Teens find life lessons in religion
They're only 13, but they've made their religions a central part of their lives. Three 13-year-olds from Wichita have studied their faiths - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - and say they now have a greater sense of duty to God.
The three talked about how faith matters to them from the perspective of each one's religion.
Lila Pickus
began to see the relevance of her Jewish faith a couple of years ago. That's when she began an intense study of Hebrew and the Jewish faith for her bat mitzvah, a ceremony marking the emergence of a Jewish youth. On Oct. 25, Lila read Hebrew Scripture and recited prayers at Congregation Emanu-El in Wichita, Kan., a Reform Jewish temple. Family and friends from across the nation, and one family from Germany, gathered to witness the event. They reflected the festive moment of entering adulthood and making a deeper commitment to her faith. "There's a lot more things I can do now," she said. "I'm becoming part of a community." "You really witness the transformation of your child," said Lila's father, Keith. "You don't see it each day, but they change from a child to an adult." Her preparation and study will enable her to meet the higher expectations of an adult within the 800-member Wichita Jewish community, he said. "We give a lot to the community," he said, "and it gives a lot back."
Steven Wagoner
began to understand his Christian faith betterAt about age 7, he said. That's when he gave his first confession before a priest and took his first Communion. As a Roman Catholic, Steven believes the host and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ, a belief that he says strengthens his faith. "I'm having a deep connection with Jesus" through Communion, said Steven, who's in eighth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School. His faith will be part of him for the rest of his life, he said, and he's open to becoming a priest, if it is God's will. Most of all, he said, he believes his faith has helped him deal with the emotions of what is a fast-paced middle school life. He has been reading the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, learning what he calls practical lessons about the consequences of choices. He also is beginning to gain spiritual insight from the sermons at Mass. On some Sundays at his home parish, St. Vincent De Paul in Andover, he and his mother read Bible verses to children. They're the same ones adults read during the Mass. "As I continue, I'll be able to do more things in the Catholic Church," Steven said, "and give more of my time, talents and treasure."
Ibrahim Shah
laughed at times when he saw his father kneel and bow in prayer at mosques. He didn't understand the Arabic spoken, the language that observant Muslims use for prayer and for reciting the Quran. "I thought it was a big joke," Ibrahim said. "I was younger and thought they were speaking a weird language." But by age 7, he began to change. He mimicked his father and other Muslims when they prayed. He learned about the revered prophets of the Islamic faith, including Abraham, his namesake. Teased sometimes at school by students calling him "Abraham Lincoln," Ibrahim said he now finds practical lessons in the experiences of the biblical Abraham. "He listened to God and then obeyed," Ibrahim said of the ancient patriarch. It's a lesson he takes to heart. For Ibrahim, the Islamic faith has motivated him to clean up trash after events at the Muslim Community Center. And it has reminded him to pause between video games to say one of the five daily prayers required by Islam. "After I pray, my soul just empties," he said. "I feel my mind clear. I just feel happy I'm alive, and that (God) has put a roof over my head."
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