Picked up from dotCommonweal, this story on a young man my daughter’s age torquing his dad to join him at church on Sundays. A few interesting musings in the commentariat at dotCommonweal and a lot of good one-liners in the original piece. The first Sunday in church:
Mr. Sweeney saw a vision almost as miraculous as a statue of the Virgin Mother weeping real tears: a 13-year-old boy who got up on his own at 8 a.m., put on a shirt with a collar, brushed his hair and was ready for church.
Lots of intriguing aspects to the piece: mom wasn’t invited because of her “attitude,” dad has a Catholic history, the story picks up a few months into the lad’s journey–confirmation now not far off, it seems.
For me, it resonates on two levels. One is my own desire for God awakened at age 11. Like Ryan, the beauty and peace of church helped draw me in. The other, of course, will be as I ponder this from the ministry end: how many young grandchildren in Ames, Iowa have the longing to “remember what the sons and daughters have forgotten?” Are Catholic parishes prepared for this? Given the focus on schools, the kids they already have, I’m not so sure.
