Mary is the Tree of Life, and Jesus is the fruit of that tree. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were denied to eat the fruit from the Tree of Life. Until that time, before they “knew” good from evil, they were allowed to eat of it.
The meat from the sin offerings and the passover meal were shared by entire Jewish families — the children were not excluded.
Jesus Christ did not only come to save only the old people, but to save all people. When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, we were opened up a new chance — a chance to be baptized and then to be forgiven of our guilt from the ancient sin of Adam and Eve.
We all, old and young, were given a chance to recieve the Fruit from the Tree of Life, to recieve Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and divinity.
From the first days of the Church, children recieved regularily the Eucharist. At the Council of Trent the Church said, “That infants and children not yet come to the use of reason may not only validly but even fruitfully receive the Blessed Eucharist is now the universally received opinion.”
Over time, in some Catholic communities, there was no longer an understanding that the Eucharist is indeed the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Some think it only a symbol. These people have long argued that children cannot participate, because for those people it was mearly a statement — not sustaining food. Sadly, the custom in much of the US is today to deny Jesus Christ to the children.
Pope Benedict XVI has asked the the United States Conference of Catholic Bisohps re-think how it administers the sacraments of initiation, and to do so considering the traditional practice of giving Holy Communion immediatly after Confirmation, immediatly after Baptism, as part of the same right, for infants — just as is done for adults entering the Church; and as it is done currently for Eastern-Rite Catholics (note: Pope Benedict XVI, himself, is an Eastern-Rite Catholic as pope).
