The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III 
January 5, 2010 - Level 3, Issue 07
In This Issue
Baptism
Food for (Parental) Thought
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Dear CGS Level III Parent,   
The Good Shepherd

We hope you all enjoyed the holiday break and that it was filled with the lasting joy of God's many gifts.  Please remember that we are still in the Christmas season until this coming Sunday, January 10th, when we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus.  And speaking of Jesus' baptism, we have especially coordinated this week's presentation to focus deeply on the sacrament of Baptism.  (And we prepared the way for this week back at the beginning of December through a presentation on all the sacraments.)

 

If a good and natural opportunity arises, please remind your child in some way of their own baptism.  This will help connect their own lives to Atrium and to the mass and ultimately to Jesus.  Baptism is one more thing we each have in common with Jesus.
 
Peace,
The Level III catechist team:
   Sarah Coles and Michael Sanem on Tuesdays
   Lina Hilko and Bernadette Diaz on Thursdays
Baptism

The children will all together work deeply with the details of the Rite of Baptism.  Besides the timeliness of focusing on baptism as we celebrate Jesus' baptism, this presentation also coordinates well with the presentations in mid-December and those coming up in mid-January related to the structure and prayers of the mass.  This week, children work hands-on with the 18 prayers and gestures which are key to the Rite of Baptism.  Combining this with the mass presentations, children can see that our liturgy and our sacramental rites each have structure and meaning.  This structure spans time and location - it unifies the Catholic family.

 

Children are exposed to the most essential gifts of Baptism from their earliest time in Atrium.  Their first introduction is through the gift of light.  In Baptism, we each receive the light of Christ.  Later presentations introduce the various other gifts, articles, and gestures of baptism, such as the white garment, water, the Word, the Oil of Catechumens, the Holy Chrism.  In Level III, the presentation moves away from physical, manipulative representations of the gifts (an actual garment, a miniature font with water, etc) and uses a card material for children to place the actual prayers in order and read them and reflect on them.  Still, all the components have been there all along, and hopefully something will click in the child to this effect.  I've seen that before!  Epiphany!
Food for (Parental) Thought

[Similar to, but slightly different from, an article provided in the Level I newsletter.]

 

Because the focus of Level III this week is on baptism, I want to share thoughts from a favorite book of mine, Mustard Seed Preaching by Ann Garrido (pgs 63-67) .  Ms. Garrido ends her book with four samples of preaching (focused toward adult congregations) in a manner guided by the principles of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  The first example is a sermon reflecting on the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord as a culminating moment of the journey through Advent and Christmas.  This coming Sunday's Gospel (from Luke Chapter 3) will tell of the baptism of Jesus and end with these words:  "And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'"

 

Ms. Garrido reflects on the variety of names we have heard given to Jesus over the many weeks of Advent and Christmas, from the common name Jesus to the grand descriptions such as Emmanuel, Messiah and Lord, The Word Made Flesh, Prince of Peace, and so many others.  Ms. Garrido says (pg 66):

 

"Now, today, we hear one last name.  One last key to unlocking this man's identity.

 

We have heard who he is to us.  Now, we hear who he is to God.

            He is Beloved.  He is Son.

...

 

Of all the names we have heard given to Jesus over the last couple of weeks, this alone seems to be the one he heard himself.  The one that whispered and boomed and echoed throughout his entire life.  The one that shaped his whole person.  The one that formed him into who he would become.  'You are my beloved son.'

 

Would Jesus have been Jesus without this name?  Without this knowledge?  We can speculate 'no.'  The infancy narratives reveal several 'epiphany' events in which Christ's true identity was made known to others.  The story of Christ's baptism seems to reveal the 'epiphany' event in which Jesus' true identity became known to himself.  'I am the beloved son of God.'"

 

Then, Ms. Garrido goes on (pgs 66-67) to the best part, the best news of all!

 

"It is not his name alone, however.  For, in Baptism, each one of us was called 'Beloved' by God.  Each one of us was called 'Child.'  For each one of us the sky is rent and the Spirit descends."

 

We can imagine how everything changed for Jesus upon hearing these words, "You are my beloved son."  We can imagine that every gift of creation, every rock, plant, animal, and human, was more beautiful.  We can imagine that these words opened and lit a path for the rest of his life, for everything he did and everything he became.

 

A key message of Level III is that each of us is called to collaborate with God in the growth and transformation that culminates in Parousia.  Through Baptism, you have been called Beloved Child.  Now think to yourself:  How do I feel about my name - Beloved Child?  How does this name shape who I am?
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.