The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I
February 16, 2010 - Level 1, Issue 10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dear CGS Level I Parent, |
The Level I children will receive a presentation on two gestures of the mass called the "Epiclesis" and the "Offering." These gestures continue to help the young child connect more fully with the mass and start experiencing its mysteries.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is on February 17th. If you didn't get a chance to read about the developmental stages of moral formation in our last newsletter, please click this archive link to catch up on this topic. Lent is a time of preparation in which we hear a strong call for repentance. You will discern from the article on developmental stages that repentance is not a concept with which Level I children naturally and readily connect. When choosing Lenten observations on which to collaborate with your 3-6 child, it may help to understand the developmental stages and that the 3-6 child connects with protection and relationship.
Another Lenten opportunity for young children which connects with this week's presentation of Epiclesis and Offering is to focus on our gratitude for gifts and our response to those gifts through our giving back. This gift/response behavior is foundational to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and Lent may provide a good opportunity to consciously consider with your child gifts and response. Peace, The Level I catechist team: Betsy Peterson, Martha Garcia Barragan on Tues. Kathy Murdock, Donny Wallenfang on Wed. Anne Edwards, Sylvia Pelini, Erin Walsh on Thurs. and Lina Hilko (editor) |
|
|
|
|
| Epiclesis and Offering |
|
Level I children receive various presentations on gestures of the mass. The children learn that a "gesture" is a motion that has meaning, such as a wave hello or beckoning someone to come to you with your finger. The youngest children are able to understand the deep meaning of gestures even if they cannot yet verbalize their understanding. So, introducing them to the gestures of the mass helps them to connect with the mass, especially in light of the fact that they may not yet connect well with spoken prayers.
The gesture of Epiclesis occurs toward the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer. The priest will move his two hands, palms-down over the bread and wine, saying words like, "And so Father we ask you to make these gifts holy by the power of your Spirit so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ." (During the words "Body and Blood" the priest makes yet another gesture, the large "sweeping" sign of the cross with the right hand.)
The gesture of Offering is the time in the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest holds up high the Body and Blood of Christ and says the words, "Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." And the whole congregation joyfully responds with the Great Amen.
One purpose of introducing children to these gestures of the mass is to help them connect to the mass. Another purpose is for them to start to understand the incredible gift of the Eucharistic. This is a work that will take years, and it is so important that we begin right away, even at age three.
Over the course of Catechesis, the child will come to understand that, while human beings can make bread and wine, they cannot create the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can transform bread and wine into Body and Blood. The gesture of Epiclesis is the first step to build this understanding because the gesture begins high and comes down over the gifts - it starts with God and comes down to the gifts we've brought to the table. Our whole lives are based on accepting God's gifts and responding with joy and love to those gifts. So, the gesture of Offering helps the child begin to understand the importance of response to God's gifts, of giving back to God. So, we lift up to God what God has given to us.
|
| Feed My Sheep |
It was mentioned in the last newsletter, and is mentioned again here, that parents "are the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen." (from the Rite of Baptism) Helping your child take notice of any of the gestures they have received in Atrium from time to time is helpful to building the bridges between Atrium, mass, and every-day life. Such moments of noticing, learning, and making connections are the privilege of the parent - this is something the catechist can't do because the catechist isn't there at the most opportune learning moments.
|
| Lenten Opportunities |
[Same article as in Level II.] This week marks the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday masses will be held at St. Teresa at 7:30 AM and 7:00 PM. Please celebrate this time of preparation by joining the St. Teresa community at mass.
If you are still looking for ways that your family can observe Lent, consider doing something to combine your fasting with giving to one of the following organizations: Operation Rice Bowl (http://orb.crs.org/), Living Water International (http://www.water.cc/), or Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/). For more on each, read below or visit their web sites.
All of these organizations offer a chance to learn about the world. Remember during Lent to give thanks with your child for the gift of learning or reading. Our children may take it for granted, and even wish for snow days off of school. There are so many children who yearn to read and learn but instead do tasks just to stay alive. So, if your Lenten observation includes reading or learning, give yourself credit for making good use of this gift!
Operation Rice Bowl
This year as in the past, St. Teresa offers families the opportunity to become more aware of global hunger and thirst while helping to support Catholic Relief Services through Operation Rice Bowl. The program comes with a calendar to help guide a family through Lent. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to learn about other countries; for your child to use math to figure out the amount saved by certain fasting choices; or for your child to learn to cook basic foods, such as rice or noodles. Make choices which get your child involved hands-on.
Living Water International
You may recall from our CGS newsletters during Advent that we provided a link to "Advent Conspiracy." Living Water International is the organization supported by Advent Conspiracy. This organization addresses the "most basic of needs by helping deprived communities acquire safe, clean water." You can learn a lot from their web site, such as this fact:
"A child dies every 15 seconds because of the lack of clean water. It costs us an average of $0.98 to provide clean, safe water to one person for one year: every dollar makes a difference."
There are many creative ways that a family can contribute to a solution to this global crisis. There's also a lot of great opportunity to exercise math skills. For example, does your child drink juice from time to time? Can you calculate the cost of one serving of juice or one juice box (about 15-40 cents)? Stick two containers on your refrigerator, one full of dimes (labeled something like "Fast") and the other empty (labeled something like "Give"). Each time a family member opts for tap water instead of juice (or soda), they can move the right amount of dimes (whatever you decided, such as two dimes) from the "Fast" bucket to the "Give" bucket. On Fridays your child can count by tens to calculate the dollars in the "Give" bucket. (Then move all the dimes back to "Fast" and start over.) Each dollar can be represented by one paper person (cut out simple paper dolls from some sort of catalog you would have recycled anyway). Make a chain of paper people representing every dollar you have fasted in order to give to Living Water International. Visually delight in how many people can receive the gift of clean water for one year due to your Lenten efforts.
For even more math and more water-awareness, credit yourself with savings for taking shorter showers or for turning off water while you soap and shampoo. You can work with your child to estimate the cost of tap water and estimated savings from using less water. However, since water is relatively inexpensive, you might want to attribute some other monetary crediting to this good environmental behavior in order to save more dimes and add more paper people to your Living Water people chain.
Did you know that "Clean water combined with hand washing can eliminate 70% of disease?" (http://www.water.cc/schools/) How about crediting yourself with one dime before every time you wash your hands during Lent. Your Living Water people chain will grow a lot! And every time you wash your hands (something you may take for granted), you'll remember how something so basic can make a huge difference.
Heifer International
Could your family save up enough to give chickens, rabbits, or a sheep to a family in need? Through Heifer International, you can do just that:
"With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift - a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace." (citation)
You can watch a short video about Heifer. Consider whether this Easter the baskets you give contain a Heifer chick or bunny. Maybe your child can save toward this cause by taking on a pet-care chore and receiving a dollar each time they do it. Think about animal-related works that can lead to savings toward Heifer livestock. .
| |
Feel free to comment on this information to Lina Hilko, LHilko@aol.com, the editor and/or Sarah Coles, SEColes@gmail.com, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education. Thanks! |
|
|
|
|
