Alright, so on Saturday Kenny had a morning retreat at church as part of his sacrament prep. program. It was called "Jesus Day," a label I found somewhat blasphemous.

I couldn't attend because of Timmy's tennis lesson. I don't think that Jean would have let me attend anyway.

At First Eucharist, each family has a row, so Kenny made a banner to personalize his row. They learned a song or two. They reflected on their sins for First Penance.

I dropped by church at the end of the morning to watch an impromptu reenactment of the parable of the Prodigal Son. The director committed the typical blunder of filling the male characters in Jesus' parable with only boy volunteers. It was drawn out and hard to watch. The points of forgiveness and reconciliation were easily lost.

In another demonstration, a volunteer held up a rock, and another, a sponge. With a spray bottle of water, the director spritzed both the rock and the sponge to show that hard repels and soft absorbs. Repels and absorbs what? Kenny and I had a disagreement over this, actually. I thought the water represented God's word¹. Kenny said the water is "God's water," like baptism, I guess. It just seemed to me that, if it was the former, then I doubt the children understood the expression "God's word." When I asked Kenny what God's word is, he couldn't tell me.

Father went over some logistics with us. It was difficult for some to understand that practice sessions are held on nights other than weekly class night. Kenny's practices, then, are Monday and Wednesday, even though he has class on Tuesday. For children with more than CCD going on after school, they will miss a session (of scouts, or dance, or ball) that week before First Eucharist.

Father said the children will receive in the hand. Wouldn't it be something if the rubric changed in the two years between Kenny and Timmy? Back and forth in my lifetime?

Regarding First Penance, Father said he's having trouble getting priests in the area to commit to a date. Especially during Lent, that doesn't surprise me, as many parishes hold penance services. But it seems to go without saying, as far as Fr. Mike is concerned, that he oughtn't be the only one hearing his parishioners' first confessions. That position strikes me as a little odd. Assuming there are two classes of second graders, every day of the week (Mon-Thurs.), it would take two months of weekly sessions. He's around during class-time anyway. So, he gets one other priest to help him each week. How hard is that?

I have to ask around other programs whether this clerical "team approach" to the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation is typical. How does it go in your parish (or school) program?

I'm not thrilled with the message I'm picking up. When I was teaching fourth grade, I asked the pastor to hear the kids' confessions once during the year. He was nice about it and did it, but I got the impression that I wasn't to ask him ever again. The Church is fine so long as you don't need too much from Her.

¹ My thoughts influenced by this scene from Bunyan's allegory.