Published August 22, 2017
"Onward, Christian Soldiers"
If we are Christians, then we are soldiers. When we forget we are soldiers, we stop fighting. ~ Kimberly Miller
Lance wanted to get his Confirmation over and done with before he went to the Galaxy Garrison, because it would not be practical for him to take the weekly classes while training to be an astroexplorer. Even if they could find a parish close to the Garrison that would welcome him, it would be a hassle to have to do that on top of the intense studying and military training. Lance, as well as his family and teachers, knew from experience that he would function best under the lightest load possible.
His parents and the parish's director of religious education arranged for him to go through the program earlier and at a faster pace. Lance was the youngest kid in the class, but he made the greatest effort, because unlike during his previous years of CCD, he could not afford to be held back this time.
"Remember, Confirmation isn't just 'graduation' from Sunday School," the teacher reminded them emphatically. "It's the beginning of your spiritual adulthood. You'll be soldiers and ambassadors for Christ and the Church." When she caught sight of Lance's smirk, she scolded him, thinking he was scoffing. In fact, he was thinking of how soon he would be in the real military; and if there was any chance of aliens being real (though he was not pinning his hopes on that), he and other astroexplorers would be Earth's ambassadors.
When it came time to choose a saint's name, Lance tried to find one that would fit his interests or vocation. When the dictionary was passed around, he looked for patrons of science and aviation. There was Dominic, patron of astronomers, and Joseph of Cupertino, patron of air travelers and astronauts. Lance considered Saint Sebastian, patron of his favorite sport, archery, until he read the biography and found out the guy had been killed by being shot with arrows. He would feel more confident taking the name of someone who was good at the thing of which they were a patron, not a victim of it.
He waited until everyone else had left, then asked the teacher for recommendations related to a subject that he did not like to mention in front of other kids. It did not matter if he mentioned it to the teacher, since she was already aware of his condition. "Is there a patron saint of ADHD?"
"Not that I know of. There might be one of students, or learning disabilities."
Lance hated that word, at least when it was applied to him. That distinction made it sound like part of his body was missing or one of his senses didn't work, which was not the case at all. Nothing was missing from his physical makeup or wrong with his mental makeup. His brain just functioned in a way that happened to be slightly different from that of the average person. It did not hold him back, it was just part of who he was.
He didn't want to call attention to his different-ness and insist that it merited special treatment. Not that he was opposed to receiving special treatment for other reasons, like talents and accomplishments. He just didn't want people treating him like someone they were morally obligated to accommodate. He especially didn't want the Garrison rejecting him for some harebrained reason stemming from his ADHD. He could just imagine the skepticism of the teachers and students. "If you can't focus, how do you expect to become a pilot?"
They wouldn't understand the way Lance's mind worked, hopping between different trains of thought, zooming in and out to take stock of each situation. Most of the time, Lance's thoughts were all over the place, but when he was doing something he really enjoyed, he could hyper-focus and fix his attention on it. That was why he excelled at any kind of shooting—bow and arrow, rifle, darts, water gun. His favorite carnival game was always water gun races; he found it easy to keep the water steady on the target.
While his mind went down this train of thought, his teacher flipped through the dictionary of saints. "Did you know that there's a meteor shower named after a saint?"
"No. Really?"
"The Perseids are sometimes called the Tears of Saint Lawrence."
"Lawrence." That sounded like a longer version of Lance. "Why is it named after him? Was he an astronomer?"
"No, but the meteor shower usually appears around his feast day, August tenth."
"Huh. What's his story?"
She skimmed the biography and summarized it for him. "He was a deacon in Rome when the emperor was persecuting the Church. The pope was killed, and the emperor told Lawrence to hand over the church's wealth. He asked for three days to collect it. In that time, he gave all the Church's property to the poor so it wouldn't be confiscated. When he was ordered to present the treasures, he presented all the poor, the handicapped, widows, and consecrated virgins. He said they were the real treasures of the Church."
That seemed to be the punch line, but it left Lance feeling lost. "I don't get it."
"Well, they had benefited from the Church's work, and they dedicated themselves to God. You've heard of being 'the light of the world,' haven't you? Lawrence was probably thinking along those lines." She looked Lance in the eyes. "That's what this ceremony is all about. Do you understand?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"If you don't want him, I'd recommend Joseph of Cupertino. He was said to levitate, so he's the patron of aviators and astronauts; but he's also patronized for learning disabilities. He wasn't allowed to join the religious order he wanted to because he didn't have the right education for it."
Lance had to agree that it was a good fit. He had always struggled with school, and had just barely managed to get accepted to the Galaxy Garrison.
His entire extended family came to his Confirmation. After the ceremony, they held a fiesta to celebrate both his Confirmation and his acceptance to the Galaxy Garrison. When people congratulated him, he did not know if they were referring to what was ending, or what was beginning.
Many people gave him religious gifts with the thought that he would bring them with him to the Garrison. By the end of the day, he was equipped with a rosary, a Bible, a Catechism, and an assortment of medals and prayer cards. "There is no way I can bring all this," Lance insisted, gesturing to the pile of paraphernalia.
"You need some basic staples," his mother shot back.
"The Bible and Catechism can be read online." That was not to say he would actually read them, but it was reason enough to not bother bringing printed copies.
"Well, at least bring a rosary, and some kind of devotional. And make sure you go to Mass each week."
"Yeah, I know." He had heard and done that all his life. He did not know how things would turn out, what with homework and studying and training, but he placated his mom with promises to do his best.
That summer, as a late birthday present, his siblings took him on a camping trip to watch the Perseids. Lance bragged that from now on he would be able to do his stargazing with the best equipment available. They all tried not to talk about how they would not get to do fun things like this with him as often as they used to. When he finished training, he hoped to be assigned to missions in outer space, which could last months or years. There was no way to know for certain when he would be able to see his family.
Author's Notes
This chapter is named after a 19th-century hymn, with words by Sabine Baring-Gould and music by Arthur Sullivan.
Lance having ADHD is a headcanon that circulated through Tumblr. As someone who has ADD and whose brother had ADHD, I think it quite plausible.
I learned the story of Saint Lawrence from surface-level Internet research, primarily Wikipedia. If I've reported any inaccurate information, feel free to correct me.
