Dear Father Joe
How do I explain to my little sister that she should not splash the holy water at church?
Diego
Hi Diego,
Without knowing how old your sister is, my response will have to be "it depends". If she is really young, playing for a moment in the holy water is simply a natural expression of her delight in the goodness of water. How wonderful that God gave us water to drink, to wash with, and to play in! (Of course we don't want your sister to distract others or to get water on the floor which might cause someone to slip.)
Perhaps the best thing you could do is show her by your own example what water means to you. Speak to her about what it means to you to dip your hands in the holy water. Remind her about how water was used in her own Baptism. Make it obvious to her that you appreciate this beautiful gift. And perhaps help teach your sister how to mark herself with the Sign of the Cross after she dips her hand in the holy water.
At the doors of Church we use water to remember the beautiful gift of our Baptism. How wonderful that God can use the ordinary things of creation for holiness. Perhaps your sister’s energy can remind each of us to remember how special the water is that awaits us each time we enter Church.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe
Parents, as you look for ways to deepen your faith and share God's love with your children and all those in your life, you can find inspiration every day in Living Faith for adults.
Fr.. Joe answers children’s questions on different topics. These letters can be found in each edition of
Living Faith for Kids.
These are real questions submitted to Fr. Joe from children. Please, visit again for a new question with an answer from Fr. Joe.
Dear Father Joe
What is the point of Confirmation, and having a Saint’s name and a sponsor?
- Christine
Hi, Christine –
You ask about the purpose of getting Confirmed, and why you need a Saint and a sponsor.
The answer to all three questions is the same: To help you have a beautiful, meaningful, joy-filled life!
The way of living that Jesus invites is difficult indeed. Sometimes it is so hard to stay loving and true, like Jesus did. Yet, with all my heart, I would tell you that it is so-o-o worth it to do so!
Confirmation is a gift - from a Church that loves you - to help you live the way of Jesus. In this beautiful Sacrament, the Church invites the Holy Spirit to deepen in you all that is good. The Saint is someone to inspire you by how they lived, and to support you by their prayer. Your sponsor is someone to do the same thing on earth!
Christine, there is a power in you that is part of you, and more than you. Confirmation is to help you be more and more true to who you really are: the beautiful child of an amazing God. I pray that your openness to this gift might indeed help you have a good life, a truly good life: a life of love like Jesus did.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe
Dear Father Joe,
Does God ever give up on people?
- Jose
Dear Jose –
There is a story told that - when Thomas Edison was working on improving his first light bulb - he and his crew worked long and hard to do so. When they were finished, he handed the new bulb to a young helper, who nervously and slowly carried it upstairs. But near the top, the young man dropped the bulb and it shattered. After a moment of shock, the whole team set back to work. It took them 24 more hours of hard work to make another bulb. When it was finished and they needed someone to take it upstairs again, Edison looked around, found the same boy, and gave him the new bulb to him to do the job.
That is how God is with us. Again and again God gives us the chance to begin again. When we mess up, we need to say we are sorry, and try make things right as much as we can. Then we are called remember that God is excited to trust us again. God is always giving us the grace of a new beginning. The truth is, you and I don't have enough power to make God not love us. We don’t!
God never gives up on a person. God will never give up on you.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe
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Fr. Joe Answers Questions From Children