Yesterday was a a very historic day. For the first time in over 1,000 years, we have a Pope who is non-European. Cardinal Jorge Borgolio from Argentina was elected on the fifth ballot. He is the first Pope to take the name Francis. He is the first Pope to be a Jesuit. He is the first Pope from Latin America and from the Western Hemisphere.
It was by exciting to watch. I tried to share the news with Cristiana when she came home from school and she was more like “Meh”
Later that evening, we took her to her first confession at St. Tom’s and it quickly became clear that she was more excited about going to St. Tom’s than I was. She had a smile on her face and was a little giggly, whereas I was more like “Meh”
I’m not a fan of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which probably explains why it was about 9 years since my last confession. While I did get a little kick out of the priests reaction to that (specifically he said “Oh Geez!”), at the end of the day I just didn’t have the same excitement that Cristiana did.
I suppose that might be due to my prevailing thought that I’m not worthy of God’s forgiveness, along with a general uncomfortableness about sharing my shortcomings with another person. Cristiana found it to be good because “I know Jesus loves me.”
Amazing that children can fully embrace that concept and it continues to elude me. Kids truly are wonderfully positive creations of God. And we can learn so much from them.
Another example, as I walked in the State Capitol and passed the Tour Guides desk, a young man who was getting ready for a tour brought a quarter to the desk and said, “I found this under the bench and wanted to make sure you got it back to the person who lost it.”
Being the cash conscious adult that I am, I would’ve pocketed it. This young man gave it back because it is the right thing to do to get people their things back to them when lost. Cristiana, this year as she sold Girl Scout cookies, wanted to make sure some cookies were donated to the men and women who serve in the military overseas because it is the right thing to do.
Cristiana found peace yesterday at St. Tim’s during her first confession. She left there with a smile on her face.
Yes, there is much we can learn from our children.
DaveWorthams.com 