Tuesday, March 11, 2014

How NOT to freak out about preparing your child to receive the sacraments



I could swear it was yesterday when I was pregnant with my first born. I vividly remember the months of morning sickness and throwing up on the side of country roads on the way to work, the thirty-some hours of labor, the 12-plus weeks of colic and constant crying; she was a baby only a blink of an eye ago.

And now she'll be 7 in a few months. She's reading, taking care of chores around the house, feeding her baby sister baby food, and using the word "splendid" in conversation. How did this happen?!



I remember those first few months with Gemma, adjusting to being a mother in general and I distinctly remember this cute thought floating around my head: "Well, I'm so glad it's going to be such a long time before I have to start thinking about serious parenting things like school for her, and preparing her for First Reconciliation and First Communion." The jokes now on past me because the years flew by, and now I'm tackling homeschooling and thinking of resources to use in the upcoming months to prepare her to receive those sacraments of initiation.

And preparing your child to receive the sacraments can be intimidating! When we had our children baptized we publicly stated we would instruct our children properly. And the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist are the foundations of our Christian life, the establishment of a channel of grace between ourselves and Jesus. A big deal. How our children understand and foster their own friendship with Christ begins now, as does their foundational understanding of the faith and it's beautiful yet complex theology.

But as with most freak outs, if you focus on what really needs to happen you feel a sense of relief because it's a lot simpler than we think. To prepare our kids for the sacraments really means we give them a basic understanding of how God's grace and love is freely given to us in the gift of the sacraments and why we so desperately need them for the health of our souls. Our faith or knowledge might not be perfect but we can still give our kids so much encouragement, exposure, and prayers that God can do much more than we think possible.





Baby steps accompanied with our children's sweet curiosity and sincere faith will help us along. What also will help greatly, especially if you're preparing a sweetie for their first confession, is Kendra's wonderful guide A Little Book about Confession for ChildrenThis book thoughtfully lays out a solid understanding of confession, as well as perfectly presenting the sacrament in a loving and approachable way to children. I appreciated Kendra's writing style in that she neither talked down to a child or embellished the subject matter with fluffy spiritual language. All the different aspects of penance are presented from how a regular confession helps us grow in holiness, to what saints loved about the sacrament, to a very well done examination of conscience that is perfect for a child's first confession.

Now to convince Kendra to write the First Communion version!

Magnificat, (my kids and I have loved every book I've purchased from Magnificat and I can't recommend their children books enough for their quality presentation of the faith) and Ignatius Press kindly sent me a review copy and a copy to give away! I'd love to give it away as it's sure to help every kid and parent preparing for this important step in their faith life.



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16 comments:

  1. Nervous! My kids go to Catholic school, so they will also have prep as a part of class, but I plan to really work on it at home as well.

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  2. I still have a while, but I am nervous! It is highly likely that we will be homeschooling at the time so I feel like there will be extra responsibility!

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  3. I still have some time, though it will no doubt go by too quickly! But as a Catholic convert I never went through this process myself as a child, so I really have no idea what to expect, for myself or my kids! It'll be a learning process for all of us.

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  4. I thought that I would have lots of time as well before having to start preparing the oldest, although it will be next year when he receives his first sacraments! - Amanda

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  5. I'm still in the baby stage you speak of over here...but would love to be prepared when we get to the first confession stage!!

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  6. I can't say I'm nervous but I would love to try the book! My Michael will be making his First Reconciliation in a few weeks and I think this might help him grasp it more.

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  7. Oh my! My little one started attending catechism this past year and I was a nervous wreck: Did I teach him enough? Will he remember anything we've been talking about as a family? And then I started thinking: What else can we do at home? What prayers, bible verses and stories should he memorize? What things can I change in my life to be a better Catholic and a better example for my children? It's definitely a journey...

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  8. I feel like we've got a ways to go, but like you, it'll probably be here before I know it.

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  9. My oldest still has a few year until his first confession, but I really want to start a dialog with my kids about its importance and beauty of confession. Baby steps. I bet Kendra's book would be one way to open said dialog.

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  10. A little nervous. My oldest is 6 and has a few years still. I'm not really sure what to expect!

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  13. I have been feeling pretty nervous. This post of yours has come at a good time. thanks!

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  14. First off, I can NOT believe Gemma is that old now! Amazing! I remember when she was baptized, Margaret and I were saying "Christy is so grown up now; yeah getting married and having a baby is a grown-up thing but having your child receive a SACRAMENT is SO grown up!" And now... First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion?! I am kind of giddy to see a picture of her in her First Communion dress. Please do a What She Wore on Sunday post for the occasion? :)

    Also, I think this book looks great.

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  15. I'm still in the baby stage too, but my oldest is now 4, and becoming very curious about why she's can't receive communion yet.

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  16. How is Gemma that old?!!
    The thought of my kids starting to receive the sacraments hadn't even entered my thought process yet. Definitely a good thing to start thinking about!

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