Growing Up

Angelus Article
http://www.stmvirgin.org/article104554.htm

My son, Liam, is growing up fast; we celebrated his first birthday on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. We had Cookie-Monster Cake because he likes Sesame Street. When I was a boy I remember watching Cookie Monster eat cookies on Sesame Street. I remember counting numbers with the Count. I remember Ernie singing about the joys of bathing. Overall, Sesame Street hasn’t changed all that much. The only big difference is Elmo. When I was a boy Elmo was a friendly red monster who hung out with Grover (a friendly blue monster) and said very little. Now he has his own fifteen-minute segment each morning that educates kids on everything from running and jumping to digital cameras.

My wife, Nicole, and I are trying to do what we can to make sure Liam gets exposed to as many good things as possible (what parent doesn’t try to do that?). One thing that most parents can agree on is sound education. I think Sesame Street is a great tool for children of a certain age, but at some point we all grow up and go to school, leaving Elmo and friends behind for teachers and coaches and other mentors, the memory of whom – just like Cookie Monster, the Count and Ernie – will bring smiles to our faces years later. They were all a part of shaping us and educating us.

I have always been convinced that many people learn about Christianity through the liturgy. If you had asked me as a boy what Easter meant I probably would have sung a verse from a hymn or the Easter Acclamation: Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! The prayers that are said each day or each season have certainly shaped my understanding of the Faith. As I grow older, I get more and more from the sermon: there is no substitute for hearing how the Good News of Christ has changed someone else. Books read, classes taken in seminary and classes that I have taught have educated me further still. Since the dawn of time, I think, parents have been saying the same thing to their children: “You have a lot to learn.” As a father and a son, I believe that’s true for all of us. There is a great deal that we can all learn about many things, not the least of which is the faith in Jesus Christ that we share with each other and all the saints throughout history.

It is fun to imagine the future. Someday Liam will probably be assigned the task of drawing a picture of Jesus or playing the role of shepherd in a nativity scene just like his dad did. He will someday learn the words of the Lord’s Prayer and get confused between the various Creeds like his dad still does. He will learn about the Church just by being part of it on Sunday mornings. I hope that someday he’ll find himself in a Bible Study or a class on the Sacraments as part of some adult Christian Education program. We outgrow certain forms of education, but does that mean we stop learning? I don’t think so.

Since I arrived at Saint Mary’s as the Curate for Liturgy and Education I have tried different approaches to offering Christian Education so that it can become part of the regular life of the parish. I think the current approach seems to be working. Christian Education on Sundays, either before or after Solemn Mass, has proven to be popular, so popular that we have grown out of the space we have been using for the last three years – there wasn’t enough room to close the door of Saint Benedict’s last week. Beginning this Sunday, November 18, all Christian Education classes will take place in the newly renovated Mission House on the Second Floor.

If you haven’t been to a class yet this fall, it's not too late! Robert McCormick is offering a class on Liturgical Music following Solemn Mass this Sunday. On the four Sundays of Advent, at 10:00 AM, the Right Reverend Richard F. Grein will lead a series exploring the parables told by Jesus in the Gospels. Also, the Spring 2008 schedule is nearly complete, and I am very excited about the future of Christian Education at Saint Mary’s. The classes are growing because people love to learn.