Being a kid can basically be boiled down to doing a lot of things and not knowing why you are doing them. That’s why the classic kid question is: WHY? Remember saying, “Why do we have to learn arithmetic when there’s calculators?” Much to Mrs. Twomey’s chagrin, the classic, “You won’t have a calculator in your pocket wherever you go,” is now inaccurate due to cell phones. “Why do we need to know spelling when there’s spellcheck?” “Why do we need Spanish when there’s google translate?” It seems the more technology advances, the more we are all stranded with the unsatisfactory answer: “Because.” Our students spend just about as much time asking us why they have to learn something as learning it in the first place. This is a good thing, if not a little tiresome. At least they’re thinking.
Luckily, there’s one area we no longer have all these WHYs: church. We have Father Leo and the 8th grade class to thank for making sure we all know exactly why we do what we do. Yesterday we had our Teaching Mass. Grades 2 and up went to the church and walked through the practices and rituals of mass. Why do we stand during the opening procession? Why do we cross our foreheads, lips, and hearts with our thumbs before the gospel? Why are different readings from different books? These are all answers your students now know.
I learned something new. Father Leo explained that the word “liturgy” means “our work.” That means that the act of going to mass, of participating in the ceremony and sacraments, is us doing our work. The Teaching Mass answered the WHYs of our work. After all, we don’t go to our jobs and do things not knowing why we do them (fingers crossed).
So thank you Father Leo and thank you 8th grade! We are better for your expertise and example!