{"id":4613,"date":"2013-04-15T22:09:18","date_gmt":"2013-04-16T04:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=4613"},"modified":"2020-09-10T15:17:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T21:17:56","slug":"communion-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/15\/communion-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Don’t Notice You Getting a Communion Blessing"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by my wife, Shannon Cardaronella. She is a writer and\u00a0connoisseur\u00a0of great children’s literature, an avid reader, an accomplished teacher of English as a Second Language, and an extraordinary mom. Oh, and…as you’ll soon find out, has quite a fascination\u00a0with shoes.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"distracted-at-communion\"<\/a>
Were those…green boots?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I can\u2019t tell you how often friends express to me their embarrassment over not being able to receive Communion, over going up for a blessing when the rest of us go up for Communion.<\/p>\n

I tell them the truth. More often than not, I don\u2019t notice who is receiving Communion and who is getting a blessing.<\/p>\n

Seriously. Mostly, I\u2019m praying or otherwise lost in thought, not \u201cseeing\u201d anything before me, and that\u2019s when my eyes are open.<\/p>\n

When my mind comes back to the present and I do notice people in the Communion line, I generally notice one of two things:\u00a0 babies or children and (I am ashamed to admit it) shoes.
\n<\/p>\n

Yes, really. A Communion line is a parade of footwear when one comes back from deep prayer while one\u2019s head is still bowed.<\/p>\n

I spotted the most exquisite pair of dark green (I\u2019m going to go with \u201cSpinach\u201d) leather boots weeks ago. Now, the memory of those jade jewels is an occasion of sin. I have to keep my eyes firmly shut, so as not to search for them again.<\/p>\n

Every week, I peek.<\/p>\n

So, that\u2019s pretty much it. If I notice you at all, much less whether you are receiving Communion or a blessing, well you have to get past my prayers, thoughts, babies, and snazzy shoes. More often than not, you don\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n

When I do get past all of the above to notice someone and have it register that he\/she is receiving a blessing, I see humility and pure love. It humbles and enriches me.<\/p>\n

Those who do not receive Communion, honor God by desiring Him so much, they go up for His blessing while the rest of us receive Him in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.<\/p>\n

I see people who remind me of children calling their grandparents because they just want to talk with them, not to curry favor or a check in the mail. I see people who remind me of the co-worker who bakes brownies for the office just to be nice, never expecting anything in return. Or, the neighbor who once washed my sheets for me in college when I was ill, for no other reason than to be kind.<\/p>\n

It humbles me to see my brothers and sisters in Christ receive a blessing from Him when He gives me His very Self. We are none of us worthy. And, we are certainly none of us loved more or less than another.<\/p>\n

To those of you receiving blessings, Thank you for your witness. Thank you for your humility. Thank you for reminding me to desire Communion with Jesus, my Lord and Savior, in whatever<\/i> form that may take throughout the week.<\/p>\n

Now, if you really want to catch my attention at Mass, you know the secret. Walk through the Communion Line carrying a baby and wearing those divine boots!<\/p>\n

What’s your experience with this? Are you humbled by those going up for communion blessings? Or, do you notice shoes? Tell us about your favorites in the comments.<\/p>\n

Also, do us a favor. If you have a friend who’s not able to receive communion and is embarrassed by going up for a blessing, would you share this post\u00a0with them and help them feel at ease?<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: CRASH:candy<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by my wife, Shannon Cardaronella. She is a writer and\u00a0connoisseur\u00a0of great children’s literature, an avid reader, an accomplished teacher of English as a Second Language, and an extraordinary mom. Oh, and…as you’ll soon find out, has quite a fascination\u00a0with shoes.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell you how often friends express to me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Don't Notice You Getting a Communion Blessing - Marc Cardaronella<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/15\/communion-blessing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why I Don't Notice You Getting a Communion Blessing - Marc Cardaronella\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is a guest post by my wife, Shannon Cardaronella. 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