Comprehending the concept of heaven is seriously challenging for Catholic adults. Explaining heaven to our children can be even more difficult.
Catholic parents and grandparents must first understand the developmental stages of their children, their capacity to understand, and their desire for information, advises the Diocese of Orange’s Katie Dawson, director of Parish Faith Formation.
“Young children intuitively know there’s more to life than the material world,” Dawson explains. “They know they come from somewhere. They understand God as a mysterious presence who loves them.
When someone they love dies, she adds, parents want to offer comfort. Sharing information about the afterlife can provide solace.
“It’s important that we don’t give them more information than they need,” Dawson warns. “They need a thimbleful of information – not a firehose. If a child starts to ask about what happens after death, that’s a great opportunity to talk about heaven.
“We should give them the truth [about what happens to our bodies when we die] and then share the idea that we are more than just a body. As people with souls, when we die our souls return to God. We call that heaven.”
Catholic parents can keep conversations about God, the things of God, and heaven going among family members, she recommends. “The best thing is if there’s an ongoing conversation about life with God in the family,” she says. “This is where it’s important to build the practice of praying together, reading good books that provide spiritual input and creating a strong foundation.”
As parents we must set strong and lasting examples of faith for our children. Then, she notes, “If we turn to the Holy Spirit to see what kind of conversations our children need, how to address and anticipate their needs, then we lay the foundation for our children to share their feelings with us.”
Full story at OC Catholic.
Heaven but not hell? Hmm… looks like the Diocese of Orange is promoting universal salvation.
Like the ‘birds and bees’ discussion on CCD a couple of months ago, parents must provide age appropriate information as children grow. Otherwise, they will often learn from other children, who may well be full of lots of misinformation.
Diocesan journalism isn’t worth reading.
I think a little good child psychology is fine. But some people carry it way too far! What children really need, is to be brought up in a solid, good church, with parents who practice their religious faith! Then, it won’t be so hard, to talk about things like Heaven! The Protestant group, Focus on the Family, has been sponsoring a yearly “Bring Your Bible To School” event. This year, it will occur on October.3rd! Wonderful!