By: Christopher Vance
Like any good military recruiter, Jesus doesn’t advertise that His way
will be easy: “He who wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his
cross daily, and follow me” (Lk 9:23).
Like any good military recruiter, Jesus doesn’t advertise that His way
will be easy: “He who wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his
cross daily, and follow me” (Lk 9:23).
Being Catholic is a challenge. As Catholics, we believe that God calls
each of us, as members of “the Church Militant,” to join his army to fight for
the kingdom of God. Modern ad campaigns for the military are quite successful
at drawing young recruits, often through depicting the effort and struggle that
soldiers must undergo during training (usually with some epic music). Each
human heart has a hunger for challenge, struggle, and greatness — yet no
soldier can fight well for long without some measure of food, rest and
encouragement. Jesus understands this need well. Jesus, as a wise leader of His
army, instituted the sacraments to nourish and rejuvenate His soldiers for
their daily trials.
When does the training start for a member of Christ’s army? At the
beginning of Jeremiah the prophet’s story, the Lord chides Jeremiah, “Do not
say, ‘I am too young’” (Jer 1:7). For the students of St. Croix Catholic School
in Stillwater, sacramental preparation begins in the second grade — for the sacrament
of reconciliation.
Most soldiers are forged through some form of “boot camp.” Similarly, the
students of St. Croix Catholic are surrounded by an encouraging environment in which
their teachers challenge them to grow in knowledge of their faith — particularly
through studying the Ten Commandments and discussions that help form their
consciences. The students are exposed to Scripture stories that particularly
manifest God’s love and mercy so that they need not fear to approach God in reconciliation,
where he offers restoration to a connection with him for the weary soldier.
For second-grade students at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in West St.
Paul, there is little time to lose: preparation for first Communion begins
shortly after the child’s first sacramental encounter with Jesus in reconciliation.
St. Joseph’s prepares its students to receive Jesus in the Eucharist through religion
class, visiting with the priest, attending Mass during the school week and school-sponsored
retreats. It’s all geared toward cultivating a profound understanding that holy
Communion is just that — an intimate communion with the holy God. It is the
spiritual food that sustains us for our daily battles, banishes our fears and
rekindles the hunger to press forward.
As a young soldier progresses through the ranks of Catholic grade school,
his or her mind forms a greater awareness of the challenges that life in the
world brings for a Christian. Catholic schools and churches such as St. Vincent
de Paul in Brooklyn Park seek to provide confirmation preparation, starting in ninth
grade, which helps students overcome real obstacles they face, such as doubt, misunderstanding
and temptation. The St. Vincent de Paul confirmation preparation program
provides key opportunities for students to make their faith their own through
faith formation sessions, multiple group service projects, two St. Vincent de
Paul retreats, a confirmation interview, and the choice of a confirmation
sponsor to walk with them on the journey to their confirmation ceremony in tenth
grade. As David says, the Holy Spirit “trains
my hands for battle and my fingers for war” (Ps 144:1). It is through
Confirmation, a sacrament of initiation, that Christ opens the gateway for the Holy Spirit to descend anew.
The ancient Israelites journeyed many, long years to their promised
homeland and ultimately had to wage warfare to obtain it. So, too, are we
called as Catholics, in every stage of our journey, to rise and go to war for
our homeland, the kingdom of heaven. Sacramental preparation programs in
Catholic schools provide important structure and guidance that helps students
progress through the sacraments and empowers them to grow in their faith.
Supporting our children as they progress through these programs is one of the
wisest ways we can equip our young soldiers for a successful battle against the
evils of this world and toward eternal happiness in heaven.
