BLENDING OF FAITHS

In this picture my Jewish grandchildren are mesmerized by a recording of my voice reading THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

When our son announced his engagement to his fiancée, I knew that my future grandchildren would grow up practicing their mother's religion. My son remains Catholic, and his wife is the third child I never had. I love her as I love my own children. She is an amazing mother.

My two grandchildren attend private Jewish schools. Every day they assimilate and practice their faith in an academic atmosphere.

I knew I had to reconcile and acknowledge the two faiths so my grandchildren would understand the importance of both religions. When they visit, we pray before meals. I recite the Catholic Grace and end with a litany, recitations of names of deceased family members, and the sign of the Cross. My grandchildren sing Bracha Hamotzie together. They end with a Sign of the Cross. I enjoy that. Later I may correct them.

Learning Hebrew prayers and Jewish traditions gives them a sense of belonging, of constancy, and of family cohesiveness.

They celebrate Catholic traditions with us. Christmas, of course, is secular to them, although I have explained and they understand and respect the historical significance of the Christ child. After receiving gifts on the eight days of Hanukkah, they revel in opening lots of Christmas packages.

Easter, for us, the most important Catholic holiday, for them means coloring eggs, Easter egg hunts in our front yard, and colorful spring clothing. They see our Lenten traditions and understand the importance of that time for us.

Mezuzahs hangs over their bedroom doors as holy water fonts grace ours. Crucifixes, displayed in several rooms of our home, inspire questions from these two precocious children. Skipping the shocking historical context of the cross as the popular execution method in biblical times, I explain this icon as an important symbol of Catholicism, as the Jewish star of David is to their faith.

As we live as a part of our Catholic community, my grandchildren learn, play, and practice Jewish traditions in school, in their neighborhood, and with friends.

Karen Armstrong, a powerful religious historian, notes that the one philosophical constant in the major religions is COMPASSION. If my grandchildren live compassionately, I shall feel proud.

St. Augustine said, ¿To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.¿