The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
February 17, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 8 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
Don't worry; it's not a catechesis week. I apologize for missing a whole week of the CGS newsletter cycle. The case of Level II is particularly regretful as Jane Ott had her material ready in time. Regardless, I didn't want to completely skip the cycle, so I'm getting out last week's material now.
This Wednesday, February 25th is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Please help your child to fully celebrate Lent, a time of preparation for the Church's greatest feast, Easter. Mark important dates, such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, on your family calendar right now and commit to being present at mass and being present to God. Talk to your children about these special days. Share memories from your youth or share your thoughts and beliefs about these special celebrations. Encourage questions. Remember that you don't have to have all the answers. You can wonder together.
Mothers are invited for their own spiritual nourishment this Tuesday, February 24th by participating in St. Teresa's Mothers' Spiritual Reflection group. We will reflect on certain parables of Jesus, particularly ones presented in Levels II and III. This is a beautiful way for a mother to give both herself and her child a gift. All mothers at any stage of motherhood are welcome in this safe, quiet, and nurturing environment. Please come from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, gathering first around the baptismal font in the church.
I don't know much about it, but I did notice in the bulletin that St. Teresa's has a Men's Spirituality Group forming! The first meeting is at 6:30 AM on Tuesday, March 3rd in the Parish Center. So, it looks like there's something for moms and dads now.
Peace,
The Level II catechist team:
Liza Bloomer, Kathy Murdock on Tuesdays
Jane Ott, Myrna Gomez on Wednesdays
Barb McHugh on Thursdays
and Lina Hilko (editor)
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| The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector |
Last week, the children in Level II were presented the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The catechists first explained the status and perception of Pharisees and tax collectors in the days of Jesus. Pharisees were holy men who abided by Jewish law, the Torah. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were not considered "holy" at all. They were despised because of their position as money collectors for the Romans but also because they were often known to take more money from the people than was due. Given this backdrop, here is the parable as told in Luke 18:10-14.
Jesus said: "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." The parable is pertinent especially as we prepare for the season of Lent. Oftentimes we, like the Pharisee in this story, focus our time of Lent on doing good deeds and fasting and forget the important component of our holy work. Contemplate what Jesus is saying is absent in the Pharisee's prayer. Contemplate what Jesus is saying present in the tax collector's prayer.
Sofia Cavalletti, the founder of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, powerfully describes the plight of the Pharisee:
"For instance, in the parable the Pharisee claims to have restrained himself from greediness and adultery; he fasted and paid his tithe; but he is not concerned with ridding his heart of conceit and contempt for his fellow human beings. The good deed itself is only material and lacks the proper spirit. Fasting observed without love signifies no more than a little less food consumed. Tithes paid with a heart full of conceit are but lifeless metal coins. Food and metal can have meaning only if accompanied by the spiritual fervor of the one making the fast or paying the tithe." (History's Golden Thread, page 140) How can we can make our Lenten time with our families more meaningful and prayerful?
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Ash Wednesday |
You are invited to celebrate the beginning of Lent by attending Ash Wednesday mass as a family. We do not specifically talk about Ash Wednesday and the ashes in any CGS presentation, so we encourage parents to talk to their child about this special day. During the distribution of ashes, the priest or layperson marks the sign of the cross with ashes on a person's forehead while saying one of the following:
Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)
Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. (Mark 1:15)
Repent, and hear the good news. (Mark 1:15) Some CGS children may remember another time that the sign of the cross was traced on their forehead. This was done at baptism as the celebrant said the words, "The Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In its name I claim you for Christ our Savior by the sign of his cross." Then, the parents and Godparents also marked the sign of the cross on the child's forehead. At baptism there was no smudge on our forehead because we were born new in Christ. All our sin was washed away. In fact, we showed this to everyone in the symbol of our white garment.
In baptism, we promise to reject sin and profess our faith. And yet, as human beings we know we are constantly called throughout our lives to conversion, a movement away from sin and toward Christ. Lent is a time of preparation so we can joyfully and truthfully renew our baptismal promises when Easter arrives.
Last Sunday's bulletin had a "Catholic Update" article explaining the history of ashes. If you still have a copy, maybe you'd like to read it for your own Lenten preparation. In case you don't have it, here is an excerpt which can help you prepare to talk to your child about the ashes:
We move through Lent from ashes to the baptismal font. We dirty our faces on Ash Wednesday and are cleansed in the waters of the font. More profoundly, we embrace the need to die to sin and selfishness at the beginning of Lent so that we can come to fuller life in the Risen One at Easter.
When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember who we are. We remember that we are creatures of the earth ("Remember that you are dust"). We remember that we are mortal beings ("and to dust you will return"). We remember that we are baptized. We remember that we are people on a journey of conversion ("Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"). We remember that we are members of the body of Christ (and that smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too.)
Renewing our sense of who we really are before God is the core of the Lenten experience.
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| Walk the Talk |
Maybe parents would like to re-read the parable again in preparation for Ash Wednesday. The final words say, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Do the ashes provide a sacramental sign related to these words? Are there other signs and gestures we use to express our humility before God? The children are shown how to bow when entering the Atrium, which is a special place in which we seek to come into relationship with God. Are there other places or times that you and your child could use your body to express humility toward God? Maybe together you can focus on using these gestures in a more conscious way during Lent.
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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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