Bob Burnham
Rejoice does more than prepare children and their families for the First Penance and First Holy Communion; it invites them to enter into and explore these sacred mysteries. Rejoice is a mystagogicalprogram: it facilitates an encounter between children, their parents and families, and even catechists, with Jesus Christ. Rejoice invites children, families, and catechists to see how these sacraments unite them to the Mystical Body of Christ and to live a faith filled with joy and hope.
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. When children encounter the Word of God in Rejoice, they share and reflect on this experience to see where Jesus is active and present in their lives. The sacraments are efficacious encounters with God’s grace. Rejoice helps children understand that through the grace received in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, sins are forgiven, relationships are healed, and hard hearts are softened. Similarly, they discover that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, they hold the entirety of Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, soul, and divinity—in their hands. We are united in the Mystical Body of Christ. Rejoice invites children and their families to explore devotional practices, participate in parish life, , and recognize their role in building up their communities. The Catholic faith emphasizes the communal experience of God, and we wanted to communicate this beautiful truth.
My hope for Rejoice is that it forms children and their families to be disciples who share the joy and hope of Jesus Christ with everyone they meet, making their little corner of the world a sign the Kingdom of God is at hand.
