The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III
April 6, 2010 - Level 3, Issue 13 |
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| Dear CGS Level III Parent, |
This week the Level III children will begin a study of Moses and the Exodus which will be our focus for the rest of the catechetical year (4 sessions). Consistent attendance is important for your child to feel connected to the studies and discussions. If your child has to miss a session, you can read and discuss the passages together so your child receives the full richness of this series of presentations. Also, feel free to talk to your catechist whenever you have questions or need help connecting to the catechesis.
Our Bible study of Moses will occur over three sessions:
April 6/8 - Moses' birth and call to vocation
April 20/22 - Passover, Exodus and crossing the Red Sea
May 4/6 - Sojourn in the desert
In our last Atrium session (May 18/20), we will work with a material that helps us find typological connections between these Old Testament accounts and Redemption (i.e., the time in which we live, connections to Jesus' life and teachings) and Parousia, the time when God will be all in all.
The study of Moses and the Exodus is one of five Level III "typological studies." You can read more about typology below.
Peace and joy,
The Level III catechist team:
Sarah Coles and Michael Sanem on Tuesdays
Lina Hilko and Bernadette Diaz on Thursdays
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| Continued Conversations |
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For those parents who want to connect with their child's catechetical experience, our typology studies offer a great opportunity for continued conversation. Parents are invited to read the portions of the book of Exodus on their own. Then when the opportunity arises, parents are ready to engage with children in conversation. Keep in mind that your opportunity for continued conversation may not occur right now. By reading now, you'll be prepared to engage when the time is right. Maybe some current event inspires a connection to Moses, and you decide to talk about this connection with your child. Maybe your child shares something they are reading in school some time next year, and you wonder together about a connection to the Exodus.
I think it is fascinating to see aspects of Moses in modern leaders or aspects of the Exodus, which occurred over 3000 years ago, in historical events that occurred only 100 or 200 years ago. God worked His plan through Moses. If we can see connections with a leader today, then we can see that such works of God are not far-off, long-ago events. They are also today events. And God's human collaborators are not just distant prophets and saints. God's human collaborators are people today.
When a parent helps the child connect long ago and today, it nourishes one of the central messages of Level III. We are each - men, women, and children - called to work for God's Plan and write a Blank Page in God's history. |
| Moses' Birth and Vocation |
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Our Bible study this first week will cover two topics shown below. I've listed some comments or questions for parents. These may or may not be the type of thing the children discuss, but it gives parents a starting point for their thinking.
Persecution of Israelites and Birth of Moses (Exodus 1:6-22, 2:1-10)
- Do we know other examples of times when a people or a cause or a belief has grown to become a threat? How might a threatened group respond?
- The Israelites have been in Egypt about 400 years now. But they still remember God.
- What quality do the women of the story exhibit toward life?
Cry of Israel and Vocation of Moses (Exodus 2:11-22; 2:23-25; 3:1-17)
When God calls Moses, Moses begins with an appropriate "Here I am." But once God's request is spoken, the backpedaling begins. "Who am I ...?" and "But ... what am I to tell them?"
When Moses and Aaron first make their request of Pharaoh, the result is even more work for the Israelites. How do you think the Israelites are going to react to this? Change is very hard. Do we see examples around us where change is not accepted and where the leader associated with the change is criticized? |
| Typology |
Typological reading is a way of reading scripture in which we look for the imprint of God throughout history. Have you ever looked at a work of art and had a good feel for who the artist was? You might "know" that the new work, which you have never seen before, is a Monet or Picasso or Van Gogh. Something in the color or method, the style or subject connect to something you have seen before by the same artist.
Something similar occurs in typological reading. We read accounts from the Old Testament and look for parallel imprints in the New Testament (i.e., in the life of Jesus). We can also look for parallel imprints in scripture passages which provide insight into Parousia. These imprints, or "types," convey a connectivity throughout all of God's Plan.
When we practice seeing the connections from Old to New Testament, from Old Testament to Redemption to Parousia, we are more able to start seeing the connections all around us in all history. This nourishes the Level III message (perhaps hidden message) that secular and sacred history are not separate, but one.
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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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