The Cathedral Through the Eyes of a Child

The days fly by. 

When I am babysitting the children I mentioned in a previous post, it is usually a two-day
stretch, 12 hours per day. I am enjoying my time with them, but find myself exhausted at the end of it; I am not accustomed to the constant vigilance required!

My prayer life returns to normal, of course, when I am not providing child care for them, but both of the children occupy my thoughts quite a bit of the time. I think often of what I might present to the 10-year-old girl by way of religious instruction. 

 
I took her to the Cathedral the other day, which was something she had been looking forward to. We walked down the center aisle, and she was gazing around and asking questions (she never stops asking questions, it seems!). But she was speaking in hushed tones, which surprised and delighted me. We walked up to the first row of pews, and she suddenly asked, "Why are we whispering?!" and giggled a little. I said, "It just feels like a place where you should whisper, doesn't it?" She agreed, and I told her it was appropriate because God is there and Jesus is in the tabernacle, and we show respect that way.

“It's so big!” she exclaimed. “It makes me feel really, really small!” I told her it was supposed to be that, because God is so big.

We talked about genuflecting; she wanted to do it correctly, and found it awkward (she's 10, and a 10-year-old's legs are long in proportion to their torso, and she seems to have especially long legs), but kept trying. Perhaps because of the genuflecting and bowing, she turned to me at one point and said, “So Jesus is our King, isn't he?”

I walked her through a quick Stations of the Cross because, boy-oh-boy, it was hot in there. She was so very touched by the Stations! She was appalled at the description I gave her of what crucifixion actually entails, and the manner in which the person dies. It was clear that she was both sad and horrified that something like that could happen to anyone, let alone Jesus, who she recognized had done nothing wrong. It was enlightening for me to see the Stations through the eyes of an unchurched but sensitive little girl!

Looking back from near the sanctuary up to the choir loft

She wanted to go up in the choir loft, which was surprisingly not as hot as it was down below. She said she loves music and would like to sing in the church choir. Sigh. Too bad they don't sing good music!

I get so much out of sharing the faith with her. At last, someone who doesn't mind listening to me, and who actually asks questions!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We had a little 10-year-old girl (and her family) visiting with us the other evening. She astounded me.

Her father asked to see my chapel, and suggested the girl would like to see it to. The father is not a Christian, and is only beginning to begin to see the need for a belief in God. The little girl has had no religious training at all, and did not know much more about Jesus than His name and the fact that He is associated with the Cross.

She was amazed by the chapel, and began to ask all kinds of questions. I answered as best I could, not always sure how much she knew or would understand of my answers. I made a comment in which I used the word "Catholicism", and she exclaimed, "I have no idea what that word you just said means, but I know I want to join your religion!"

After about 10 minutes, her father left us, and we continued our conversation there before the altar of God. She asked questions about Catholic beliefs, and she asked how one could know how to choose a religion to believe in out of all the choices out there. She did tell me that she definitely believed in God, "but I just don't go to church". Well, since her parents don't go, that is understandable!

I asked her how she came to a belief in God. "I had a kitty," she said. "Her name was Precious, and she was very special to me. But then she died, and I was really, really upset. And after a while I sort of got over it, but it just made me wonder...what happens to us when we die? Do we just disappear? It seems like something else must happen."

This struck me as an insight that many adults have yet to achieve! I thought of an article by Fr. Chad Ripperger - I believe it was called "The Sixth Generation"; in it, he talked about seeing an increase in the number of children who are apparently receiving graces that enable them to "see" things more clearly, to hunger for spiritual growth, to understand the faith beyond their years. I wondered if perhaps this little girl was manifesting those graces.

We talked about heaven and hell, and purgatory. She had no idea about what purgatory was, of course, so I explained that most of us need a little cleaning up before we go to Heaven. I asked her to name the famous celebrity she would most like to meet; she named a person whose name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I didn't really know who it was. No matter; the point is the same. I said, "If I told you that you could meet that person right now, what would you do? Would you want to clean up a little, maybe fix your hair, change your clothes?" That struck a chord! Of course she would! So she then had an idea about the purpose of purgatory.

I think we will talk more. She asked how one becomes Catholic, so we talked a little about that. At this point, it seems her parents are willing for her to explore that avenue, so we shall see what happens. Pray for her, please. I don't want to mention her name here, but God will know who you are praying for. And pray for me, too, that I might respond appropriately to all her questions and provide her with material that will help her grow in faith.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!