I often have many kids with me in Church, at various catechetical and sacramental levels. Some Sundays ago, some of those kids managed to get some bubble gum snuck into Church, and before I even knew it, were chewing vigorously. Once I finally did notice, I reprimanded them in hushed whispers, and told them that now they could not have communion (they broke the fast).
Naturally, once this happened, those so chastised just had to make good and sure that I knew about the other kids that were also chewing said gum. When I turned to one of them, and started into the same whispered lecture, she immediately replied:
“But Paul, it’s just a breath mint. I had bad breath and I didn’t want Jesus to smell it.”
OK. She had communion that day!
