My first-born son served Benediction & Holy Mass for the first time (and with me as the assisting deacon) on Wednesday, December 17, 2014, at St. Catherine's parish in Vallejo, California.
This was part of my family being one of the sponsors of the nine-day novena of 7pm Masses in preparation for the birth of Our Infant King.*
As a father, I cannot help but glow with pride for my son-- heck, any parent would. My wife was happy, too, and was critically part of the preparation process.
I think only now do I get a sense of what my parents must have felt when they saw me as an altar server in my youth.
That night, my thoughts and emotions varied from rehearsal to the recessional hymn:
During the Benediction, I was so excited having my son with me that my voice cracked when I chanted/intoned the prayers for Benediction. My altar boy son was kneeling on my left, and I kind of saw his role as one of gaining his first experience serving with me as I led Benediction.
At times, I had to discreetly motion him to move or whisper to him to stay kneeling at certain parts. John Paul didn't incense or ring the bell for his first time as an altar boy for Benediction but rather to simply be a presence before the Real Presence.
Before and after Mass, people made remarks of how cute he was in the vestments and were taking pictures. I knew that, in a certain sense, he was representing young kids his age who might one day be interested in being altar servers.
I myself was delighted and am grateful to Auntie Agnes Lobo, wife of Deacon Pete Lobo, for making arrangements to borrow the size eight cassock and surplice from the neighboring St. Vincent's parish.
During Mass, he and I interacted more during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
When Father Jess Soriano handed my son the somewhat-large and fragile flagellum (which contained unconsecrated wine) during the Offertory, I had an intense, nail-biting and wide-eye moment in the few seconds before John Paul walked over and handed the the flagellum to me where I was stationed by the altar.
From the people as gifts, to the hands of the priest, to the altar server, to the deacon for preparation, and then to the priest, and eventually consecrated and offered to God the Father through Christ in the Spirit, and then back to the people to feed their souls, the unconsecrated wine that is the fruit of the earth and work of human hands -- through the words and actions of the priest at consecration -- becomes the adorable Sacrament of Love which is the real and true Blood of Jesus Christ. If we do not eat His flesh or drink His blood, then we have no life in Him.
So um, yes, this was the MOST intense three-seconds of the Mass for me!
I was relieved that he didn't drop the delicate container. There is a story of St. Dominic Savio who, one day while helping as an altar boy during Mass, tripped over his cassock and dropped the vessels used for Mass. I think this was one part of Dominic Savio that I didn't want to emulate.
Later, when the other two altar servers were preoccupied with putting other vessels away, John Paul helped me put away the water cruet after the purification of the vessels. Perhaps my remembering both the wine and water roles that John Paul played is most significant, since the deacon's ordinary role is to administer the Chalice of the Lord's Precious Blood.
Thank you, God, for this gift. It confirms my life's choices as an altar boy myself from 1987-1997 (ages 12-22) and more importantly as a practicing Catholic since my pre-teen years. It validates my family's life choices hitherto.
I have to take a step back from this beautiful day and all that happened. I have to wonder out loud if the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council realized that, when they restored the permanent diaconate and opened it to married men, they would see the fruit of a father-son transformation into servants.
A few months ago, when John Paul told us that he wanted to be an altar boy during dinner, he remarked, "We will serve together as father and son." So on that rainy evening, we were servants. We were servants at the source and summit of the Christan life, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a re-presentation of Calvary, Calvary made present today and throughout time until the end of time in a un-bloody manner.
Without the Eucharist, the Church simply would not exist and Jesus' death on the Cross and Resurrection would be forgotten by the world.
So that night, united to the First Mass which was the Last Supper of the Lord, my first-born son John Paul and and I were together "servant-servant of the High Servant" who Himself came to serve and not to be served.
_________________________
*According to the interim parochial administrator, Fr. Vincent, St. Catherine's currently is the only parish in the diocese that does not have altar servers. The issue of using youth altar servers has formally been on the agenda for consideration over the past year but has been tabled with all the transitions at the parish taking place. So as a parent, I was happy to see the parish use servers for the nine-day Misa de Aguinaldo.
This was part of my family being one of the sponsors of the nine-day novena of 7pm Masses in preparation for the birth of Our Infant King.*
As a father, I cannot help but glow with pride for my son-- heck, any parent would. My wife was happy, too, and was critically part of the preparation process.
I think only now do I get a sense of what my parents must have felt when they saw me as an altar server in my youth.
* * *
That night, my thoughts and emotions varied from rehearsal to the recessional hymn:
During the Benediction, I was so excited having my son with me that my voice cracked when I chanted/intoned the prayers for Benediction. My altar boy son was kneeling on my left, and I kind of saw his role as one of gaining his first experience serving with me as I led Benediction.
At times, I had to discreetly motion him to move or whisper to him to stay kneeling at certain parts. John Paul didn't incense or ring the bell for his first time as an altar boy for Benediction but rather to simply be a presence before the Real Presence.
Before and after Mass, people made remarks of how cute he was in the vestments and were taking pictures. I knew that, in a certain sense, he was representing young kids his age who might one day be interested in being altar servers.
I myself was delighted and am grateful to Auntie Agnes Lobo, wife of Deacon Pete Lobo, for making arrangements to borrow the size eight cassock and surplice from the neighboring St. Vincent's parish.
* * *
During Mass, he and I interacted more during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
When Father Jess Soriano handed my son the somewhat-large and fragile flagellum (which contained unconsecrated wine) during the Offertory, I had an intense, nail-biting and wide-eye moment in the few seconds before John Paul walked over and handed the the flagellum to me where I was stationed by the altar.
From the people as gifts, to the hands of the priest, to the altar server, to the deacon for preparation, and then to the priest, and eventually consecrated and offered to God the Father through Christ in the Spirit, and then back to the people to feed their souls, the unconsecrated wine that is the fruit of the earth and work of human hands -- through the words and actions of the priest at consecration -- becomes the adorable Sacrament of Love which is the real and true Blood of Jesus Christ. If we do not eat His flesh or drink His blood, then we have no life in Him.
So um, yes, this was the MOST intense three-seconds of the Mass for me!
I was relieved that he didn't drop the delicate container. There is a story of St. Dominic Savio who, one day while helping as an altar boy during Mass, tripped over his cassock and dropped the vessels used for Mass. I think this was one part of Dominic Savio that I didn't want to emulate.
Later, when the other two altar servers were preoccupied with putting other vessels away, John Paul helped me put away the water cruet after the purification of the vessels. Perhaps my remembering both the wine and water roles that John Paul played is most significant, since the deacon's ordinary role is to administer the Chalice of the Lord's Precious Blood.
* * *
Thank you, God, for this gift. It confirms my life's choices as an altar boy myself from 1987-1997 (ages 12-22) and more importantly as a practicing Catholic since my pre-teen years. It validates my family's life choices hitherto.
I have to take a step back from this beautiful day and all that happened. I have to wonder out loud if the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council realized that, when they restored the permanent diaconate and opened it to married men, they would see the fruit of a father-son transformation into servants.
A few months ago, when John Paul told us that he wanted to be an altar boy during dinner, he remarked, "We will serve together as father and son." So on that rainy evening, we were servants. We were servants at the source and summit of the Christan life, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a re-presentation of Calvary, Calvary made present today and throughout time until the end of time in a un-bloody manner.
Without the Eucharist, the Church simply would not exist and Jesus' death on the Cross and Resurrection would be forgotten by the world.
So that night, united to the First Mass which was the Last Supper of the Lord, my first-born son John Paul and and I were together "servant-servant of the High Servant" who Himself came to serve and not to be served.
[PHOTOS HERE]
_________________________
*According to the interim parochial administrator, Fr. Vincent, St. Catherine's currently is the only parish in the diocese that does not have altar servers. The issue of using youth altar servers has formally been on the agenda for consideration over the past year but has been tabled with all the transitions at the parish taking place. So as a parent, I was happy to see the parish use servers for the nine-day Misa de Aguinaldo.
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