2003-05-01 - 3:42 p.m. Birth 7 Virgin Mary March 24th, 1986 My mom has me open the gift. I hoping that its Starscream from the Transformers. He�s so cool. But it�s this strange woman who is sitting in a half shell. My mom has put rocks around her feet. I don�t know who this woman is. Later I found out that this statue of the Virgin Mary was supposed to by a symbol for my first communion. I still have it up on my shelf, next to my awards, because it reminds me of how strange and wonderful my first communion was. I already had taken the quiz, and I was in my Sunday best. We were heading to a special mass for my CCD class to receive the Eucharist. I had been told that we were going to see the bread be turned into the body of Christ and the wine is turned into the blood of Christ. I was very excited. In fact, so excited that I am forgetting that I am pretending to be a dog. I really want people to think of me as a dog, that way they will pet me, and pay attention to me, and love me. I won�t get beat up anymore. So the mass begins, and goes, like the hundreds of masses I have been to before, and it gets to the Father�s Homily. The sun shines through the stained glass of the windows giving off a rosy red hue throughout the church. It looks beautiful on the ceder pews. I listen attentively, as the father talks. I folded and cupped my front hands up, with limp wrists, like my dog Cleo did, when she wanted food, and wanted to be noticed without whining. The priest tell us how special we are, and how lucky we are to be receiving the body and blood of Christ, and that he was going to perform the consecration. The statue of Mary was at my feet, and I look down at her thinking how wonderful it must have been to be the mother of God. Think of all the cool things she got. Like Starscream, Grimlock, Swoop, Slag, Snarl, Sludge. Man. I really like the dinobots. I bet if Jesus came back to earth, he would come back as a dinobot. And so the priest performed the consecration, and swung the incense and said his rituals and prayers. And I waited, for Jesus to arrive, or smoke to puff, or lights to flash. But nothing. And then the time came. He approached this Golden box with a cross in the front, which seemed to be glowing. As he put it in, and walked away, my eyes never broke. I held my breath in anticipation. Then he came back, and went to open the door. I dreamed of A man crawling out, or a burst of bright light. I envisioned a spirit coming out of the box and flying around, like in Raiders of the Lost Ark. But as he opened the door, he took out the same plain container and goblet. �What happened, woof,� I asked my mom. �It�s been changed, honey� �In the box?� �Yes� �Why couldn�t we see it happen?� I yipped like a Lapis-Apia quietly. �Well, its not for us to see. It�s a mystery of God.� �Like David Copperfield when he does magic?� I was trying to understand whether this was parlor trick or real magic. �Yes, like magic.� I was satisfied with that answer, and my mom seemed proud she was able to field that question. The Virgin Mary reminded me of the magic of god, from that day on, and I held on to that magic for along time. But magic's secrets get exposed, and my rose color glasses have been removed. I no longer want to be a dog, and I no longer believe in magic. | |||||||||||
