"Would You Like Some Fries With Your Body Of Christ?"

My 8 year old daughter studies in a prominent Catholic school in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Her class and the entire second grade population are currently spending majority of their time this semester preparing for the ceremonies for their first Holy Communion.

At the time I enrolled my daughter to the said school my wife and I already knew that as much as it is possible we will not have her participate in these religious practices. My daughter is aware that she is not a Catholic and in fact has an atheist for a dad and a theist for a mom. At one point, when I brought her to one of my Freethinkers meet up, she even introduced herself to the entire group as being too young to have a religion so she figures she’s an agnostic. Bright kid my daughter.

But because she is still a child, I was concerned that she feels left out in all the fun that her Catholic classmates have in gearing up for this important religious rite, being able to take part in the re-enactment of the last supper. So I asked her bluntly if she understands the entire reason why she is not joining the practices and what do her friends think about it.

She admits that she thinks the singing during the ceremonies is fun, but she still gets to participate during the practice. But she also understands why her parents don’t believe it’s necessary for her to take part of it.

Although I was a protestant child studying as well in a Catholic school when I was in my second grade, I participated in the Holy Communion. My parents never took the time to explain why I had to join even though I wasn’t Catholic. But I remember all sorts of things my classmates were saying like if you eat the bread and it sticks up the roof of our mouth that means you are such a sinner and that if you take in the bread and it takes a while to dissolve on your tongue you’ve been a nasty kid.

Of course even grownups have the same parameters, in churches pastors will say you cannot part take in the holy communion if you have ill feelings towards another person because you will become sickly and will actually be guilty of sin of you still eat the bread and drink the wine in that state.

So again I asked my daughter, “Are your classmates treating you differently that you are not participating in the First Holy Communion practices?” and her exact words were, “No, that’s the beauty of it dad, my classmates think it’s not fair that I don’t have to do all the stuff they are required to do!” Perks of an agnostic kid.

But more than the entire thing being silly, my daughter thinks it’s gross more than anything. Because after all, you are eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. I don’t know what spin Catholic parents are telling their kids about it, but in the mind of a child that is just plain gross and yucky! In fact, in modern day standards, you are technically a cannibal and an honorary cast member of Twilight after finishing your first Holy Communion. But in the eyes of everybody else, it just makes your child a licensed Holy Communion Ready Catholic.

I am glad that my daughter, as young as she is, gets it that it has nothing to do with how you are as a person and that the entire ceremony doesn’t make sense. But if you go ask a bible thumping believer about its significance and importance they will definitely go about saying it’s about remembering Jesus’ great sacrifice and fulfilling the duties of a Christian.

This got me thinking. Since I see church services being done in malls anyway, which is in my opinion an unlikely place of worship, why not make Holy Communion Drive Through services to make the blood and body of Christ more accessible to the busy Christian. I mean if it’s that significantly important and you want to make the entire ceremony more convenient to the congregation.

Personally of course my daughter and I prefer cheese burger and iced tea any given Sunday over the body and blood of Christ, but then again that’s just us.