The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III
November 17, 2009 - Level 3, Issue 04 |
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, |
All families in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd are invited to celebrate together a mass of thanksgiving this Thursday, November 19th. The Level III children will serve as hosts for this mass, attending to tasks such as lectoring, writing and reading the intentions, and bringing up the gifts. This provides our oldest children with the opportunity to engage more deeply with the mass through responsible service to the CGS community.
If you can join us for mass, please gather in the church at 5:10 PM on Thursday. Mass will start at 5:15 PM. Children are invited to bring a non-perishable food item to give to St. Teresa's Food Pantry during the presentation of gifts at mass.
If you regularly attend Catechesis on Tuesday, you may choose to change your entire attendance (4:30 - 6:00 PM) to Thursday for this week in order to join in the mass. Or you may come for the full session on your regular day and additionally just join the mass (5:15 - 6:00 PM) on Thursday. If you cannot come at all on Thursday, please do continue to attend your regular day. Catechists will be there for your children, and important presentations will occur this week in all Atria.
This week the first-year Level III children will continue their study of Creation by reading and discussing the second account of Creation. The returning Level III children will have work time. On Thursday, this work time will be used to prepare for the mass.
Peace,
The Level III catechist team:
Sarah Coles and Michael Sanem on Tuesdays
Lina Hilko and Bernadette Diaz on Thursdays
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| Creation - Second Account |
In our last Atrium session, the first-year children read and discussed the first account of Creation. This week they continue to ask, "Who is the God we meet in these pages of Genesis?" And we ask, "Who are we? What is our relationship?"
The second account of Creation is recorded in Genesis 2:4-25. In this account, God begins His work by creating man. Everything else is created for man's sake. We'll read, "the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life." These words remind me of a song we sometimes (not often) sing at mass that says, "Abba, Abba Father, you are the potter; we are the clay, the work of your hands." This God appears almost as an artist, and He is very intimate with us. He holds us quite close and breaths life into us.
We will compare and contrast the two Creation accounts, which are really so very different from each other. Why were these two accounts preserved in the Bible? If they are so different, one from the other, can we be learning about the same God? The same humanity?
In the first account of Creation, we meet a very powerful God, so very high above us. In theology, this quality of God is termed "transcendent." In the second account, we meet a God that is very near, inextricably related to us. In theology, this quality is termed "immanent." It means "existing or remaining within, indwelling."
The prophet Isaiah speaks God's words: "As high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts." (Is 55:1-11) Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? ... Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20)
How can God be both transcendent and immanent? Does Jesus Christ provide us with insights into answering this question?
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| Prepare! |
| The first Sunday of Advent is November 29th. Please take time now to think about how you want to observe Advent, both for yourself and as a family. Remember that when a parent nourishes their spiritual life, they inevitably, as if by osmosis, nourish their child's spiritual life. Take time for your own joyful preparation. | |
Please feel free to talk to Lina Hilko ( LHilko@aol.com) or Sarah Coles ( secoles@gmail.com) with your questions, comments or concerns about Level III or this e-newsletter. |
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