The Myths...

My daughter Rebecca surprised me the other day when she announced that she needed the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible for her English class.

Me: Why do you need those books Rebecca?

Rebecca: I'm doing a report on common myths attributed to the Catholic Church.

Me: (Gulp.) Are you sure you want to do that?

I was quite nervous about her topic selection, knowing what a liberal town public school can do to a person with a strong Christian faith. It is not pretty. I just closed my eyes and said a prayer as she left for school that day. Her teacher is a fallen away Catholic with strong ties to a more secular view of spirituality, social justice and tolerance, but is a fair teacher in all other respects. But after thinking about her selection, I realized that the only way she will be able to grow in her faith, is to study it. Once you learn more about Christ and His Church the more you fall in love. She's answering her own questions about her faith by defending it to a mostly hostile crowd. It takes guts. All at the tender age of 15. (Another of her references is a three volume set of books titled,
RADIO REPLIESwhich answers many questions made by callers to the radio show. An amazing set of books!)

It all comes at a good time since she will be Confirmed in Christ on May 1st. Part of becoming an adult in the church is being able to stand up for the Church and her teachings and to vow to live a full life as a practicing and knowledgeable Catholic. I can think of no better way to prepare for the Bishop and his questions than by preparing for her English paper. The Holy Spirit will truly be at work with my child, and the Holy Spirit will use her for the benefit of all within earshot--already her paper is over two pages in length, single spaced, size 9 font size.

I was never that knowledgeable and engaged in my faith at that age, nor was I as gutsy. It just goes to show that today's Catholic youth are yearning for something more deep and meaningful than the empty promises of our secular world. These are the leaders of the church of tomorrow and I, for one, think we are in darn good hands. Go Becca!