Lenten Reflection 7: Kyla's Confession

The other day my daughter, Kyla, was in the mall with me. We had gone there so she could by a doll for her birthday. It was the day Fr. Steven returned my call about scheduling a confession. After I got of the phone with Father, Kyla began to ask me about what confession was. I explained to her that confession is something we do to get ready for Pascha. We tell Jesus our sins -- the bad things we do -- and we ask him to help us not do them. At that point Kyla declared that she wanted to do confession.

I should add that one of Kyla's little friends has also had her first confession. Nadia is her name. Her older brother, Aiden, made his first confession when a lot of children do (when he turned seven). So I am sure that Kyla would not have been as gung ho had her friend not already done this. On the other hand, she has also genuinely embraced a lot of the festivities surrounding Lent. She might have wanted to do this even if Nadia hadn't already gone before her.

So when I spoke to Fr. Steven at my confession I asked him about Kyla. He explained to me that when small children Kyla's age make confession he keeps it very simple. He asks them if they understand what confession is. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. Then he has them face the iconostasis and tell Jesus what they are sorry for. Sometimes the child goes through a litany of sins. Other times they freeze up and don't know what to say.

Before the Presanctified liturgy I ran into Fr. Steven and asked him if we had time for Kyla to make her confession. He was obviously in a hurry, but he said that we probably had enough time. So he went behind the iconostasis to get his stole (a purple band he wears over his shoulders) while Kyla went up to the front of the church.




I have to admit, it was a little tempting for me to want to overhear what Kyla was saying, but dad did a good job. I kept my nose out of it. The above picture was taken from the back of the church, out of earshot, using the digital zoom (which is why it looks so rotten). Here's one of Kyla being covered with the priest's stole.



I am very pleased and proud of Kyla. I did not prod her into this at all. I may have even tried to dissuade her a little bit. I just wanted her to be sure that she knew what she was doing, as best she could. I also didn't want confession to become like a punishment, something she had to do. But I have to say, Kyla seemed to fully embrace the experience. When it was over, Fr. Steven hugged Kyla and went back behind the iconostasis, while Kyla turned and walked toward me with a great big grin on her face!