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Sunday, February 8, 2009

What does a 7 year old confess?

The kiddo had his First Confession yesterday. This is a huge year for him. He was finally baptised about three weeks ago, First Confession yesterday and First Communion in May. What in the world does a 7 year old confess? Especially one who only has to remember the past three weeks? Whatever he confessed, it was such a proud moment yesterday. They had three priests in there for the kids. One in the regular confessional, one in another rarely used confessional, and then one they could sit with in the church. The kiddo went to the one in the church. I don't know if he sat face to face or back to back because I couldn't see that area of the church from where I was sitting. Watching him stand in line waiting his turn, he looked so incredibly serious and somber. He stood there extremely quiet and just waited his turn. He walked up and gave his confession and then walked back into the little chapel where we were waiting and went to the kneeler and immediately did his penance. He didn't even glance in our direction, just straight there. He sat back down with us when he was finished. I asked him quietly if he did all his penance and with great joy he said "Father only gave me one thing to do!" I am just so proud of him.

I was baptised a Catholic as a baby and remember doing CCD classes as a very young child, but it ended before I did First Communion because we moved and my parents never continued it. I still went to church, just various other churches.. whatever was convienent at the time. All through high school I went to a baptist church. So I don't know much about the Catholic religion compared to other parents whose kids are in the same CCD class as the kiddo. I felt a strong pull to enroll him in the classes last year though. Since he was born, I had felt a strong pull to get him baptised, but it was always something we kept putting off. When we finally had it done, I was just so happy to have it done!!!

He is truly enjoying religion classes every week. He loves learning about the Catholic faith. He's taking it way more seriously than I ever thought he would. He asks to go to Mass, something we never do, but will start doing at his request. I miss going to church every week and since the husband and I got married, forever ago, it's not anything we have ever done. I think we will start going more often. It's easy to go on a Saturday evening, it's only an hour.. we can surely spare an hour of our time on the weekends, right?

Religion used to play such an important part in my life. I still have my faith and feel strongly about what I believe in, but I miss going to church and being active in a church like I was in my youth. I'm feeling a strong pull to make it more important in my life again, so that is what I will do.

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