True First Communion Stories: Little Johnny

TRUE FIRST COMMUNION STORIES

LITTLE JOHNNY

Johnny lived in England. He was a ragged, dirty little boy, because his father and mother were tramps. They went from one village to another, begging, and when they got a little money, they would spend it at the nearest pub, which is a place where people drink beer. They really should have used the money to take care of their little boy, but they had a bad habit of drinking, and so their life went on.

Johnny's parents also had the terrible habit of using bad language. Now, sad to say, Johnny thought this was very clever, and since he had been a tiny child, he tried to copy his parents in every way, until he too, never spoke, without using bad language.

The poor boy was always in rags, and had never known what it was like to wear shoes and socks. And he could never remember staying longer than a week at any place, until he was about 8 years old. At that time Johnny's mother became ill, so they moved to Manchester, England, and went to live in a tiny room on one of the worst streets in that city.

Now it happened that Johnny's mother was a Catholic, though not a good one. She had never been inside a church since she was a little girl at school. But feeling herself so ill, she thought about the bad life she had led, and how Johnny had never been baptized. So one day when his father was out, she sent Johnny to look for a priest. The boy went out into the street, asked someone where a priest could be found, and soon returned with the priest.

The priest stayed a long time with Johnny's mother, for he saw she was dying, and he wanted to help her be sorry for the bad life she had led. He promised too, that Johnny would be baptized and put into a Catholic school. Soon after this his mother died, but not before the priest had done all he could for her and Johnny. And now Johnny's father decided to stay in Manchester, since his wife was dead.

Now Johnny had to go to school. But the boy did not like school; he had spent most of his childhood roaming around the streets. And he could not see why he should be made to sit still, and learn all sorts of things he did not want to know. So he behaved as badly as he could, and did his best to make others naughty too. He was so bad that many times his teacher was at her wits end when she saw how terribly he behaved.

The only time that Johnny was good in school was during religious instruction. He had never heard about the life of Our Lord before, and when he first heard the story about the passion, he cried bitterly. If his teacher had not noticed this, she probably would have sent him away from the school, but she thought she would get him to be good for the love of Our Lord.

One day she asked him to walk home with her so that she might talk to him alone. She explained to him how he hurt Our Lord by his bad behaviour, and by the bad language he used. Johnny replied, "I don't want to be naughty, but I never know when I am using bad language! I just speak the same way as my father!"

Then his teacher said, "I will give you a little picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and when you are in school, keep it on your desk to remind you."

Then Johnny promised, "I will try to do better."

After that, each morning, he took out his little picture of Jesus, as the teacher had told him. And many a time, just as he was going to begin some trick to make the other boys laugh, his eyes fell upon the picture and he went on with his lessons instead. He did not become good all at once, and many times he had to be punished. But he went on trying and that was what his teacher wanted.

The next year Johnny made his First Confession. His great trouble was his habit of using bad language. It seemed as if he could not cure himself. You see he had always heard this language from his father when at home. The following year the priest put him in First Communion class, but he told the boy that he really must overcome his habit of using bad language, if he wished to receive Our Lord with the other children.

Johnny often tried to do little acts to please Our Lord, and it made him sad to think he had so little to give him. One day his teacher asked the children, "Instead of buying sweets, bring your money for some very poor children, and in this way you will show your love for Our Lord." Poor Johnny was very sad about this. What could he give? He had nothing at all. The next day to his joy, his father gave him some money to buy some lunch. Johnny was so delighted, that he ran all the way to school and gave some of this money for the poor. Now, do you not think Our Lord must have loved him for doing this?

A month later, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, the children were to make their First Communion. Although Johnny still used bad words sometimes, he was so much better, that the priest said he might make his First Communion too. The day before, Johnny went to Confession, and was glad to think that there was only the night to pass, before Our Lord would come to him. He had no nice clothes to wear, nothing but his rags, but his teacher had told him to wash himself well and she would lend him a coat, as he didn't have any.

When it was time to go to bed, Johnny got some water and began to give himself a good washing. His father asked the boy what he was doing that for, and Johnny told him. He had only once or twice spoken to his father about religion, for each time it had made him so angry that he had beaten Johnny cruelly, so the boy thought it wiser to say nothing about it. But that night he answered without thinking.

When his father heard that Johnny was going to receive his First Communion the next day, he was so angry that he began to use the most terrible language, and took up a stick to beat the boy.

"Oh, father, beat me if you will," Johnny cried out, as he put his hands to his ears, "but do not use such dreadful words. I cannot stay here if you do."

"So, your own father's language is not good enough for you! And you can't stay here? Go and find a home for yourself!" And pushing Johnny out the door the angry man shut it, and left his little boy out in the street.

It was dark. Johnny walked slowly down the street until he found a doorstep where he would be nearly hidden if a policeman passed. Then sitting down, he took out his rosary, and quietly said his prayers till he fell asleep.
Early in the morning he awoke stiff and cold, but he did not think of that. He only remembered it was his First Communion day and ran off towards his school.

His teacher was there with the other First Communicants, and lent him the coat she had promised, pinning a white ribbon on to the sleeve. How happy Johnny was as he walked up to the Communion rail with the others, and it was only after the breakfast at the school, that Johnny told the priest where he had spent the night.

"You see, Father," he said, "I was so afraid if I listened to those dreadful words I should be repeating them to myself without thinking, and so stain my soul."

So in order to make a pure home for Our Lord in his heart, Johnny had lost his earthly home. But you will be pleased to know that the priest found a new, good Catholic home for the boy, where he grew up to become a good and useful man, thanks be to God.

The End

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