Most of my Wondering Wednesday posts are long ponderings. Sure, they are subjects I "wonder" about, but a majority of the wonderings are questions/fears/anxieties that cannot be answered at the present time.
Today my wonderings I believe are a bit more answerable. Maybe y'all can help me out!
#1.
My husband and I went to Saturday evening Mass this past weekend. While the priest was walking over to read the Gospel, Ryan leaned over to me to inform me that he was going to use the rest room when the homily began. This is a tiny little church, so if you need to use the rest room you have to exit the church, walk across the lawn and go into a side entrance of the rectory. Ryan returned a little sooner than I thought he would. "The door was locked to the rectory," he whispered in a bit of a panic.
He started doing the "gotta pee knee jiggle." I put my hand on his knee and out of habit I said, "Offer it up." He stopped and stared off into the distance for a second then whispered, "What does that mean exactly?" Then it was my turn to stare off into the distance and wonder. I wasn't really sure what that meant! I just shrugged my shoulders and went on to listen to the homily.
While driving home I was wondering what "offer it up" means. Does it mean to offer up your pains and sufferings for the release of the poor souls in purgatory? Or does it mean to offer up your pains to be united with the pains that Christ suffered on the cross. Perhaps it can mean both? I really don't know!
#2.
This is something I've been wondering since I was pregnant with our Baby Gus. When I receive Jesus in the Eucharist, does the grace affect the soul of the unborn baby inside me? I thought for sure it does.
But then I started thinking technically. To receive their First Communion a child must be baptized. There's obviously no way to baptize a baby in the womb. There is the baptism of desire, but isn't the reserved for babies who pass away before they are born or in infancy? But I'm not wanting to go that route.
I'm just thinking in simple terms. My body is a home to two souls; my own and the soul of my son. (That just blows my mind!) Surely God's infinite grace and love affects the soul of my baby when I receive the Body of Christ. Maybe I'm just being naive and my mind-set is of the fairy dust theology kind. But whenever I pray for my unborn son I pray that he grows healthy and happy in both body and soul. There might be some strict theological teaching regarding this, but I have too much on my plate right now to figure it out.
I just think it's a nice thought to think that my baby's soul is being nourished by Christ while still floating away in my womb.
What do you all think?
5 comments:
1. I have no idea about the whole offering it up thing - that's something I'm still trying to figure out!
2. I totally think that when I'm receiving the Eucharist my baby is, too. I have no idea if that's technically correct, but it's such a beautiful thought that I can't imagine the Lord refusing it. If everything I eat affects my baby, why wouldn't this? I'm so excited by this thought that I'm really trying to start making some daily masses. And even if it doesn't work that way, it certainly can't hurt for me to be receiving it more!
#1: This is a mystery I also ponder and struggle with but included a link to what I thought was an amazing reflection on suffering and offering up~ does discuss intense labor pain so skip if you decided not to read birth stories.
http://www.conversiondiary.com/2009/02/childbirth-tupac-and-offering-it-up.html
#2: Very interesting question ~ I will have to think on that.
I don't know if I was ever taught specifically one way of "offering it up" but I do remember learning and I often practice...offering up sufferings for others. For example, when I ran a marathon a few years ago, I asked people for prayer intentions and I had an intention for each mile. And in some cases...instead of praying for the mile, I offered up my pain to join with Christ's and ask intercession for someone else.
Uniting our own sufferings with Christ's is one of the best things I know to do when hurting. That doesn't mean I always remember...but when I do, I notice that my complaints cease more often than not.
ok...not sure if that really helps or not.
Joy and Michelle- you have definitely helped me out on that wondering!
Elizabeth- I'm glad you also think our babies get grace from Jesus in the Eucharist!
I think that your baby benefits in many ways from you receiving communion. Technically the grace is probably closer to adoration than the baby receiving communion for himself (because the accidents break down before they'd get directly to the baby), but it is all good!
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