed to have beautiful vineyard in our little town, and symbolically it was the perfect place.  As Grant prepares to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life in the Eucharist and drink the Precious Blood, this seemed a fitting place of preparation.    The Bible has a lot to say about vineyards.   Jesus himself says “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit.” John: 15:5.  During the last supper He says ” For I tell you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”   So, armed with some edifying ammo (i.e. scripture) and some conversation starters, we set out for our special dinner:

I also dusted off my own First Communion photo album for Grant to see.  I shared my memories with him and he laughed at my 80’s hair. 🙂    This picture is from April 27, 1987 with my grandma. 

After our date at the vineyard I found this Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, and wished we would’ve incorporated that, but it’s okay.    I’m not even sure if he will remember the deeper things we tried to teach that night, but I sure hope he’ll remember how special it was.  I know I will. 🙂