Why, why, why, why, why? If you ask my class of Emmaus students what my favorite word is they will tell you “Why!” I’m always asking them questions. “Why does the church have symbols?” “Why did Jesus tell stories about shepherds and fishermen?” “Why do we celebrate Eucharist?” Now is the time in their education that we try to get them to understand what is going on around them in the church.

Last month, Phil wrote in his article that the kids did not know why Jesus died on the cross. If you ask the kids that question, they are able to parrot back everything they have been taught over the years….He died for our sins, He died so we can go to heaven, so we can have eternal life. It’s not that they haven’t been taught the information; it’s in the understanding of the concept. This became apparent when Father Phil put the kids in a hypothetical situation. He began speaking about doing something wrong and the consequences of getting into trouble. When asked to put themselves in the position to take the punishment for someone else’s wrongdoing, the response was unanimous-“Why would I ever do that?” The class could not understand why anyone would ever take the punishment for someone else. Understanding such a powerful idea comes to people at different times in their spiritual development. I remember one Good Friday service when I saw a women crying at the foot of the cross. She had just been hit by the magnitude of what Jesus had done for her so many years ago. Crying out she said, “Why did He do that for me?” Still questioning, but with different understanding.

Understanding is achieved throughout one’s lifetime. There is no graduation from learning. Many people view confirmation as a graduation from Sunday school. It’s not. Even as the confirmands renew their baptismal vows, they may still have questions. That’s OK; our minds are made to question. We encourage the students to question. Will all their questions be answered? Of course not. Each student is at a different level of spiritual development. It’s impossible to bring everyone to the same point by the end of the year, but it is why we offer so many supplemental opportunities for growth during the year. There are Wednesday Night Live classes, ECC retreats, Happenings, the mission trip, youth group meetings, and special clergy led classes where the students have the opportunity to ask Father Phil any question they want. Students can take advantage of these offerings to increase their spiritual development and understanding at their own rate and desire.

As we finish out the educational year, we have a very exciting calendar. Please check the dates for opportunities to watch the growth of our children. It’s an exciting time at St. Paul’s. Come, join the fun.