Wow, excellent! I hope we may expect more Summa “updates” – there’s loads of things which need to be written about.
I ws particularly delighted to learn that official Summa-style nicknames have been assigned to two of my heroes: The Wit (GKC) and The Sub-Creator (Tolkien). I have made a note of this for future use.
It seems that this “Summa” response boild down to, “It’s okay to lie to the kids about Santa, since you’re doing it to excercise their imaginations and teach them values.”
However you as a parent handle Santa Claus, I think you want to avoid something like THIS:
Child (age 9 or so): This Eucharist that I’ve been receiving for two years now, it’s really, truly the body and blood of Christ?
Parent: Yes.
Child: Not just a story?
Parent: No.
Child: So, this is NOT like Santa Claus?
Parent: Huh?
Child: You used to tell me Santa Claus flew through the air in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and came down the chimney, and that’s where most of my Christmas presents came from. And when I asked “Really?” you said “Yes.”
Parent: That was different. That was to [quickly consults Touchstone blog] stimulate your imagination. And your gratitude.
Child: But then you told me it’s not true.
Parent: Because you were older.
Child: All right. How old will I be when you tell me the Eucharist thing is just a story, to stimulate my — my whatever?
Parent: That will always be true.
Child: OK, so, keeping this Santa Claus thing in view, I should believe you now about the Eucharist — why?
None of my in-laws, my parents or grandparents, neither I, my siblings nor any of my friends had a single ‘faith crisis’ over Santa. All who were Catholics then are Catholics now, save one friend who married a Presbyterian. I don’t think Santa had anything to do with her leaving the Church. My parents were only practicing Catholics at Christmas Midnight Mass and Easter Sunday and I was not in the least bit confused by the fact that Santa was not real and Jesus is.
No one I know was so stupid so as not to know the difference between a seasonal game and the reality of God, even as 8 year olds. And I can’t claim to be a member of Mensa or anything.
None of my eight children, as they one by one learn that Santa isn’t real, have come to me expressing doubt in Holy Eucharist, in Jesus nor in the Blessed Mother. We daily make the sign of the cross together, not the sign of the sleigh. We always pray in Jesus’ name, not Santa’s, and rejoice together when God, not Santa, answers our prayers. The Faith is part of our daily lives to be lived, discussed, struggled with and prayed over, whereas Santa isn’t given much thought at all.
“Santa” is a game, and as each child gets old enough to figure it out, they join in the fun of being ‘santa’ to the younger children in picking out gifts, wrapping presents etc. And they do figure it out. And it hasn’t traumatized or confused anyone yet.
That is not always made clear to children. When it is, I have no problem with “Santa.” As parents we often read The Night Before Christmas (a.k.a. A Visit from St. Nick) to our kids, though from some of the reactions to my views you’d think we were 17th century Puritans closing theaters and trying to ban Christmas itself.
We also teach them the true story of St. Nicholas of Myra, and we love that picture of him in the Children’s Book of Saints that shows him in red vestments and with cheeks just a little bit, you know, “like roses.”
9 comments
Wow, excellent! I hope we may expect more Summa “updates” – there’s loads of things which need to be written about.
I ws particularly delighted to learn that official Summa-style nicknames have been assigned to two of my heroes: The Wit (GKC) and The Sub-Creator (Tolkien). I have made a note of this for future use.
Thanks for a GREAT Christmas gift!
I don’t know . . .
It seems that this “Summa” response boild down to, “It’s okay to lie to the kids about Santa, since you’re doing it to excercise their imaginations and teach them values.”
Which is exactly what one of the objections is!
Is lying, then, okay if done for a good reason?
However you as a parent handle Santa Claus, I think you want to avoid something like THIS:
Child (age 9 or so): This Eucharist that I’ve been receiving for two years now, it’s really, truly the body and blood of Christ?
Parent: Yes.
Child: Not just a story?
Parent: No.
Child: So, this is NOT like Santa Claus?
Parent: Huh?
Child: You used to tell me Santa Claus flew through the air in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and came down the chimney, and that’s where most of my Christmas presents came from. And when I asked “Really?” you said “Yes.”
Parent: That was different. That was to [quickly consults Touchstone blog] stimulate your imagination. And your gratitude.
Child: But then you told me it’s not true.
Parent: Because you were older.
Child: All right. How old will I be when you tell me the Eucharist thing is just a story, to stimulate my — my whatever?
Parent: That will always be true.
Child: OK, so, keeping this Santa Claus thing in view, I should believe you now about the Eucharist — why?
Etc. etc.
None of my in-laws, my parents or grandparents, neither I, my siblings nor any of my friends had a single ‘faith crisis’ over Santa. All who were Catholics then are Catholics now, save one friend who married a Presbyterian. I don’t think Santa had anything to do with her leaving the Church. My parents were only practicing Catholics at Christmas Midnight Mass and Easter Sunday and I was not in the least bit confused by the fact that Santa was not real and Jesus is.
No one I know was so stupid so as not to know the difference between a seasonal game and the reality of God, even as 8 year olds. And I can’t claim to be a member of Mensa or anything.
None of my eight children, as they one by one learn that Santa isn’t real, have come to me expressing doubt in Holy Eucharist, in Jesus nor in the Blessed Mother. We daily make the sign of the cross together, not the sign of the sleigh. We always pray in Jesus’ name, not Santa’s, and rejoice together when God, not Santa, answers our prayers. The Faith is part of our daily lives to be lived, discussed, struggled with and prayed over, whereas Santa isn’t given much thought at all.
“Santa” is a game, and as each child gets old enough to figure it out, they join in the fun of being ‘santa’ to the younger children in picking out gifts, wrapping presents etc. And they do figure it out. And it hasn’t traumatized or confused anyone yet.
“Santa” is a game
That is not always made clear to children. When it is, I have no problem with “Santa.” As parents we often read The Night Before Christmas (a.k.a. A Visit from St. Nick) to our kids, though from some of the reactions to my views you’d think we were 17th century Puritans closing theaters and trying to ban Christmas itself.
We also teach them the true story of St. Nicholas of Myra, and we love that picture of him in the Children’s Book of Saints that shows him in red vestments and with cheeks just a little bit, you know, “like roses.”
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