For First Communicants
NEUMANN PRESS
With Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, 1919
by a Sister of Notre Dame, author of First Communion Days
Page 10
--------Blessed Julie-------
More than a hundred years ago, in a little village in Picardy in France, Cuvily, lived a father and a mother and three little children, Madeleine, Julie and their little brother Louis. There had been four more little children but God had taken them to live with im in Heaven, and from there they looked down and watched over their father and mother and the three left on earth. When Julie was born Madeleine was seven years old, and thought herself a big girl. While Julie was quite tiny her mother used to show her pictures of Jesus and Our Blessed Lady, and taught her little prayers to say. If she took her for a walk they would go to the end of the village where there was a large crucifix with a little bench in front of it. Kneeling there with little Julie, her mother would tell her all that dear Jesus suffered for love of us. Then Julie's tears would flow, and she would ask her mother what she could do in return.
Later on she began to go to the village school. There the little girls and boys learnt the catechism and all about Almighty God. You should have seen Julie during those lessons; she did not play and fidget and look about, but with her eyes fixed on the schoolmaster she seemed to drink in every word he was saying.
By the time she was seven she knew every word of the catechism, and all the meanings too. Not so the other little children. Often they found it very hard and uninteresting, and they could not answer the questions. Little Julie noticed this, and it made her sad. She loved Our Lord so much that she wanted all the others to know and love Him too. Often when they were playing in the fields little Julie would get the others all round her, and with her catechism on her knee she would explain it so well, and tell them such wonderful things about Almighty God, that they were all delighted and were always glad to listen. Sometimes Julie would notice that certain little boys and girls were not there, and she would send the others to look for them.
"I want plenty of little souls," she would say, "to teach them to love the Good God."
There was a very holy priest in that village, and he soon noticed what a good little girl Julie was, and how much she loved the Good God and was loved by Him in return. So he tried to help her to become even more holy. He taught her how to talk to our Blessed Lord when at church and at home, and how to give up little things she liked to show her love for Him. He taught her too how to watch over her temper. Julie's little brother Louis was a great tease, and sometimes Julie found it very hard not to speak crossly. She knew that cross words displeased Our Lord, so she prayed very hard for patience, and if ever she spoke a cross word she would at once say she was sorry. Very soon, no matter how much Louis teased, she was always gentle and patient, trying to be like her dear Jesus during His Sacred Passion.
When the good priest saw how hard Julie tried to correct her faults, and how well she prayed, he said he would let her make her First Holy Communion. But, in case the other village children should be jealous at Julie's being allowed to make it so much sooner than they, the good priest said she must keep it a secret. How happy Julie was, and how she longed for the day to come. At last the happy morning dawned, and you shall know just what happened.
Very, very early in the morning, before anyone was awake, little Julie got up. She put on the simple peasant's dress that she always wore, and her little bonnet, and opening her door very quietly, so as not to awake her brother, and sister, she ran quickly to the village church. The good priest was waiting at the door for her, and together they went in. How empty the big church looked, but it did not feel empty to Julie. She only had thoughts for her God waiting for her there in the tabernacle.
First she said the prayers for Holy Communion that the priest had taught her. Then she began to pray in her own words until the priest went up to the altar. Very reverently Julie knelt on a low rush-bottomed chair and received her First Holy Communion; no white frock or veil had she, no little companions kneeling at her side, no fathers and mothers watching, no sweet music nor bright flowers; but instead the church was filled with beautiful Angels adoring their God, and looking with wonder on little Julie's soul, now become the home of their God and hers. And how happy was her Guardian Angel at her side now that Julie had Jesus in her heart Long Julie remained there, thanking dear Jesus for the gift of Himself that morning; and after this she thanked the kind priest for all the trouble he had taken with her, then quietly returned home to her ordinary day's work.
From time to time for two whole years Julie received Holy Communion in this way all alone. After that the priest allowed her to go with the other children of the village, but she never told the others her secret, and how many times already Our Lord had come to visit her.
When she grew up Julie never missed an opportunity of hearing Mass and receiving Holy Communion, no matter how many difficulties there were in the way. All her life long she taught others to know and love Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and Jesus filled her heart full of love and joy in Him, so that she always kept singing in her heart
"Oh, how good is the Good God."
www.catholictradition.org/Children/true-stories10.htm
