Let There Be Light: A true story by Karolina Robinson

Author:Karolina Robinson [Robinson, Karolina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michael Terence Publishing
Published: 2016-12-15T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

I’d spent the whole of August getting ready for my first Holy Communion ceremony.

It was to take place just after my ninth birthday. I wasn’t particularly keen on that whole religious thing, but back in those days, there was no other choice. Only when I’d reach high school would everything change and us pupils be allowed to choose between religion and ethics curriculums.

I was going to summer Bible studies, three times a week, trying to learn all of the important bits and of course, what I must do on the big day.

September of 1997 turned out to be quite cold. My mother and me went shopping for a gown and I still couldn’t see what the big deal was.

We bought a long-sleeved lace-topped dress with a big, white satin skirt. The skirt was so long, we didn't even bother to buy matching shoes.

A week before the Holy Communion ceremony, every child had to attend their first confession. Miss Barbara gathered us all in the classroom.

‘This is a very important day for you kids. Remember to be honest, the whole purpose of the confession is that you will be to enter the Holy Communion with a pure and clean heart and soul.’

We took a bus to the small church. The priest gave us a lecture about the biblical point of view. One by one we had to go and kneel in front of the confessional. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Should I tell everything about what was going on? But it is not like I am a sinner just because these things are happening in my life, I was thinking.

My turn came quickly and I walked towards the booth, kneeled and started to whisper.

‘Heavenly father, forgive me, for I am a sinner…,’ I took a long pause.

‘I lied to my mother and my father many times and I stole a pen from a girl in my class.’

The one time I’d needed to be honest and confess something, I’d lied since I had nothing to confess.

The priest told me to pray and say, ‘Hail Marry’ five times.

Once we were all done, Miss Barbara took us back to school, where she had already prepared some juice and cookies.

On the day of the Holy Communion ceremony I was so happy that my mum had bought me that long-sleeved dress since it was really cold and windy. Inside the church was even colder, looking at my other classmates with their tiny dresses, seeing their elbows turning blue, made me chuckle inside.

We stood in two rows, first the girls and then the boys. Of course, me being shortest, I was at the end of the girl’s line. Each one of us held a candle in our hands and a Bible that priest would bless.

We all prayed together, flipping through the pages of our Bibles. My brand new Bible smelt like a bookshop. As I turned the pages the crisp paper cut straight through my right pointy finger. Blood started to run down my palm and onto my big white skirt.

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