The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level I 
February 22, 2011 - Level 1, Issue 05
In This Issue
Parable of the Hidden Treasure
Parable of the Leaven
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Here I Am, Lord
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Dear CGS Level I Parent,    
The Good Shepherd

This week in Atrium and the next two sessions, the Level I children will listen to and consider three parables about the Kingdom of God.  In past newsletters, you have read that the youngest children can internalize some of our deepest beliefs by reading gestures, movements that convey meaning.  Lofty words and lectures can get in the way of the spiritual understanding of mysteries for anyone, even more so for children who are still developing language.  Parables are like gestures in their use of the simple to convey the deep.  The Kingdom parables in Level I may only be one or two sentences long and use concrete, observable objects.  Yet, their hidden meaning is rich, complex, and inexhaustible.

 

CGS children will receive certain parables again and again, and they will discover deeper and new meaning each time.  The catechist proclaims the Word of God and helps the child reflect on its meaning.  But the catechist does not explain the parable.  It is the joy of the child to discover what meaning is speaking to them each time they hear the story.

 

This year has provided the longest Ordinary Time possible between Christmas and Lent.  Nonetheless, time flies, and Ash Wednesday is approaching (just two weeks!).  You may want to consider positive and meaningful ways that your family can observe Lent together.  Can you work with your child to decide on a plan?

 

Lastly, St. Teresa is investigating the possibility of expanding its food pantry ministry by adding one Saturday distribution per month.  Details haven't been set precisely because the committee wants to work through this with those who are interested in such a volunteer opportunity.  If you would like to help expand St. Teresa's food pantry outreach (a very family-friendly ministry!), please make a special effort to attend a 30 minute organizational meeting on Saturday, March 5th at 10AM in the Gathering Space.

 

Peace,  

The Level I catechist team:  

  Betsy Peterson, Martha Garcia Barragan, and Mairead

     Reidy on Tuesdays

  Liza Bloomer and Anne Edwards on Thursdays

  Kathy Murdock, Shannon Blaha, and Marilyn Slavi 

     on Sundays

and Lina Hilko (editor)
Parable of the Hidden Treasure

When Jesus lived on earth - when he walked and talked and breathed just like you and me - people would ask him all the time to tell them about the Kingdom of God.  What is it like?  And he would answer by telling them a parable.  Parables are stories that use ordinary things to explain other things.  One time, Jesus described God's Kingdom like this:

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."  (Matthew 13:44)

 

Young children tend to focus on the abundant joy of finding something so very precious.  What aspect of the Kingdom is God revealing to you as you read today?

Parable of the Leaven

The parable of the Leaven is found in Matthew 13:33:

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like yeastthat a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened."

 

Children will actually get to observe what happens when the yeast, flour, and water are mixed and then given warmth and time.  I remember a Level III presentation a few years ago called the Synthesis of the Our Father.  Each phrase of the Our Father was written on a big card and placed on the floor.  Children were invited to bring items from the Atrium or write down thoughts from past experiences for each Our Father phrase.  So many wrote down their memory of the yeast and placed it on a variety of the phrases.  It had easily been 3-5 years since any of them had seen that presentation, and yet it was so strong in their memories.  I had never realized what a strong impression that rising yeast made.  Real staying power.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

One time, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed:

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in the field.  It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.  It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches."  (Matthew 13:31)

 

The children listen to these words and are then each given a mustard seed on their finger.  They aren't like the seeds sold in the spice section of the grocery store.  These mustard seeds are the size of a pepper flake.The seed is unimaginably small!   The children are shown a picture of a mustard tree in Israel, fully grown.  It is at least 12 feet tall!  How can such a small seed grow into something SO big?  What makes this happen?  We wonder.

 

This parable appeals specially to Level I children because they can relate to being very small in a big world.  And yet they know that they are growing and changing.  They sense the power deep within their current small and weak state.  They work very hard to master the skills of those around them who are bigger; so, they absolutely plan on becoming big.  Level I children are fascinated by the transformation of the very small into the very big.

Here I Am, Lord
If you are interested in observing an Atrium in order to discern whether you might be called to be a catechist, please talk to Sarah Coles to arrange a good time.  We welcome all who want to learn more about this special environment and catechetical method.  We will need catechists at all levels next year.
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!