The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III
February 17, 2009 - Level 3, Issue 10 |
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, |
No, it isn't a Catechesis week. I apologize for missing a whole week of the CGS newsletter cycle. However, here is last week's news.
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 your thoughts and beliefs about these special celebrations. Encourage questions. Wonder and research and work together for a meaningful Lent.
Mothers are invited to invest in their own spiritual nourishment this Tuesday, February 24th from 7:30 to 9:00 PM (gathering around the baptismal font in the church). St. Teresa's Mothers' Spiritual Reflection group will reflect on certain parables of Jesus, particularly ones presented in Levels II and III. All mothers at any stage of motherhood are welcome in this safe, quiet, and nurturing environment.
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,
Lina Hilko
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| Gifts and Response |
Last week, some children (mostly those in their first year of Level III) worked on a presentation called "The Individual Gifts Strip." This is a work on which three or four children collaborate, largely without the catechist's help. This work helps children to reflect on the many gifts from God and provides one opportunity to reflect on their personal response to God's gifts. The strip orients to the three great moments of Salvation History: Creation, Redemption, and Parousia. The gifts of Creation - such as light and stars; rocks and minerals; plants and animals - are fresh on their minds due to our recent work with Creation accounts in Genesis. However, all those gifts weren't enough for God. God gave his son, Jesus, who died and is risen and is the first-fruit of God's new creation. And now we are living in the time of Redemption and awaiting Parousia. We each are called to build the Kingdom of God so that one day God's Plan for cosmic communion in love will be fulfilled.
During Lent we are each called to conversion so we can be ready to celebrate joyfully at Easter. We are called to make choices based on love and relationship. One way parents can help their child make Lenten decisions is by helping the child reflect on their personal gifts from God and to think of ways they can use those gifts better.
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| The Holy Bible |
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A handful of children (mostly ones in the latter part of their Level III career) worked on a challenging presentation called "The History of the Kingdom of God and the Holy Bible." The main message of this complex work is that The Holy Bible is one book made up of many books which tells a unique history, from Creation through Redemption to Parousia, which God writes together with human beings. This work, like so many in Level III, encourages the child to think about their personal role in writing a page of Salvation History.
I set four children up with this work and let them know they could come to me with questions. The work requires a lot of reading, and like I mentioned, it's quite challenging for some children. When I first came back to check on this group, the cards were kind of strewn about and the kids were kind of glazed over. They said they needed help because they didn't get it. I mentioned that it's challenging and requires good reading. "But we don't know the order to put it in." (The work is essentially a bunch of cards with scripture passages. The cards are to be arranged chronologically.) So, I asked if there was some sort of reference material in the Atrium that might help them, and then I said I'd check back in a while. How overjoyed I was to see one of them come trotting into the Atrium and grab a Bible. And low and behold, they worked it all out! (Who would have guessed the Bible could actually be a reference source?!)
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| Ash Wednesday |
(This is a copy of the Level II article by the same name.)
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. | |
Please feel free to talk to me or email me ( LHilko@aol.com) with your questions, comments or concerns. Sincerely, Lina Hilko |
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