I had the most amazing exchange last night with our son, Charlie, that I just had to share. Charlie is 12, and he’s a great guy. Years ago, as Nikki has mentioned, he fell in love with the Saints, and he’s taken to Catholicism like a duck to water.
Anyway, Charlie’s still working his way through intellectually understanding the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism, and we were talking about the Protestant charge that Catholicism has “made up” a lot of unnecessary rules. In talking about this, we got into a discussion of the Church’s teaching that a Christian marriage (that is, a marriage of two baptized people) cannot be dissolved for any reason and that Protestants (going all the way back to Luther) have overwhelmingly rejected this doctrine.
Now for the part of the conversation that blew me away: in discussing how dissent from the Church’s teaching on marriage figured in the Protestant Reformation, we naturally got to talking about Henry VIII. So I say to Charlie: “The Church of England was founded by a man who wanted to get divorced.” In response to which, my 12-year-old son says: “And the Catholic Church was founded by a Man who wanted to get married.”
Maybe it’s just a father’s pride, but, for any readers out there who are considering the claims of the Catholic Church, you won’t find any better explanation than that.
The Roman Road 
My thanks to Charlie — he sums it up very well!
Thanks, Rich! Hope you guys are well!!
Wow. To have the insight of the faith of a child. They see things so much clearer and simpler than us adults! Or maybe Charlie is just a very wise young man.
Thanks much, Vivien! I do think kids just naturally pick up on stuff we adults get too “sophisticated” (i.e., deceived) to notice.
I love it! This post warmed my heart. My oldest son is also 12 and has likewise fallen in love with the Church since we converted last year (well since before that, really). I love seeing it all through the eye of my kids. Such a blessing.
Thanks, Sue! It is SO cool to share this journey with our children. Blessings to you!
Beautiful! My daughter recently said that she wished Luther had never been born. After correcting what was wrong about that statement, I acknowledged what she was “seeing”. She has already noticed various “other” churches (on the way to Mass). She knows all of our extended family do not go to a Catholic Church. She has told us, “Everyone should believe everything about Jesus…” And because they don’t, she is sad.
Thanks for sharing these words from your daughter, Brent. What a beautiful way of putting it! And we’ve also had some “teachable moments” in response to our kids’ expressing some pretty strong feelings about Luther–and Henry VIII.
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