November 26, 2022 

Reflection

COMPLAINTS   BEGET  COMPLAINTS

Yesterday was June 19, 2008.

We were a parish get together.

A lady read a section from the book The Marian Movement for Priests.  It was by a priest named Father Gobbi. Thousands and thousands were sent through the mail.  

It was fine - in my opinion - till he started to complain about sacrilegious communions.

The reader  finished.

Someone asked, "Any comments?"

A series of comments - complaints were voiced by different ladies at this meeting of this Parish Group. 

We were at Hank and Mary Lee's place.

First comment: "There are people who go to communion who are not Catholics."

Next comment: "There are people who go to communion who have no clue where they are."

"There is a priest in Georgetown who invites everyone to communion."

"There was a little kid who received communion - or went up and took communion and was walking away with the communion in the palm of his hand - and someone said to him, 'You have to eat it.'"

After a series of comments and complaints they asked  my thoughts about all this.

I paused and thought inwardly, "I'm not going here or there."

I said, "There are rules and regulations - guidelines - in the Missalette."

Afterwards - I'm an afterwards thinker - I got thinking, "This is not my experience in giving out communion."

There are pickers - picking communion right out of your hand - definitely different than those who receive Jesus in the palm of their hand - as if in a throne.

There are those who we joke about behind their back: "A few people who made their First Communion today. That might be at a wedding or a funeral."

Sorry to those who want rules announced right before communion!

It's my experience and desire to show respect, sacredness, calm - when receiving the Body of Christ - and I like to pray to and at every person receiving, "The Body of Christ!"

It hit me driving home from that meeting yesterday: Complaints beget complaints. Gripes beget gripes. Negativity brings forth negativity. Niceness begets niceness.

I'm glad I went where I went when I went there.