Gamgee (holding out his cup of orange juice to his sister): Here, drink this. It's the blood of life.
Bess (jealous she didn't think of this imaginative game first): Hey! Why can't I be the priest?
Adam: That's a deeply theological question.
Me (silently, to myself): Hee, hee, hee . . .
Now that I think about it, though, I'm not sure how I ought to feel about my kids play-acting the sacrament. On the one hand, I'm glad it's sinking into their heads and hearts. On the other hand, many of their games end in shrieking or tussling, and I could see this one heading the same way. But I let them play wedding when they want to, and that's a solemn event (I realize it's not quite on the same level though). Anyone have any house policies on this?
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica
p.s. The cool thing about they way their playing is the "priest" is calling each communicant by name. "Come here, Lucy . . ." I think it's sweet (I mean that adjective seriously) that their view of communion is so personal.
3 comments:
That sort of play does happen a bit in our house, but I do insist it be done in seriousness. My daughter (almost 8) gets that, and gets that she can't be the priest (and doesn't want to be either)... but she has an awfully hard time getting her newly turned four year old brother to play priest appropriately! She's about given up, but I think it will resurface when my boys get older. I have an acquaintance who gave us a Mass kit that she and her kids made and she said her children (three boys, two girls) played with it often. The parents just made sure the kids stayed reverent with it and treated it as a special sort of play acting. It probably helped that her boys were the oldest three so they had a responsible priest! As an aside, all three boys are on the path to ordination and one girl is considering taking vows. The are a pretty interesting and amazing family.
Amber beat me to it. :) I think the playacting is fine as long as it is played with some seriousness/solemnity. Little kids playact EVERYTHING - it seems to be a huge part of how they learn and internalize things. So it seems like it would be a good thing for them to be playing/internalizing the sacrament.
I think it's wonderful! I know many priests who have said in their homilies that a big part of their desire to take Holy Orders was their love for Mass, and what better way to cultivate it than to have children imitating their elders? If my kids starting saying things like "This is the Pee of Christ" giggle giggle then that would have to be stopped, but orange juice, crackers, cereal, it's all good! Even better if they want vessels and vestments! (Which they do sell online.)
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