Idea of little kids who are easily filled with wonder. When you are little, everything is amazing.
Car keys with a baby or making noises or faces. Children playing with a simple toy for hours, air vent at previous parish entertaining kids for a good part of mass or until their parents busted them, story of playing with the bathroom sink as kids.
Notice how that wonder and awe can dissipate with time and familiarity. Example of first time parents vs veteran ones. How protective new parents are vs. how laid back moms and dads of 3, 4, 5,6 or more tend to be. My parents have the beginning of a scrapbook from when I was a baby. Numerous professional pics as I grew older. There might be a few photos somewhere of my baby sister of her 18 years of life but I am not really sure. There is definitely no scrapbook.
It’s important that we grow up and mature. I’m not advocating that we turn into simpletons who laugh hysterically at every little thing or that we stop in amazement every time we walk near an air vent. I promise I will not be running around the parish with a sink over my head. But there is something to be said for retaining the ability to be amazed by little things, simple things. It’s not always good that we require more and more to keep our attention, hold our interest or amuse us. A lot can be lost in day to day living when we dismiss and overlook what is familiar and ordinary.
Think of the Eucharist. God takes something commonplace in bread and wine and he transforms it into the body and blood of his son. When I talk to kids about this, they are amazed and usually a little troubled. They have many questions and they want to know why and how God does this. Most importantly, they take God at his Word; they believe and let themselves be astonished, even though it is impossible for them to comprehend completely. When they make their 1st communion, there is awe and excitement. We celebrate (as we should) with a big party and gifts. But after a while, receiving the Eucharist becomes another thing we do, it becomes a habit. Sometimes our youngsters and even our adults forget what a privilege it is to receive communion and Mass becomes “boring”. It no longer fills us with awe and excitement. The fact that Jesus turns bread and wine into his Body and blood no longer amazes us. We want him to do something more “impressive”, different, or shocking in exchange for our belief and attention.
What has changed? Is it the Eucharist? No! It is us! We have lost that ability to be astonished by God and the simple ways he manifests his infinite power.
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a chance for us to recapture that child-like simplicity. It is an opportunity to see with new eyes the little ways that God is doing incredible things for us , for our families, for the Church, and for the world. I can tell you that he is. In my own life, when I take the time to appreciate the little miracles, I am humbled and surprised by how near God is to my daily life. When I slow down and stop asking just for the big miracles, I realize that the Lord cares about every part of my life and he is answering prayers and desires constantly.
If we think the only proof of God hearing our prayers will be winning the lottery we are going to overlook His blessings which helped us pay all the bills for this month and I have what I need once again, even if it is not everything I wanted.
We have the potential to be amazed every time we come to church, every time the Eucharist is celebrated if we allow God to wow us on his terms. Corpus Christi is a feast that reminds us of that and encourages us to open our eyes to the way God works 99% of the time: in little things and in simple ways. With bread and wine, one day at a time.
When you receive communion today, keep that in mind and allow yourself to be filled with wonder and awe!
