April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
Watching kids make their first sacrament  of reconciliation
My only involvement with the service was the honor of reading the Gospel, which was the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-32). Sometimes I find it nice to be able to just sit and observe. Here are some of my observations from that morning.
We are very fortunate at Transfiguration parish to have Father Ingemie with us, and Father Brucker on occasion. They are so excellent with our children.
During his homily, Father Ingemie asked the children some questions about the Gospel story they had just heard. It made me very happy to hear that the children's answers to his questions were correct and clearly indicated that they were listening to the Scripture reading.
More than that, they understood the teaching of the parable. For that, I thank Beth Thayer and all of the teachers in our faith formation program. I also thank you parents for teaching your children at home.
I heard one of the children say these words after completing the sacrament, "That wasn't that bad at all." I understand that doing anything for the very first time can be very difficult. We don't really understand what will happen, so we have a certain measure of discomfort, maybe even fear.
Parents, I ask you to help promote the sacrament of reconciliation as the great blessing it is. In the sacrament, we receive God's mercy and forgiveness; we receive God's grace and blessings; and we receive God's love and compassion.
There is nothing negative or scary when we come to God in the sacrament of reconciliation to confess our sins. Reconciliation is a sacrament of healing. We should all look on the sacrament of reconciliation in this way. Let's stop referring to the sacrament as, "Going into the box." The sacrament is a wonderful gift from God, and we should receive it whenever we can.
I paid particular attention to the faces of the children right after they had made their first confession. I saw faces that expressed joy and happiness, which is the same feeling I always have whenever I go to confession. The look on the children's faces warmed my heart.
Finally, I have an observation for all parents of children of any age: Never forget that your children will very often take their lead from you. If you consider something important and show that by your actions, then there is a really good chance that your children will consider it important, too.
Again, I saw the look on the children's faces after their parents made their confessions. They were so happy that their parents joined them in making their confession. Parents, you are the first, and most important teachers of your children. If practicing your faith is important to you, it will be important to them.[[In-content Ad]]
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