The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
December 2, 2008 - Level 2, Issue 3 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
We hope all our CGS families had a gratitude-filled and peaceful Thanksgiving and are enjoying Advent If you were at St. Teresa's last Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, you must have enjoyed the striking change of liturgical season. The church looks beautiful, so caringly detailed with the purple color of preparation. We hope you have found a rewarding way to celebrate Advent with your family.
Perhaps you would like to visit the link (see box to the left) called www.adventconspiracy.org. Even if you were to only spend a moment there reading the four main points, you'd receive rich food for thought. However, if you have a bit more time, try visiting some of their videos. Very powerful.
Catechesis meets for two sessions during Advent, this being our first. 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.
Wishing you joy and peace in Advent,
The Level II catechist team:
Liza Bloomer, Kathy Murdock on Tuesdays
Jane Ott, Myrna Gomez on Wed.
Barb McHugh on Thursdays
and Lina Hilko (editor)
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| Prophesy of the Shoot of Jesse |
This week we will present to the children a prophesy from Isaiah 11: 1-3a, found in the Old Testament. The prophesies help to link the waiting for the Messiah by the Chosen People of Israel long, long ago and our waiting for the great feast of Christmas today.
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
And from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
A spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. We will explain that 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. Because they listen so closely, they hear and know some of the promises of God. When a prophet speaks, the prophet speaks the Word of God. We hear the voice of God through the prophets.
What does God tell us in this passage from Isaiah? Who is the person with such wonderful talent: one with a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord?
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Food for (Parental) Thought |
Although such points are never forced or even voiced by the Catechist, it is possible, especially with time and reflection and the work of the Holy Spirit, that children may connect this prophesy with other Level II presentations. For instance, the image of the shoot, roots, bud, and blossom work in harmony with the images in the parable of the True Vine (John 15:1-10) and other growth-related parables (e.g., Mustard Seed and Grain of Wheat). The rich gifts of the Holy Spirit will be celebrated in Atrium again at the end of the year in our Pentecost celebration. We mention these points to help parents get a small taste of the rich interconnection of all the Atrium works.
And what about time? Is this prophesy something stuck way back in the past? Fr. Frank's sermon this past Sunday at the 9 AM mass provided a wonderful opportunity to reflect on both the vastness and unity of time in God's plan. In this season, perhaps it is most obvious that we commemorate the coming of Jesus as an infant some 2000 years ago. However, the Mystery of Our Faith reminds us always that Christ will come again - so we wait in joyful hope for his future coming. But the coming which Fr. Frank lifted up with great energy was the coming right here, right now. Jesus comes to us in an amazing way each time we celebrate the Eucharist - right now in the present. He didn't just come 2000 years ago. He isn't just coming at some unfathomable point way out in the future. He is coming, and He is here, right now. We can reflect on a prayer from St. Teresa of Avila:
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which is to look out Christ's compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now. What are the prophesies saying when read in the context of the interconnection of all time - past, future, and present?
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| One Plan of God |
This year in the Atrium, we have discussed the History of the Kingdom of God, starting with Creation, continuing with Redemption (Jesus' birth, life, death, and rising from the dead), and culminating with that time we call Parousia, when "God will be all in all." There is one history of salvation; there is one plan of God. This history is a long history but a unified history. When we introduce the children to the Old Testament this week, we present another story in the ONE story of God in our history. Even though the children do not yet have the historical sensibility to understand in depth the Old Testament, they do understand that it is a piece of the history of salvation. Our aim is to present only the texts that offer images and expressions that can be readily understood by the 6-9 children.
Perhaps you can read to your children during this Advent season some passages from the Old Testament (listed below) that proclaim the coming of Christ. Remember to try not to interpret or explain the meaning of the passages. Our children are close to God, and if they really listen, they can hear and understand these prophecies.
Prophesy of the Light, Isaiah 9:1
Prophesy of the Names, Isaiah 9:5
Prophesy of the Place (Bethlehem), Micah 5:1a
Prophesy of the Mother, Isaiah 7:14
Prophesy of the Star and Scepter, Numbers 24:17 (middle only)
Prophesy of the Shoot of Jesse, Isaiah 11:1-3a
Prophesy of the Peaceable Kingdom, Isaiah 11:6-9
Prophesy of the Valleys and Mountains, Isaiah 40:3-5
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| Christmas Eve Family Mass |
| FYI, there will be two rehearsals for children interested in participating in a special way in the Christmas Eve family mass. Rehearsals will immediately follow the 9 AM mass on December 14th and 21st. They 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 provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at LHilko@aol.com and/or Sarah Coles, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at SEColes@gmail.com. Thanks! |
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