The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I
December 2, 2008 - Level 1, Issue 3 |
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| Dear CGS Level I Parent, |
 Advent is a joyful time for our youngest children. Certainly, there are plenty of shepherds and sheep around to remind our littlest ones of Jesus the Good Shepherd. St. Teresa's looks beautiful, adorned with the purple color of preparation. You can share in your child's awe and wonder toward this season of waiting and preparation by together noticing the changes each week in the church.
This week in Atrium, we will introduce, or reintroduce, Advent as a time of waiting and preparing for the great feast of Christmas. Each Atrium will emphasize the change of season by changing the cloth at the prayer table. Also, each Atrium will have an Advent wreath. The presentations during Advent will revolve around Messianic prophesies and Infancy narratives.
We hope you have found a way to celebrate Advent within your family. You might like to visit the link (in the box to the left) called www.adventconspiracy.org. Even if you only spend a moment, you'll receive rich food for (parental) thought. However, if you have a bit more time, try visiting some of their videos. Very powerful.
Wishing you joy and peace in Advent,
The Level I catechist team:
Anne Edwards, Sylvia Pelini on Tuesdays
Betsy Peterson, Sarah Coles on Wednesday
Natalie Spadaccini Rosenberg,
Megan Wallenfang on Thursdays
and Lina Hilko (editor) |
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| Prophesy of the Light |
This week we will present to the children a prophesy from Isaiah 9:1:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. Children find these words to be mesmerizing. Light is so incredibly meaningful and important and comforting to children - well, to all of us, really. The 3-6 children are fascinated by the glow of a single candle.
Just simply proclaiming these words each time you light your Advent wreath would be action enough. Really.
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Shedding a Little More Light ... for Parents |
Here we give some additional information related to Isaiah's beautiful prophesy. Such information may or (more likely) will not be voiced in the Atrium but might help parents understand the prophesy's relationship to Level I concepts.
Isaiah lived on the Earth a long time before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah was a prophet. A prophet is someone who listens with their whole heart to God and then speaks the Word of God. For thousands of years people have heard, and today we continue to hear, the voice of God through the prophets.
Light is foundational to Level I Atrium. It shows up pretty much everywhere, so it's not even practical to point out all the places, times, and ways it is used. But it's worth lifting up one important but simple presentation related to light. This series of actions is core to a celebration at Easter referred to as the Liturgy of the Light and is also core to the first Level I presentation for Baptism. It is so powerful when actually experienced, that describing it in writing does not do it justice. But reading about it can at least introduce the concept for parents. The presentation consists of three steps:
1. When Jesus was born, a light was lit in the world. (Light a candle)
2. But we know that Jesus died. And that light went out. (Snuff the candle)
3. We also know that Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus is risen (re-light the candle), and this light is stronger than death. This light is strong and will never go out.
This simple act of lighting, snuffing, and re-lighting is a powerful proclamation of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. You might think that this is "too deep" for a young child. But you would be amazed at their understanding.
One rich message from this set of actions is to bridge or connect time - past, present, and future. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is made real, in the present moment, by this simple series of actions. If you were at 9 AM mass last Sunday, you heard Fr. Frank speak on this concept of the bridging or connectivity of all time. In Advent, we prepare to commemorate the birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago. But we also reflect on and prepare for the future coming of Christ - Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. However, the point Fr. Frank emphasized is that Jesus is here right now. He is present in a very special way each time we celebrate the Eucharist. So, Christmas isn't just about some long-ago event. And Advent isn't just about being prepared for some nebulous, almost unimaginable future event. Advent and Christmas are very much about the present.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. Does this prophesy speak differently now? How does it relate to the past? The future? The present?
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| Food for (Parental) Thought |
During Advent and Christmas, we are constantly exposed to the image of an infant, a child. Jesus entered into the world as a baby, growing through all the same childhood stages as our children. It seems timely, then, to reflect on a scripture passage (Matthew 18:1-4) about children. This reflection is actually taken from the book The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti. The following is an exerpt from the Foreword of the book, written by Rebekah Rojcewicz, page 13.
In Matthew 18:1-4, the disciples ask of Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus answers first by calling a little child to him and placing the child before them, then by saying, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." What strikes me first is what Jesus did not say. He did not use this opportunity to tell us that we must protect the children (which, of course, we must). Even more pointedly, he did not seize upon the opportunity to commission us to be religious educators! As always, so it seems to me, Jesus carefully chose the moment and the words, and he taught us the most important thing to know in our relationship with the children: that we are to change and become like them.
What is it about us that must change? What does it mean to become like little children? What are little children like?
Interesting thoughts. Isaiah 11:6 prophesies, "Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them."
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| Christmas Eve Family Mass |
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FYI, there will be two rehearsals - on December 14th and 21st immediately following the 9 AM mass - for children interested in participating in a special way in the Christmas Eve family mass. Rehearsals will last about 15 minutes just to learn the song that children will sing. Children desiring to participate are invited to attend at least one rehearsal.
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Feel free to comment on this information to Lina Hilko, LHilko@aol.com, the editor and/or Sarah Coles, SEColes@gmail.com, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education. Thanks! |
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