The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III
May 5, 2009 - Level 3, Issue 15 |
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, |
I hope you are all continuing to enjoy this Easter season and the blossoming, unfolding Spring. In Level III Atrium, we will work with presentations that continue to help us focus on God's gifts and God's call to us for immediate, personal response to His gifts. Certainly Spring is an excellent time for such reflection as the world wakes up all around us. We too are called to wake up.
St. Teresa is now planning for next school year, and we need new catechists. If you missed the last newsletter (dated 4/21), please consider going to the newsletter archives in order to read the article about becoming a new catechist. You can access the archives from the St. Teresa web site (links along the left). Is God calling you to serve St. Teresa's children in this important way? St. Teresa can only continue to provide the rich nourishment of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with the help of many adults.
Peace & Joy,
Lina Hilko
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| Gift and Response |
The Level III children will work on one of two presentations. The first-year children will work with the "Fettucina." In Level II they worked with something called the "Fettucia," which was this incredibly long ribbon tracing the History of the Kingdom of God and lifting up its three great moments: Creation, Redemption, and Parousia. The "Fettucina" provides a bridge from Level II to Level III. The emphasis now is not on length (the vastness of the History) but on content and personal response. Here's the "gist" of this work, taken straight from my personal training notes:
A plan has always existed in the mind of God, the aim of which is to bring humankind to the full enjoyment of God. Through Creation and Redemption, God prepared and provided everything needed by human beings, including God's greatest gift of his son's life, death, and resurrection. Jesus' life and light has spread. And so, God's sacred history continues to be written by people all over the world of all types and all ages, until the history is complete at Parousia. This work issues the call for immediate personal responsibility and action, born from a spirit of wonder and gratitude, toward the fulfillment of the plan by personally writing a piece of God's sacred history from tomorrow onward.
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| Deep Synthesis |
The second- and third-year children will work with something called the "Individual Strip," which provides the opportunity for a very deep synthesis of the various Level III messages about the Plan of God. At the core is the opportunity for the child to consider and personally (privately) answer the question: When we look at the development of history, can we see the progressive realization of a plan?
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| Treasure Our Treasure |
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When Jesus lived on Earth, when he walked and talked and breathed just like you and me, people often asked him about the Kingdom of God - what is it like? One time, he responded like this:
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13: 44)
Sometimes I wonder. Why does the person take time and effort to re-bury the treasure? Why does the person go off and sell everything in order to buy the whole field? I mean, it seems like easier ways were readily available. For one, he could just take the treasure (finders keepers). Or he could take it for convenience sake, knowing he intends to buy the field anyway. And he could simply borrow a few choice items from the treasure in order to finance buying the field. No need to sell all that he has because he's soon going to own the field and the treasure! No worries.
So, why are his actions so precise and correct? This person feels immense joy at the treasure he has found. But he does not cut any corners. He doesn't borrow on the future or against what isn't really his.
We, too, are called to find treasure and to recognize it and value it. We are invited continuously by God to feel overjoyed when we find true treasure. I think God is very happy when we find true treasures - kind of like the joy a parent feels watching their child delight in an Easter egg hunt.
And God asks us to respond out of joy in a wise and responsible manner.
St. Teresa's Finance Council wants our parishioners to understand the amazing treasures of our parish and to respond from knowledge and joy in a wise and responsible manner. This parish has been living pretty much hand-to-mouth for a long, long time. We are not keeping up with our operating expenses, and therefore, we are not attending to the care of our property. The Finance Council provided a presentation on April 26th of St. Teresa's ministerial accomplishments, financial challenges, and new and necessary financial goals. This information needs to be heard by a broad group of parishioners. The presentation (which was very efficient and business-like, by the way) will be re-presented after the 9:00, 10:30, and noon masses on Sunday, May 17th.
The parish finances are intrinsically connected with the desire to provide appropriate space at St. Teresa for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, as well as ensuring the continued success and growth of each and every St. Teresa ministry. Please ensure that your family becomes knowledgeable about St. Teresa's financial realities and opportunities.
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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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