| Confirmation-Communion:
A Lesson at Christmas
Fr.
George Smiga
April
28/29, 2007
John
10:27-30
This
might surprise you but I would like to tell you a Christmas
story. Now I know it's not Christmas and in fact we are in
the middle of the Easter season, but this Christmas story
tells us something important about Easter and it also tells
us something important about the confirmation and first communions
which we celebrate today.
Now
this story happened to me when I was in the 5 th or 6 th grade.
It was about a month before Christmas and my mom and dad were
asking me what I wanted for Christmas? I could not decide.
Then one day, when I was looking through a catalog, I saw
the perfect gift. It was an electric keyboard on which you
could play music. Now today these keyboards are small and
inexpensive, but in those days they were bulky and cost a
lot of money. In fact this keyboard cost $85 which was a lot
of money when I was a kid. So I knew it would be a hard sell.
I told my dad, “This is what I want. Please, please can I
have it for Christmas? I know it's a lot of money. But if
you get it for me, it's the only gift you have to buy.”
My
dad shook his head and said, “Even if it's the only gift we
have to give you, it's still a lot of money. But I'll make
you a deal. Now I've noticed that you and your sister have
been fighting and teasing one another. If you promise that
from now until Christmas you will be a good big brother to
your sister, that you won't tease her or fight with her, then
we'll see if we can make it happen”.
“No
problem I said, I can do it!”
My
dad said, “George, I am serious. No teasing, no fighting.”
“No
teasing, no fighting. It's done, Dad, it's done.”
“I
don't want you coming up to your mom and me saying you said
this, she said that.”
“No,
no, it's not going to happen, Dad.”
“Okay,
he said, we have a deal.” We shook on it, and he left. I remember
thinking, “That was easy.” But I was so wrong. It was going
to be the hardest month of my life.
It
all started one day when I was coming home from school. I
had saved up some of my allowance money to buy a treat for
myself, my favorite treat as a matter of fact. I bought a
Nutty Buddy. Do you know what a Nutty Buddy is? An ice cream
cone with chocolate and nuts. I walked into the house after
school eating my Nutty Buddy and there was my sister. She
had this funny smile on her face and she said, “George, would
you give me the rest of your Nutty Buddy?”
And
I said, “You've got to be out of your mind. This is my Nutty
Buddy. I bought it with my own money. If you want a Nutty
Buddy, go buy one for yourself.”
Then
she said, “That would be so selfish. I would have to go and
tell mom that you were not sharing and you were not being
a good big brother. How that would hurt me. In fact I feel
as if I am starting to cry right now.”
This
sick feeling came over me. And almost in disbelief I watched
as my hand reached out and gave her the rest of my Nutty Buddy.
Then I watched in silence as she ate it bite by bite. Then
she licked her fingers and said, “Thank you, thank you very
much.” It was going to be a long time until Christmas.
Another
time I came home and I heard music coming from my bedroom.
I walked in and there was my sister. She had all of my records
out, spread over my bed. (This was before IPODS and CD's.)
She was playing them on my record player. I said “Margie,
those are MY records. What are you doing”?
She
said “I am being very careful. I am picking them up so I do
not scratch them or break them. Thank you, George, for being
such good and giving older brother.”
And
all I could do was grit my teeth and say, “You're welcome.”
So
there it was, day after day, week after week. I never thought
I could do it. But in time, it was Christmas Eve. I only had
a few more hours to go and the keyboard was mine! That Christmas
Eve afternoon my mom said “I am going out for a few errands.
You children have been very good the last couple of weeks,
no fighting or teasing. Now keep it up. I will just be gone
for a little time. Remember tomorrow is Christmas”.
So
she went. My sister started coloring. I took out my rock collection,
because when you have a rock collection every so often you
have to look at it and organize it. My favorite rock was a
round white smooth one about the size of a plum. I was admiring
it and my sister said, “George, let me hold that rock.” I
said “Marge, not now. I am busy. I am working and organizing.”
She said, “No I want to hold it. Give it to me.” Suddenly,
she grabbed it from me and started running out of the room.
Without thinking I jumped up and began fighting for the rock.
And then--I still don't know how this happened—but somehow
I saw the rock sail through the air and hit the front of the
television set. We both watched as a large crack formed down
the television screen. (Up unto this point I didn't even know
you could crack a television screen.) But there is was. My
mother came in at that point and saw the crack. (I don't think
she knew that you could crack a television screen either.)
She turned to me and said “You were fighting weren't you?”
I nodded. She said “I don't believe it. I leave for one hour
and when I come back, you kids have cracked the television
screen! Go to your rooms.” So we went, and step by step I
knew I would never see that electric keyboard.
But
you know, the next day, when I went down on Christmas morning,
the keyboard was under the tree. After I unwrapped it and
played with it, I went to my dad and said, “Dad I don't understand.
I didn't keep the deal. I fought with Margie. We cracked the
television set. But you still gave me the keyboard. I don't
understand.”
My
dad said, “I know. Your mom and I talked about it. We decided
that maybe if we gave you the keyboard, you would learn a
lesson”.
“What
kind of a lesson” I said?
“A
lesson about Jesus, he said. You know Jesus came on Christmas
not because we were all good people but because he loved us.
George, I want you to be good. I don't want you to fight with
your sister. I don't want you to do what's wrong. But even
if you do, your mom and I still love you. The same is true
about Jesus. Even when you do things that are wrong, he still
loves you no matter what. You belong to him. Your mom and
I thought if you could learn that lesson, it would be worth
the price of the keyboard.”
And,
you know, it was. I did learn that lesson, and I still believe
it today. It is that lesson that I want each of you making
your first confirmation and first communion to know today.
You belong to Jesus. He comes to you not simply because you're
good. He wants you to be good. But even when you're not, he
comes to you because he loves you, no matter what. He says
in the gospel today that you belong to him, he wants to lead
you to eternal life, and no one will snatch you out of his
hand. You belong to Jesus and he comes to you simply because
he loves you. That is a lesson I think all of us should know.
God doesn't come to us because we're good; God comes to us
because God loves us. God has made us sons and daughters,
confirmed us in his love. So let us celebrate that love today.
Let us celebrate the Christ who comes to us in the bread and
wine of the Eucharist.
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