When I’m driving, it takes willpower to turn off National Public Radio and pop in the most boring voice on the planet: the man somebody paid to read the entire Bible. I bought a few of these CDs at a junk store sometime ago. Lately, I’ve been listening to the Book of Matthew. That is, until my son Sullivan calls from the back seat for me to “make that man stop talking.”

NPR has what they call “driving moments.” This is when you hear something so good on NPR you don’t get out of the car until the story is over. Well, I had one of those the other day while listening to the boring-voice man read the Bible. This is the part I kept rewinding:

“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

Children attend Vladimir The Mother of God Icon Church, Russia, 2008

Children and Religion

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about children and religion. Children are so innocent and too often society, government, families, even the Church, fail them miserably. I’ve been working on a post outlining all the reasons why I think it’s important for Generation X to take their children to church. Religious education in the home is also important. According to a book I’m reading, The New Faithful, by Colleen Carroll, Generation X likes worship services shot through with symbolism and tradition. In general, it feeds the Generation X craving for mystery. Children crave mystery, symbolism, and tradition, too.

In the Protestant faith, there are no Bar Mitzvahs or First Communions. There are Baptisms and infant dedications, but there are no big celebrations the first time a child takes the Sacraments or participates publicly for the first time in a church service. I really think this is something Protestant denominations need to rethink. First Communion is such a beautiful rite of passage in faith for Catholic children.

In the meantime, Robert and I try to focus on creating celebrations in our home to mark the spiritual journeys of our children, but we don’t do enough. This post is a reminder to me most of all to do more.

Children in a service, Church of St. Sergius of Rado nezh, Tomsk, 2008

Note: When I first wrote this post, I was still attending the Protestant church and before I converted to Catholicism. Robert attended the Catholic church as a kid and was confirmed a year or so after I wrote this. Since that time, our son has taken his First Communion and our oldest daughter has been confirmed. All my children were dedicated as babies in the Church of the Nazarene. Children and religion is still a subject I explore on a weekly if not daily basis as we seek to live our lives pleasing to God.

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