As the late television personality Art Linkletter used to say, “Kids say the darndest things.” I have found that out in my years of teaching, as well as from similar stories friends have told me. Such stories remind us how much we take for granted. Much of what we know has been part of our lives for so long that we assume everyone knows it. When we encounter a child’s excitement over a new discovery, we have a chance to see the world in a new light and to appreciate what wonders we see every day. For me, that is one of the joys of teaching about the Young Testament or the proper handling of insects at mass. These experiences help me focus on what our faith is all about and on how our faith looks to those who are just discovering it.
Today we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, when we honor those volunteers who give of their time and talent in order to help bring the message of salvation to our children – and to our adults through such programs as Baptism preparation and the like. While I speak often about our school, I never want to forget those who learn about God in CCD and other ways. Saint Malachy Parish is blessed with a wonderful catechetical team, led by our Catechetical Administrator Joanne Swank, who puts so much effort into providing an excellent program of faith formation.
Especially when working with the children, there is a real thrill in seeing something dawn upon them. When they “get it,” there is a real sense of excitement. That excitement can come in any subject, such as when a student who as struggled with certain math problems finally understands how to solve the problem. But that dawning of understanding is even more of a thrill when we learn about our faith, for there it transcends simply an academic subject. The real joy of faith formation is seeing someone come to an experience of the love of Christ. Saint John Paul II, in a document addressed to catechists, wrote, “Yet at the heart of our faith, we do not find doctrine or teaching; we find the person of Jesus.” Our faith formation is not about teaching an academic subject; it is rather an invitation for all of us to open our hearts to receive the greatest love we could ever experience. And when we teach others our faith, we ourselves come to recognize the love of God more clearly in our own lives. So today we thank all our catechists for the effort and the energy which they expend in order to make the love of Christ present to our parishioners. I pray that they may continue to grow in their own faith by their work with their students and that, together with their students, their enthusiasm may make Christ’s presence in our parish more visible to every one of us.
Father H
