Have you ever had a hobby or an activity that was so exciting and interesting that it encompassed most of your free time and then you wanted to continue to commit and develop yourself? To be honest, my answer up until this past year was “No, not really.”
While on mission, she met a woman living in Haiti who had previously lived in Georgia and served as a Director of Religious Education there. The woman brought her family (5 children) to Haiti, with the desire to serve as a missionary. She showed Maggie some of her CGS materials that she had been working on to help begin an atrium in Haiti. She thought that maybe these materials would help her to evangelize in a way that simply talking and teaching couldn't do. Maggie, filled with excitement, encouraged her new friend, "Let's do it! Really. Let's just try it and see what happens!"
We began our foray into the world of Infant-Toddler Catechesis this past fall. A catechist took a couple of videos this past week. The profound concentration and silence as all of the children chose a work is nothing new to a CGS catechist, but it is always amazing. Finding the same wonder among the youngest children is even more so.
The pain and worry behind her questions tore me from whatever I was doing and brought my focus on my sweet 9 year old. Probably the most surprising thing about raising up my children almost literally in the Church is the fact that 7 years of religious formation (by the time this particular child was 9) didn't help avoid these questions and doubts. In fact, I wondered if the focus on faith didn't bring these doubts on sooner. For children, faith comes first. Understanding comes later.