First Communion

I have to tread with caution on my thoughts on this blog since no one topic is more controversial than religion.  In many ways, I feel religion is as ambiguous as politics. Yet most of us are deeply rooted in one.   A First Communion is a Catholic Church ceremony that "confirms" a child to the religion so that he/she can learn the culture and its values. There are different forms of the same process amongst Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,  Islam and the various other religions of the world.  

Religion can be viewed as a way of life, a call of faith or a medium to enforce to us that there is a Supreme Being who controls the universe.  To do good unto others, to lead a pious life and to have compassion for those less fortunate seem to be the basic teachings of all religions.  It also teaches us that victory of good over evil often comes after much pain and suffering.  Religions believe in the concept of peace and harmony for all living beings.   Yet it is this very facet of life that can draw people into war and make us act in the most heinous fashion; all in the hope of achieving 'nirvana' or freedom for our soul.  We not only practice religion in everything we do but also try to preserve it through generations.   We may preach tolerance and secularism but in our hearts we find comfort in the 'way of life' that our mothers and grandmothers have taught us.  We may go to religious  schools for education but the influence of religion in our home far surpasses those of the outside world.  And when this passion for religion takes an ugly path, it becomes what is called fanaticism. 

I now know that it is important for my children to know the religious beliefs I hold, solely not because I want them to follow the same path but more so to ensure that I stay within my comfort zone of life.  For there is no other more difficult aspect of life than embracing a religious belief that is different from the one you were engrained with.

A simple white vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting topped with a sugarpaste replica of the young boy offering his prayers symbolic of the 'last supper' rites was created to wish the family a blessed event.