The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II
November 17, 2009 - Level 2, Issue 04 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent |
All families in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd are invited to celebrate together a mass of thanksgiving this Thursday, November 19th. Please gather in the church at 5:10 PM. 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 or Wednesday, 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 Level II children will receive a presentation on the Liturgical Calendar. (On Thursday the presentation will occur from 4:30 to 5:10 PM, before the mass.) As you have read earlier this year, Level II children are working with time and history, The History of the Kingdom of God. Through working with the Liturgical Calendar, the Level II children begin to understand that life in the Church revolves around life in Christ.
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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| Liturgical Calendar |
The liturgical calendar is presented in the form of a circular wooden puzzle. It's timely for all of us to consider this calendar because the liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent - November 29th this year. So, our new year is quickly approaching!
Since Level I, children have been exposed to the articles and gestures of the mass and to the liturgical colors. The liturgical calendar helps enforce the concept that the mass is structured and, like nature, follows a predictable path containing seasons and events. The calendar segments coordinate with the liturgical colors and seasons:
- Green for "growing," or Ordinary Time
- Purple for "preparation," the seasons of Advent and Lent
- White for "celebration" or "great feast," the Christmas and Easter seasons
- Red for the feast of Pentecost (and other solemn occasions, but these aren't specifically raised up to the children)
The most important message to the Level II children is that life in the Church revolves around life in Christ. Jesus was a real person living in a real place over 2000 years ago. And he is alive and present today in a particular way in our celebration of the Liturgy.
He was born.
We celebrate his birth and childhood during the Christmas season,
spanning 2 or 3 Sundays.
He died and rose.
We celebrate his rising from the dead during the Easter season,
spanning 7 Sundays.
He gave his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit so they could continue Jesus' work and spread the Gospel to people around the world and across time.
On Pentecost, we celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit
which are given to all of us.
Even though Jesus lived on Earth over 2000 years ago, our liturgy celebrates his life each and every Liturgical Year. Jesus is present - is alive - today and yesterday and tomorrow.
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| Food for (Parental) Thought |
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Last Friday, I (Lina) had the opportunity to lead a group of catechists from various churches in the suburbs in prayer, reflection and discussion. The topic centered on supporting parents in living out their baptismal commitment to their children. In baptism, each of us receives the light of Christ. When we are young, this light is entrusted to our parents and godparents to be kept burning brightly. The Rite of Baptism clearly identifies parents as the first and best teachers of the faith to their children. It then stands to reason that the most successful catechesis programs will offer meaningful support to the parents so they can fulfill their responsibilities.
One topic of discussion (amongst many) was that of the importance of a long and lasting journey of catechesis, beginning long before First Communion and continuing in a meaningful and sustained manner after Confirmation. Ideally a child sees how their parents actively continue to grow in relationship with God and learn that the deepening of this relationship is a lifelong journey, a process of listening and learning, loving and working.
An interesting connection was made between this discussion and the liturgical calendar. Note that our liturgical year doesn't begin at the birth of Jesus, even though it might seem logical for birth to mark a beginning. The liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, the time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. Is there a corollary with Baptism? Does our life in God begin at our Baptism? Or does it begin long before, even as our parents are making decisions about our life, our birth, our name, how we will be raised. All that preparation is very important to our birth - be it our physical birth or our rebirth through Baptism.
Christmas is followed by a block of Ordinary Time, the time of growing and deepening through listening to the Word of God. Baptism marks a point in time, but most importantly it marks a beginning. Our Baptism is the beginning of our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple, like an apprentice, must take time to grow. Perhaps this block of Ordinary Time reminds us of our need to grow.
A similar pattern occurs with Pentecost, the feast celebrating the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit in our Confirmation. And yet Pentecost is followed by about half a year of continued Ordinary Time, growing time. What might this suggest about our catechetical journey after Confirmation?
One final point stems from the shape of the liturgical calendar used in the Atrium. It is a circle. As such, the final week of Ordinary Time flows right into Advent, a time of preparation for a birth. Yesterday's readings at mass from one view were about the end of time, and from another view were about a joyful beginning. If you were at the 9AM mass yesterday with Father Ben, you heard him speak about hope. Sometimes in some situations it is hard to feel hopeful or to see the light of hope. Can the circular liturgical calendar provide us with a means to meditate on the message of hope proclaimed to us through the life of Jesus Christ?
The liturgical life of the Church revolves around life in Jesus. How does your life revolve around life in Jesus?
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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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