The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II 
March 2, 2010 - Level 2, Issue 11
In This Issue
The Mystery of Life and Death
Reconciliation
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Dear CGS Level II Parent  
The Good Shepherd

This week, the Level II children will listen to and reflect on words from scripture which help the children think about death and what happens to the body after death.

 

There will be a celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation for children who have already celebrated their first Reconciliation during the second half of Atrium sessions on Tuesday, March 16th and Thursday, March 18th.  Level II children who have already celebrated this sacrament before will be invited to participate in the sacrament, along with the Level III children.  If your Level II child usually attends Atrium on Wednesdays and has already celebrated his or her first Reconciliation, your child is invited and encouraged to attend on March 16th or March 18th instead of their regular Wednesday session.  If such a switch is not feasible for your child, we encourage you to find another time that your child can celebrate the sacrament, such as St. Teresa's Community Reconciliation Service on Monday, March 29th at 7:00 PM.

 

We hope families are working successfully during Lent to prepare for Easter.  It is not too early to start looking at the events of Holy Week and plan how your family will participate so that all can grow in relationship with God.  Your children will have prepared for six weeks to celebrate Easter.  Please honor their work thus far and help them to truly enjoy the Easter celebration by first attending or participating in Holy Week masses and events as appropriate.


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)

The Mystery of Life and Death 

The presentation in the atrium this week relates to the second reading from this past Sunday's liturgy.   St. Paul speaks about the transformation of the body in this life on earth to the glorification of the body in heaven: "He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to the pattern of his glorified body, by his power to subject everything to himself." (Philippians 3:21)

 

From their earliest time in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children have listened to the Christian message in which "death and life are tightly bound to the announcement of resurrection:  Life is stronger than death. ... In this way the discussion of death/life is presented in a positive context."  (The Religious Potential of the Child 6 to 12 Years Old by Sofia Cavalletti, page 4-5)  Cavalletti goes on to write, "Nevertheless, the reality of death also involves the issue of decomposition of the body, and this is also a deep concern of the children.  The problem is not resolved by merely saying that the loved one 'is in heaven.'"

 

The presentation this week helps children satisfy their need (or at least begin the process) of knowing what happens to the body at death.  We address the children's concerns by showing an example of a seed that when planted in the ground is transformed to new life.

 

The presentation to the children on the "Mystery of Life and Death" begins with Jesus' words found in John 12:24:

 

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat.  But if it dies, it produces much wheat."

 

We show the children some materials that help us understand these words.  We display a jar of wheat seeds and 3 pots of plants.  With the pots, we show the progression of what the seeds looks like after 2 weeks, 8 days and 4 days in each of the pots.  We dig up the different pots and see if we can still see the seed at the root of the plant. This is a time where the children are encouraged to feel the dirt and touch the roots and/or the remnants of the seed.   The children discover that, when the seed is planted, it is totally transformed from a seed to a growing plant.  We wonder together what must be in the seed to make this transformation occur.  If the plant continues to grow, it will develop a full head of grain.  We show the children (and have them touch) the wheat sheath that has many seeds.  What a wonderful realization that one seed produces many seeds.  Once again, in the Kingdom of God, there is a movement from less to more.

 

Here is another excerpt from Religious Potential (page 6) giving a glimpse into the possible thinking that can result from this presentation:

 

"After the presentation we have just described, Cecilia (age 4�) drew a flower.  The catechist asked her, "Where is the seed?" and Cecilia answered, "You can't see it because it's dead.  It has given its life to the plant."  After a pause, she continued, "Without the seed the plant can't grow.  The seed isn't dead though; it's just that its life has gone into the stem and roots."

 

 

Reconciliation 

As was mentioned in the opening letter, children who have already celebrated their first Reconciliation will have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the second half of Atrium on March 16th or March 18th.  Parents who would like to reflect more on this sacrament for themselves may choose to read the Level III newsletters for last session (Feb 16) and this session (Mar 2).

 
In addition, parents may want to read and reflect on the parable of the Forgiving Father (Luke 15: 11-32, also referred to as the Prodigal Son) or the story of healing, particularly of the woman with a hemorrhage, found in Luke 8: 40-55.  The parable can help us reflect on the faithfulness and mercy of God our Father.  The stories of healing help us to reflect on the gifts of grace, healing, and strength that we receive through the sacrament of Reconciliation, and also on the communal aspects of the sacrament.  For example, ask yourself why Jesus seeks to actually talk to the woman who was healed of the hemorrhage.  If her physical problem was already resolved, why did they need to talk?  How do you think the woman felt right before she talked to Jesus in front of all the people?  How do you think she felt after she talked to him face-to-face?  Was there greater healing that needed to be accomplished through their spoken interaction?
 
If you are seeking a better understanding of the sacrament of Reconciliation, try reading any of these scripture passages a number of times spread over various days.  Just listen to the words and experience what messages or words strike you each time.
Please provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at [email protected] and/or Sarah Coles, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at [email protected].