A Rant

Well, I'm not really keeping up with this am I? This fall we've really tried to cut out some extra activities and still we seem to be busier than ever. I'm going to take this five minutes I have to update my faith filled, holy blog with a total rant! I am going to be teaching 5th grade CCD at our church (this isn't the rant this is just setting the stage). For years I avoided teaching CCD because I was teaching my kids all week long and this was the one hour a week I had for just me and Mike. Now the kids are older and we have more me and Mike time, so now I'm a CCD teacher. Last year I taught Madi's class. This year I told Sister Judy that I'd teach whatever she needed as long as it was on Sunday mornings the same time as Jake's class. So 5th grade it is. I'm hoping they are a little more eager to learn about their faith than last year's 6th graders, but I'll try to do my part. In the car the other day Jonathan and Madi and I were discussing CCD. Here's where my rant comes in... I get frustrated when people don't put their kids in CCD! (I'm not trying to point fingers here, I'm merely working through my faith and my thoughts.) Here's the thing, first there are the Easter/Christmas Catholics that can't make time for church on Sundays. This is a group I am fairly familiar with. I'm not sure what can be done to help this group to see the richness of their faith. One possible way might be for the people who truly are living their faith to be examples for these laisse faire types. This is the thing that frustrates me, when people who are truly in love with the Church don't get involved in the faith formation of their own Parish. There seems to be a growing contingency of people who keep their kids out of CCD. The reasons being their teacher might teach them the wrong thing or the other kids might "bring their kids down" in some way. I have a problem with this. This to me is not at all the same argument that public school advocates use against homeschoolers (keeping the light of the world out of the world). We aren't talking about the public here, we are talking about your own Church! I know many kids learn far more about their faith at home than they ever can in 1 hour of CCD (I would hope that everyone does!). This to me doesn't seem like a good reason to keep them out. As a parent (often a homeschooling one) you have far more influence on your kids than some volunteer teacher and a few other kids have 1 hour a week. You have plenty of time to discuss what was taught in class and to correct any misconceptions. Maybe not only with your own children, but how about with the mistaken teacher and the rest of the kids too?! How are we going to perpetuate the faith if we aren't involved with other faithful (or not so faithful) people?! I am thrilled beyond belief that our parish is starting some new programs to continue to get more and more people involved and excited about their church!! Mike and I are going to be facilitators for a small group/ couples study that is going to be starting in our home. I can't wait! It is our job to help one another get to heaven. How can we do that if we aren't involved with one another? How can we expect future generations to see the beauty of the Church if we don't let our kids get involved in the Church?! Remember, I taught a whole year of 6th grade CCD. I saw what my daughter was up against, kids talking about some less than appropriate things that go on at their schools and about their phones and their eagerness for the hour to be over. But you know what, these kids also spent an hour with my daughter. They saw her eagerness to learn about the faith even when it was her mom teaching the class. I'd like to think we planted some seeds with those kids. Certainly more seeds than would've been planted if no one volunteered to teach the class or if no eager kids were there. Believe me, I'm not talking about throwing your kids to the wolves here. I'm talking about spending some time with some kids who are trying to learn about their faith, but don't yet understand the depth of it. So tomorrow morning, I'll think about this when the first 5th graders walk into my class. Some of them, whose families are merely fulfilling their "obligation" to go to Mass and others who may only be dropping off their kids for CCD without even attending (maybe so they can have an hour of cheap babysitting), but I'd like to think I'll have a few kids whose parents have attempted to teach them some of what this is all about. They can help me to bring the love of Jesus to the kids who need it most.