ON THE WINGS OF TIME - Musings of a Catechist

“For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday, which is past. And as a watch in the night.” Ps 90:4

Another year as a catechist and hopefully I have grown from being a catechist in training to one who now finds her feet planted more firmly on the Rock; resulting in a greater confidence than I had last year.

I am still unable to put a name to each of the 40 bright, young faces in my class but each face  has become familiar and dear to me.  Each has a special place in my heart and I must happily confess that this year I can put far more names to faces than I did the last year.

My interaction with them was greater as I was less self-conscious and as a result more relaxed just being myself.  I like attending the Holy Mass that is celebrated for the children each Friday.  I like standing near the benches close to the door and watch the children and parents come in.  They stop at the holy water font and it is heartening to see so many parents making sure that their children bless themselves with this sacramental as they enter.  The Church is the house of God and I, being the fanciful person that I am, like to fancy that I stand at the gate of heaven, as I and the other teachers help to find a seat for each child.  Our priests do not talk down to the children during the homily but take great pains to ensure that the sermon is lively, often inter-active and always thought provoking.  There is one particular priest who can be relied upon to make the children laugh helplessly yet I am certain that he gives most of them, especially the older kids, much food for reflection.

I reach the class room early and while I stand outside the classroom  door waiting until it is opened, I have time to chat with the children who come early.  We all troop in once the door is unlocked.  As we  wait for the bell to ring  some of the children will come up to me and share something of interest that they experienced during the week.  I normally have papers for distribution and there is never a shortage of willing hands to help me.  Once the bell rings all the children are seated in their places – as they settle down the chattering and giggling slowly subsides, we then say the opening prayer and the class begins in earnest.

We have the usual mix of kids some are shy, some bold and brash, some are quite unable to stop talking, or fidgeting.  There are the angelic ones and the ones who look angelic and are not.  Then there are the naughty ones who somehow manage to be very charming as well, so even when you have to scold you have to struggle to keep a straight face.  I don’t think any class is complete without the resident class clown and of course we also have a few really clever kids.  Then there are those who have terrible handwriting and even more atrocious spelling, these I think find the softest spot in my heart because they remind me of my youngest son when he was their age and I had the same difficulty with him.  I know now that I need not have worried because he has outgrown the bad handwriting as well as the atrocious spelling and I can smile fondly as I look at the books of these children because  I know it is a handicap they will soon outgrow.

Some of the kids are pretty surprising – there is a slow writer who not only writes very neatly but does pretty well in the tests.  Then we have a young girl with the most adorable lisp – all the hard consonants come out with a babyish ‘ith’ and one does not wish to laugh because she is so unselfconscious about it.  All credit I am sure must go to her parents.  A word on a really angelic looking, soft spoken, well-mannered boy who looks as St. Dominic Savio must have looked, but without the glasses.  Almost always he will have the right answer to any question. He speaks slowly and deliberately as if giving the question great thought and is groping for the right words to express himself.  I always think that he will top the class but it is almost always a girl who does.

I must say a word about one particular young miss who sits in the front bench.  She is small in stature, has lovely, mid-shoulder length, wavy hair and speaks so softly I have to bend down and try to catch what she wants to say.  She sits beside this boy who is much taller than she is and poor fellow is petrified of her.  It is so amusing.  She has often given him a sharp blow to his shoulder and he has gasped in pain.  She complains about him endlessly and you would think he would rather sit anywhere else but with her;  yet Friday after Friday he takes his seat beside her.  Once when he was lingering outside (mind you the bell had not yet rung) little miss lovely came up to me to complain that he was playing outside instead of coming into the class room. 

The children made their First Confession this Monday.  All 155 boys and girls sat in one room and the senior catechists helped to prepare them with prayer and in making an examination of conscience.  The electricity that the nervous tension generated in that room could have lit up a village.  They were excited and aware that this experience was something quite extraordinary.  Young as these children were between 9 and 11 years of age they were a little anxious – worried if they would get it right and follow the steps properly.  This was the first time they were required to reflect on their past sins, look them squarely in the face and name them as such.  We tried to shush them and keep them quiet but it was often quite impossible, although I must say that when they were asked to close their eyes, with the exception of a few giggly girls and boys, they complied obediently and some were positively edifying as they prayed most earnestly. 

On Friday the children will receive their First Holy Communion.  We have prayed for them as well as for their families.  We have helped them to prepare as well as it is possible to be prepared for such awesome Sacraments – Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, yet we have to be realistic enough to know that we have only helped them take their first baby steps – they have a lifetime of proper training, learning and guidance from parents, Church and teachers to help them grow in grace and wisdom.  We can only pray in faith that what God has begun He will bring to completion.

I will miss them but I will continue to see some of them as they pass their old class.  Some will pause for a moment and  say, “Hello ma’am,”  some will be too busy talking excitedly to friends and still others will pass by with no visible sign of recognition; yet, I like to think that we have influenced them for good in some small measure.  As they grow spiritually as well as physically, we pray and trust that the framework that we have laid will be strong and sturdy.  So although there is sad little tug at my heartstrings to see them go I can look forward eagerly for the next group of children that God will entrust to us and  God willing, with the help of His Holy Spirit, we can feed them on the finest wheat and sweet honey from the Rock of which our beloved holy Mother Church has an unending supply.

MYRA D'SOUZA / 18TH APRIL 2012