A priest went to visit a parish where his friend was stationed, and as they walked through the social hall, he noticed that they were taking down some posters on the Sacraments, the parts of the Bible and other such topics. He asked his friend why they were removing them, and the priest from that parish responded that the posters were projects of our CCD classes, and they had to get them out of the way for the bingo that evening. The visiting priest remarked that we sometimes get things backwards. He said, “Jesus played with children and taught adults. Today we teach the children and then play with the adults.”
It is easy to separate learning from fun. Yet what Christ’s teaching is not supposed to be tedious or dull. It may not always be fun, for the way of the Lord can be challenging. Ultimately, though, Christ taught us in order to help us come to the fullness of joy in His kingdom. So why shouldn’t we have fun while growing in our faith? And with that in mind, we have Vacation Bible School this week. This is a time for our younger children to get out of the house and go to school during summer vacation. It almost sounds cruel to send children to school during the summer, but Vacation Bible School is an event that combines learning with fun. While this is my first experience of St. Malachy’s Vacation Bible School, I have been involved with it in other parishes. Everywhere I have seen the VBS, it has been a truly enjoyable week for all involved. There are games and crafts and songs and many other activities, along with stories from Sacred Scripture. And not only is it fun for the younger children, but the older kids who volunteer have a great time as well. In fact, as I mentioned the habit of “playing with the adults,” I have found that the adults who are involved are having just as good a time as the children.
As we prepare for this event, I want to say a special word of thanks to our Director of Religious Education, Joanne Swank, and her team for putting this event together. There is a lot of work that goes into an event of this kind, and just coordinating all those who are involved is a major task. Yet she and her team do the job joyfully, out of a deep love for Christ. That faith is the foundation of the efforts to make the week worthwhile as being both educational and fun.
So we welcome all who are taking part in our Vacation Bible School this week. I may even sneak out and get into a game or two myself. Just because I’m an adult doesn’t mean that I can’t play and have fun. After all, we all hope to share in the joy of Christ that will never end. So please pray that we can share that joy with the children of our parish in our VBS.
Father H
