The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I
February 17, 2009 - Level 1, Issue 8 |
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| Dear CGS Level I Parent, |
I apologize for missing a whole week of the CGS newsletter cycle. Nonetheless, I didn't want to completely skip the cycle, so I'm getting out last week's material now. (This is not a catechesis week.)
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. Take time to notice the changes of the liturgical season in the church. I happened to visit the church today, and there are lots of changes. Make it a "treasure hunt" type of game to note what changed. Young children might really enjoy that challenge. Lent is a season in which there are changes outside church, too, such as abstaining from meat on Fridays. Talk to your child about the changes you embrace. Why are those changes important to you? What do they mean to you? How do they help you prepare for Easter? Over time, your child will embrace these concepts for themselves, even if maybe it's a bit early yet.
Mothers are invited to join St. Teresa's Mothers' Spiritual Reflection group this Tuesday, February 24th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM (come to the baptismal font in the church). We will reflect on certain parables of Jesus, particularly ones we refer to as "moral parables." If you brought your child into this world in the traditional, biological way (i.e., 9 months of pregnancy), then you probably took special care with your diet during the pregnancy. You were eating (healthily) for two! But even now, your child still depends on you for their well-being. So, take time for your own, super-healthy spiritual nourishment so you can "nourish for two." All mothers at any stage of motherhood are welcome in this safe, quiet, and nurturing environment.
And last week's bulletin announced 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 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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| Gestures of the Mass |
Last week, the children in Level II were presented with the gesture of Offering. This is the time in the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest holds up high the Body and Blood of Christ and says the words, "Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." And the whole congregation joyfully responds with the Great Amen.
Level I children will receive various presentations on gestures of the mass. The children learn that a "gesture" is a motion that has meaning, such as a wave hello or beckoning someone to come with your hand. The youngest children are able to understand the deep meaning of gestures even if they cannot yet verbalize their understanding. So, introducing them to the gestures of the mass helps them to connect with the mass, especially in light of the fact that they may not yet connect well to spoken prayers.
A gesture which works in concert with the Offering is the Epiclesis. The Epiclesis occurs at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. The priest will move his two hands, palms-down over the bread and wine, saying words like, "And so Father we ask you to make these gifts holy by the power of your Spirit so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ." (During the words "Body and Blood" the priest makes yet another gesture, the large "sweeping" sign of the cross with the right hand.)
One purpose of introducing children to the gestures of the mass is to help them connect to the mass. Another purpose is for them to start to understand the incredible gift of the Eucharistic. This is a work that will take years, and it is so important that we begin right away, even at age three.
Over the course of Catechesis, the child will come to understand that, while human beings can make bread and wine, they cannot create the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can transform bread and wine into Body and Blood. The gesture of Epiclesis is the first step to build this understanding because the gesture begins high and comes down over the gifts - it starts with God and comes down to the gifts we've brought to the table. Our whole lives are based on accepting God's gifts and responding with joy and love to those gifts. So, the gesture of Offering helps the child understand the importance of response to God's gifts, of giving back to God. So, we lift up to God what God has given to us.
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Ash Wednesday |
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The Level II newsletter provided an article about Ash Wednesday and the use of ashes. Level I parents may want to grow in their faith by reading the Level II article. They can do so by going to the archive page accessible from the St. Teresa web site. However, it should be noted that the focus of Level I CGS is not directly on moral formation because the child is not developmentally ready for moral formation. The sacramental sign of ashes connects strongly with the Lenten call for repentance. Repentance is not a concept with which Level I children naturally and readily connect. (It goes without saying that Level I children are welcome at Ash Wednesday mass and welcome to receive ashes. The comment is just meant to help understand their developmental stage.)
As we wrote back in November, the central aim of Level I is to provide the time and opportunity for the child to fall in love with God. Later, the child's moral response will come from the basis of a loving relationship. So, the focus of Lent for the Level I child should mainly be joyful anticipation of Easter. (They do learn that Lent is a time of preparation for Easter.)
You may remember reading in the last newsletter about the Parable of the Precious Pearl:
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." (Matthew 13: 45-46)
In that newsletter, we mentioned that the young child tends not to focus on the selling of possessions (whereas the adult may focus on that action of "selling all"). The child tends to reflect on how very precious the Kingdom is. The child may also focus on the merchant's joy and enthusiasm at finding this special pearl.
It may be useful to keep this distinction in mind regarding Lenten observance for adults versus young children. The actions and observances that you embrace for yourself may necessarily be different than the ones you embrace to share with your Level I child. Consider what you can do together to prepare for Easter joy.
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| Feed My Sheep |
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You may remember that the way to connect with the catechetical journey of your Level I child is more through actions than conversation. Lent calls us to conversion and change. We are encouraged to scrutinize ourselves and change the aspects of our lives or behaviors which distance us from God and from relationship.
In this newsletter, we wrote about gestures of the mass. One purpose of introducing the child to gestures is to help the child connect to the mass. However, remember that the catechist likely only presents this material once in a year - in some cases once in a three-year cycle. Parents are the first teachers of the faith to their children. And parents are (usually) the ones who sit with the child at mass. So, it falls to the parent to help support the works of catechesis.
How can you help your child to notice the gestures of the mass? This may not happen every Sunday, but can you help it to happen from time to time? Consider your child's viewpoint. Can your child see the priest and the altar? Is the environment conducive to noticing nuances and gestures?
Gestures are actions with meaning. Your actions speak loudly to your young child. Lent may be your opportunity to inventory all your actions related to mass or to your other St. Teresa experiences. In what areas are you doing very well? Average? Need improvement? Consider everything from the time you leave home to the drive over to the parking lot to your traditions on entering this sacred space to your participation in the mass to your engagement in fellowship after mass to your clean-up of the Parish Center before leaving. What does each activity convey to your child? Is there any message you want to change?
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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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