The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
November 3, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 03 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
This week, Level II children will receive a presentation of the parable of the Found Sheep. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Level I initiates the child's relationship with the Father through his Son. The central element of the proclamation CGS gives to the youngest children is through the parable-allegory of the Good Shepherd found in John 10:1-18. A central proclamation to Level II children is that of the parable-allegory of the True Vine found in John 15:1-10. Here Jesus urges, "As the father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love." Though we work hard to remain in His love, it is so good to know that, should we stray, the Good Shepherd seeks us to bring us back.
Remember that all families are invited to join a special, intimate celebration of mass on Thursday, November 19th during the last half of Atrium. Families who attend catechesis on Tuesday or Wednesday are invited to join us Thursday instead of their regular day. If you cannot come on Thursday, then please continue to attend your normal Atrium day.
Peace,
The Level II catechist team:
Jane Ott and Liza Bloomer on Tuesdays
Megan Wallenfang, Vanessa Hernandez, and
AmyMcCue on Wednesday
Barb McHugh and Myrna Gomez on Thursdays
and Jane Ott (writer) and Lina Hilko (editor)
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| The Found Sheep |
We begin our presentation to the children with the Good Shepherd parable from the Gospel of John and review it with the children who received the presentation in Level I. The children will recall that the Good Shepherd loves and takes great care of his sheep. After review, we will introduce another parable about the Good Shepherd, this time from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:4-6).
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' " Here we will explore something else about the Good Shepherd. In this passage, we hear a new characteristic of the Good Shepherd: He looks for the Lost Sheep that has wandered from the flock. It is told that the Good Shepherd will seek out the Lost Sheep and place the sheep on His shoulders.
Sophia Cavalletti, the founder of the Catechesis, explains most eloquently the Found Sheep in Religious Potential of the Child:
"The Good Shepherd's love is such that He cannot bear to know that even one of His sheep is alone and unprotected. So He goes in search of it, calling for it until His voice reaches the sheep and sheep and Shepherd are together once again; even more, now the sheep is on the Good Shepherd's shoulders, now the sheep can go where He goes, and who could harm a sheep in the arms of its Shepherd?" The catechists will be sure to let the child realize that the Good Shepherd is Jesus and the sheep are His people. By exploring the text of the parable while resisting the temptation to tell the children, we facilitate the joy of the children's own discovery. This approach is often used in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. As catechists (and parents), we are merely facilitators to the discovery of God's plan and love for us. How wonderful for the children to actually realize this on their own!
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Please 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. |
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