When people approach me, they’ll often offer their suggestions as to what children should learn in regards to religious formation, what they don’t seem to be learning, what they themselves never learned, and on, and on. I usually say something about the importance of participation in the life of a faith community, Mass attendance, and that we often forget what we don’t use. Having said this, truth be told, I’d love to share the fact that almost all of their list would be superfluous, as far as I am concerned. You can’t tell me that someone is less of a Christian if they can’t recite the Nicene Creed or the Our Father off the top of their heads. Nor am I convinced that someone who can complete those tasks is automatically a “good” follower of Christ. What I am convinced of, however, is that getting to know Jesus is an integral step in developing a relationship with him. As a matter of fact, I think that’s what Church leadership had in mind when they determined the requirements for the celebration of First Eucharist. As you’ll see, they don’t require a long list of memorized prayers.
First off, Canon Law states that there are three things a child needs to know in order to celebrate First Eucharist (I am paraphrasing): 1. They need to know who Jesus is, about his life, his teachings and his sacrifice for us; 2. They should know that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus – they are special and have changed because of the words of Jesus that have been prayed over them, even though they taste the same as regular bread and wine; 3. They need to know the correct rubrics for receiving – the process of how to place their hands, what to say, etcetera. That’s it. Three things.
Now, let me put them in order by their ease to accomplish. Obviously, the “how to” receive is a fairly quick thing to convey. It is the easiest task for catechists to accomplish. The most “difficult” task gets relegated to second easiest, simply because it is the task of conveying the reality of the Real Presence in the Eucharist – a mystery so deep and so profound that understanding it has to be broken into parts to be pondered for a lifetime. For a young child, however, knowledge that the sacred species are special, and that Jesus says that they are his body and blood, is all that can be expected. Lastly, the task that can be the most involved, time consuming, and yet the most rewarding is, arguably, the most important as well: teaching about Jesus. After all, our faith rests upon Jesus and his life, death and resurrection.
Further, the understanding that the absolute biggest focus, for any Christian formation gathering, should be Jesus, is nothing new. It follows common sense that time learning about Jesus and his life has to reign supreme in our catechetical settings. Yes, learning about the sacraments, or other “Church things” is important, but they can’t be our priority. The Church teaches that everything we do in the life of the Church is to be Christocentric (centered on Christ), especially our teaching, because we can’t follow Jesus if we don’t know him. We need that knowledge to see that Jesus gained followers because of who he was, what he said and did, and because of the conviction of his followers.
So, what is the answer to the question of, “How much does a child need to know about Jesus?” I can’t really tell you. A lot depends on whether this thirty-hour year of instruction is going to be a “one and done” for the family. Are they a family who talks about him? Do they read the bible at home? All I can hope, is if we do our jobs well, that our youngest members, and their elders, will know, love and serve Jesus by following his example of loving and serving others, AND that that knowledge of him and his sacrifice will draw them to worship.