Is 7 too young?

  • Thread starter Thread starter coolduude
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

coolduude

Guest
Does anyone think that 7 years old is too young to recieve Communion and make a Confession?

I personally think it might be. I can give a reason if someone wants, but what’re everyones views on this? Is 7 too young?

Coolduude
 
I agree with Monica in that it depends on the person. We knew a family some years ago who had a 6 year old who was very mature for her age. The mother felt that her daughter was ready for Holy Communion. She met with our parish Priest, and he agreed with her. That little girl received her first Holy Communion at 6 years old.

So, I think it depends on the maturity of the kid. I think 7 is kind of a “rule of thumb”. I’m sure there are some kids who probably should wait until they are 8. Of course, you don’t want to deprive them of the Blessed Sacrament too long.

Anyway, just shooting from the hip on this. I’m sure there are more educated answers out there.
 
coolduude said:
Does anyone think that 7 years old is too young to recieve Communion and make a Confession?

I personally think it might be. I can give a reason if someone wants, but what’re everyones views on this? Is 7 too young?

Coolduude
Click to expand...
it depends entirely on the 7 year old in question. That is the age below which most children are not ready because they are not “of the age of reason” that is, to understand the nature of sin, to understand when and why they offend God and to ask forgiveness. That is a mental and spiritual faculty that simply takes developmental time. Since they must confess before first communion it follows that they must be ready for confession first. The parents, together with the catechist and pastor should make a reasoned judgement on the individual child’s readiness. Just because he is in a class with other 2nd or 3rd graders who are ready is no guarantee that he is, and it is a huge mistake to force the child before he, himself, feels ready. There is no magic age. He is ready when he is ready.
 
Age 7 is not to young to commit sin. Why then, should it be too young to receive Reconciliation and the Eucharist? We typically baptize very soon after birth. A child at that age has no concept of God, but we do it to mark that child as a child of God, to wipe away original sin, and to fill that child with God’s grace.

To me, then, the great spiritual benefit of God’s presence in us through the Eucharist, and his forgiveness through Reconciliation, along with the graces received in the reception of the sacraments themselves, far outweighs the child’s limited concept of what is really happening.
 
The guideline for Confession, Confirmation, and Communion is the age of reason, which is still about 7. Certainly there are a number of children who achieve this age younger or older. Few parishes, however, are equipped to deal with individual requests to have these sacraments earlier (having them later is less of a difficulty for the parish).

Since the question is whether they are capable of sinning (for Confession) then it is certainly better, if there is any doubt, for the child to receive the Sacrament. Once they have been admitted to Confession, then there is no doubt that they should also be admitted to the sacraments meant to strengthen them against sin (Confirmation and Communion).
 
I would say if anything its to late, but in truth its probably just about as close to correct as you can get it. Children need he help of the sacraments just like the rest of us.
 
I made my first communion at age 7, actually 2 weeks after my 7th birthday. I also make my first confession while I was still 6. As far as I can remember I understood what I was doing. I still remember both first sacraments and that was back in 1961.
 
I was 7. Everyone I knew that received First Communion and Confession was 6 or 7…
 
St. Catherine of Siena made a vow of virginity and promised herself to the Lord at age seven.
 
And of course in Eastern Catholic Churches (perhaps not all) a baby receives Baptism Confirmation…and Holy Communion…
 
Even though some kids might not have the same maturity as others, 7 is still a good age to ‘start getting them to grow up’. I think that by the time a kid is 10, they have learnt to cash in on ‘I am a kid I don’t know what I am doing so you can’t punish me’. I think that although perhaps at 7 you still don’t fully realize everything, it is a good time to start teaching responsibility for your actions

CM
 
Until relatively recently (pardon the redundancy), one would start learning a trade at the age of 7, a little before that and you would leave home at the age of 7.
 
Like pretty much everyone else, I think it depends on the particular child and his or her circumstances. Some children are more mature than others.

As previously mentioned, Eastern Catholic children usually receive baptism, chrismation (confirmation), and first Communion as infants.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top