The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Levels I & II
May 19, 2009 - Levels 1&2, Issue 14 |
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| Dear CGS Level I and/or II Parent |
Pentecost, marking the end of the Easter season and the "birthday" of the church, will be celebrated in the mass on May 31st. Both Level I and Level II will hold Pentecost Celebrations this week since this is our last gathering of the catechetical year. To save on reading time for "multi-level" families, we have combined the newsletter for these two levels. Since we are celebrating Pentecost early in Atrium, please help support your child's catechetical experience by seeking to unify the Atrium events of this week with true Pentecost which happens in two weeks. Be sure to take notice of the liturgical color on May 31st. Our children have learned that red is the color of Pentecost. Maybe you, too, want to wear red to church that Sunday.
We are still seeking catechists for the upcoming year. If you are even just wondering about the opportunity, please reach out to Sarah Coles or a current catechist to learn more. We understand that it is a discernment process. Also, you should have received a registration form from your child last session. If not, please pick one up and fill it out this week. It is very helpful to everyone to get a solid jump on registration early. Besides helping Sarah Coles with 2009/2010 planning, this helps you as a family when it comes time to sign up for extracurricular events for the fall.
Joyfully,
Your catechists
and Lina Hilko (editor)
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| Pentecost Celebration |
The Pentecost Celebration provides quiet time and atmosphere for children to understand and celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The catechist will light one white candle and read a scripture passage or passages related to Jesus' promise of sending the disciples an Advocate (the Holy Spirit) when Jesus went back to Heaven. From this one candle, the catechist will, in series, light seven red candles. Upon each red candle lighting, the catechist will read a gift of the Holy Spirit and its brief, simple explanation. After quietly reflecting on these gifts, the catechist will invite each child to light (or have lit) their own individual votive candle from one of the seven gift candles. Each child may choose which gift they especially want to think about or pray about during the celebration. (This step is adapted as appropriate to the abilities of a given Atrium so as to provide a meaningful, peaceful, and safe experience.)
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Gifts of the Holy Spirit |
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The gifts of the Holy Spirit are derived from Isaiah 11:2-3:
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.
An explanation of each gift is given below, with the gifts ordered as composed by Pope St. Gregory the Great: "Through the fear of the Lord, we rise to piety, from piety then to knowledge, from knowledge we derive strength, from strength counsel, with counsel we move towards understanding, and with intelligence towards wisdom and thus, by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, there opens to us at the end of the ascent the entrance to the life of Heaven." (Homiliae in Hiezechihelem Prophetam, II 7,7)
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Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe): This gift induces a deep respect for God's majesty and eminence. God is perfection: perfect love, perfect goodness, perfect knowledge, and perfect power. The result of this gift is that our deepest desire is to remain connected to God. Sometimes people dislike or misunderstand the term "fear." This is a "filial" fear, such as the fear a child would feel toward disappointing their parent because the child truly loves and respects their parent. This is in contrast to a "servile" fear, which stems, not from a loving relationship, but from a fear of punishment.
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Piety (Reverence): A person with reverence acknowledges his or her complete dependence on God and comes before God with love, trust, and humility. Through this gift, we love and respect God as our Father, and thus we can love and respect all people as our brothers and sisters since we share the same Father.
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Knowledge: Knowledge enables us to know the will of God, especially through knowing the life example and words of Jesus. As we receive knowledge about creation and created things, this gift helps us to look beyond each created thing to God, its Creator. In this way, all creation becomes a "bridge" to union with God.
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Fortitude (Courage): Courage strengthens us to do the will of God, even when we risk rejection or physical harm. Fortitude strengthens us to work positively toward the Plan of God and to resist and endure evil.
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Counsel (Right Judgment): This gift allows a person to judge right from wrong and to choose to do what is right and to choose to resist what is wrong. We become receptive to God's counsel on distinguishing the right path and living according to Jesus' example.
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Understanding: Understanding enables a person to know more clearly the mysteries and truths of faith, penetrating deeply to develop insight and intuition far beyond a superficial knowledge.
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Wisdom: Wisdom instills in a person the desire to direct our whole life and all our actions toward seeking and building the Kingdom of God. Through wisdom a person sees that the wonders of nature and all creation, all historical people, events, and inventions, and the successes and challenges of daily life are all connected to God's plan for loving cosmic communion. With this gift, a person can see and evaluate all things from God's perspective.
I used the following two sources to write this information:
Saunders, Fr. William. "Gifts of the Holy Spirit." Catholic Education Resource Center. 2003. Arlington Catholic Herald. 18 May 2009 <http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0451.html>.
"Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 17 May 2009. 18 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_gifts_of_the_Holy_Spirit>.
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| The Order of Things |
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As I read the ordering logic for the gifts of the Holy Spirit by Pope St. Gregory the Great, I was struck by a connection between this ordering and the order of primary goals in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. You may recall from the earliest newsletters this year, that the central aim of Levels I and II is to nurture and solidify a deep, loving relationship with God. In Level I, CGS provides the time, environment, and experiences for the child to fall in love with Jesus, our Good Shepherd. In Level II, the central proclamation is of the True Vine, a parable-allegory in which the child is repeatedly invited to "remain" in relationship with Jesus.
It is good to re-read words from Mustard Seed Preaching by Ann M. Garrido:
Children have a deep desire and capacity to be in loving relationship. Relationship - children teach us - is the most essential, the most beautiful, and the most real thing in the universe. It is their deepest need and, when it is met, it is their greatest joy. Because their capacity for relationship is so large, it can be difficult to satiate. The children's great hunger to love and be loved offers perhaps the best testimony we have to the foundational principle of Christian anthropology that humans are ultimately "wired" to be in relationship with God. For, only in God, does the child's need and capacity fully meet its match.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd emphasizes relationship first. An emphasis on knowledge and moral formation comes later. This seems in keeping with the order of gifts presented above.
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| Remain! |
This marks our last week of the catechetical year. The team of catechists, led so beautifully by Sarah Coles, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, wishes all of you a safe, relaxing summer filled with awe and wonder, filled with exceeding joy toward God's gifts and spontaneous expressions of gratitude for these gifts. We hope that these newsletters have helped parents remain connected to their child's catechetical experience this year. Parents are always the first and best teachers of faith to their children. But during summer, parents are especially entrusted to help their child remain connected to Jesus during the break. Enjoy!
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Feel free to ask questions or provide comments 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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