HCH File photo
COMMENTARY
New beginnings for fully initiated children
(Jayne Ragasa Mondoy wrote this for the many Hawaii children waiting patiently for the coronavirus pandemic to subside, so that they can be confirmed and receive their first holy Communion.)
A million years ago when I was a high school student at Sacred Hearts Academy, “TheBus” was my primary form of transportation to and from my home in Moanalua. On most days the long commute was uneventful. But one day, as we were cruising along my neighborhood, the bus engine went suddenly and inexplicably silent about a mile from my stop. After multiple attempts to restart the engine, the driver called for a backup.
Back then, mobile communications technology was unavailable unless you were Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise. There was no way I could call my mom to let her know I was running late. I compulsively checked my watch for a few minutes before asking the driver to let me off the bus. Familiar with his regular passengers, he asked why I wanted to walk all the way home, to which I replied: “I gotta go home cook rice!”
To my surprise, and slight embarrassment, just about every adult passenger on the bus let out a friendly laugh. A few applauded.
Each of us is born into a family whose members have both rights and responsibilities. As a child family member, I had a right to receive nutritious meals, which my parents lovingly provided. My responsibility (given to me at about age 7) was to contribute to the meal by cooking rice — that all-important staple of local families in Hawaii – not in an automatic cooker but ON THE STOVETOP! And while I got pretty good at it, mastering rice didn’t make me a cook. It did mean, however, that I was ready to BEGIN to learn how. Over the years, my cooking skills improved, but it all began with rice.
I share this reflection as we once again look forward to our baptized children completing their Sacraments of Initiation: Confirmation and Eucharist. While the reception of first holy Communion at about the age of 7 is a long-practiced tradition, confirming children at that age is rather new. Some parents and guardians express their child’s lack of maturity, concerned that their child does not possess the decision-making capacity to “fully know how to cook” (theologically speaking).
Yet children at the age of reason are ready and open to be fully initiated! They see the whole world through the lens of God’s grace. They hear with clarity God’s call to the sacraments and have the energy and desire to enact the gifts of the Holy Spirit in service to the community. They enthusiastically receive and are nourished by the precious Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
Now is a great time to more fully focus on intentionally forming our children in faith as they prepare to BEGIN their journey as fully initiated Christian disciples. Family actions may include:
- Attending Sunday/daily Mass regularly.
- Praying routinely.
- Sharing ways in which Catholic faith and teaching are important in daily life.
- Setting up a sacred space in your home with a Bible, crucifix, rosary, and other symbols of the Catholic faith.
- In the name of Christ, serving those in need, especially those who are poor, vulnerable or marginalized.
Indeed, when our children were baptized we accepted the solemn mission to raise them in the Catholic faith. As we prepare them for the Sacraments of Initiation, let’s remember that we are being called to BEGIN a journey accompanied by and filled with joy in our Risen Lord.
Now, go home, cook rice.
Jayne Ragasa Mondoy is the diocesan director of religious education.
