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Talk — Youth Asks
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October - December 2003
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The Talk — Youth Asks
Questions from Catholic and Jewish Youths
Q. Not a question but statements from Kids
to God — Theology — Kid Style
- Dear God
Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy.
I never asked for anything before. You can look it up.
- Dear God
I keep waiting for spring, but it never did come. What's up? Don't forget.
- Dear God
If you watch in church on Sunday I will show you my new shoes.
- Dear God
In school we read that Thomas Edison made light, but in religious school, they said you did it first. Did he steal your idea?
- Dear God
I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really cool.
- Dear God
Maybe Cain and Abel would not have killed one another if they had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother.
- Dear God
Please, please send Dennis to a different summer camp this year. I hear you can do anything and everything.
- Dear God
It's Ok that you made different religions but don't you get mixed up sometimes ?
- Dear God
Did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident ?
Q. I’m Jewish. What does Conclave mean?
A. In the Catholic religion, it means the cardinals of the Church meet in secret to elect the new Pope after the death of the former Pope. All cardinals under 80 years of age vote. The majority of votes will elect the new Pope.
The meeting of the cardinals can take several days. The white smoke from the Vatican building, will signal that a Pope has been elected. It is announced immediately.
Q. Many Jewish and Catholic kids ask what will life after death be like?
A. Catholics believe there is a new life. Many not all Jews believe that there will be a new life after death. So, I will explain this question in general terms. (Sorry-it's a long answer. Be Patient)
Many people ask this difficult question. Children will ask: can they ride their bicycles? Eat ice cream? Play with their dog or cat? Older people ask if their first or second husband or wife will be reunited with them. Will they be able to look like 25 if they die when they are 80? What will people do in Heaven? The questions go on and on.
Some general observations on life after death: 1) Heaven is a state of being, not a place. 2) We will ultimately possess our bodies in some way. It will be glorified, better in every way than the condition of our bodies now. 3) We cannot judge conditions in the next world by those that we know here. They cannot be the same. 4) We are happy when our lives are filled with action, fulfillment and companionship. It is reasonable to presume that this will also be the case in the life of the resurrection. 5) We know that there will be no need for the physical reproduction of our species in the resurrected state. Beyond that, we know nothing about what the nature and function of our sexuality will be. Certainly, there will be love transcending anything we can now imagine. 6) We will be with our loved ones. 7) There will be no fears, worries, jealousies, or hatreds.
Perhaps we are missing the most important idea in life after death-we will be in the presence of God, who is all love, kindness, gentleness and understanding. We worry about the conditions of the next life because we do not experience enough of these qualities in this life. And so, we want to be sure that all this will be provided for. At times, we get a glimpse of the beautiful life to come when we experience being in the company of an all-loving person. We forget about ourselves.
Q. Why does God allow terrible things to happen?
A. WOW! A real tough question. I think many theologians have asked and tried to answer this question. Let me give it a try.
God gives us free will. It sounds strange to say that God must respect our decisions. I'm sure He doesn't like some decisions. He laid out a perfect plan for all things. But, we have interfered and changed His plan. And so, terrible things happen because we allowed the evil in us to change God's plan.
Bad things happen but God didn't make them happen. God doesn't punish us in that way.
Also, let us remember that God is not absent from us in these terrible things. He is present to help us overcome and survive if we let Him.
It can be asked where are we when these terrible things occur? What is our responsibility in helping? Do we bring hope and kindness to repair the pain?
Someone said when we complain to God where is He; maybe God is saying, I did something. I sent you.
Q. My Catholic friend says that Jews can't be saved. Is that true?
A. No. Absolutely not.
Clearly, Jews can be saved, and are saved. This positive answer rests on the notion of grace. Grace is God's total and complete presence, even though it may be revealed in many different ways at different times. It has always existed and been available; therefore, the primitive and ancient peoples, who did not know Jesus and the one God, certainly experienced God's grace. Their salvation depended, like that of all of us, on their response to it. Obviously, they had to deal with this in light of their knowledge and experience.
Judaism has always had a special relationship with Christianity for obvious historical and theological reasons. Christianity came out of Judaism; as Pope Pius X1 once said, "Spiritually, we are all Semites.” The Jew s are still the covenant people; they were never (contrary to what some Christians have said) abandoned by God; Jesus came from them; they (as well as others) are called to, the final Kingdom of God.
And so, Jews can be saved. Christians are reminded that since grace exists for all peoples we must respect their freedom and work with them, in projects of mutual concern.
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