The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II 
February 22, 2011 - Level 2, Issue 05
In This Issue
Moral Formation
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Parable of the Insistent Friend
Parable of the Wedding Feast
Hear I Am, Lord
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Dear CGS Level II Parent 
The Good Shepherd

This week and in the following two sessions, the Level II children will be listening to and thinking about a few Level II moral parables.  One purpose of the Level II moral parables is to provide children with a "cast of characters" to help them think through moral choices and behaviors.  Because moral formation is an aim that moves through each of the CGS Levels (from Level I to II to III), it is important for parents to appreciate the big picture of CGS's nine years.  Therefore, the first article below gives a summary of CGS's path toward moral formation.

 

It's hard to believe that Ash Wednesday is only two weeks away.  How time flies!  And if it has flown since Christmas, surely the next two weeks won't go any more slowly.  Now is the time to start planning for a meaningful Lenten observation.  How can you and your child brainstorm together to design a great family Lenten project?

 

Not necessarily related to Lent (since this is long-term planning), please note that St. Teresa's Food Pantry is considering a service expansion by adding one Saturday food distribution per month.  The ministry is asking those who might be interested in this new service opportunity to attend a 30 minute organizational meeting on Saturday, March 5th at 10AM in the Parish Center. Consider whether Saturday bagging and food distribution just once a month offer your family a ministry you can enjoy together.

 

Peace,

The Level II catechist team:   

Myrna Gomez and Audrey Cusack on Tuesdays

Barb McHugh and Erin Walsh on Thursdays

Jane Ott, Aimee Jaszczor, and Byrd Matejka on Sundays

and Lina Hilko (editor)

Developmental Stages of Moral Formation

The training of catechists for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd includes training on the stages of child development and the child's sensitivities around which the Catechesis presentations are organized.  It can be useful for parents to understand these foundational concepts as they consider the topic of moral formation and the gifts of the sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

Level I (ages 3-6)

The youngest children are in a sensitive period for relationship.  We offer the child time and opportunity to fall in love with God through Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  All future moral formation is to grow from a foundation of a deep, secure, and loving relationship with the Good Shepherd.  We learn and internalize that the Good Shepherd calls each of us by name; we hear his voice and follow (John 10: 1-5, 14-16); under the Good Shepherd's perfect care, we lack nothing (Psalm 23); and if we stray, the Good Shepherd always looks for us, rejoices when he finds us, and securely carries us home (Matthew 18: 12-13).

 

So, Level I presentations appeal to the child's sensitivity for relationship.  There's a story I find funny which also underscores that the youngest children are not in a sensitive period for moral formation. The following is from page 151 of The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti:

 

"It is well known that the child under the age of six is not interested in moral behavior as such; thus he is unable to receive moral formation, understood in this sense.  If we tried to give the child a direct moral formation we would have the same result as a nursery school teacher who wanted to tell the children about the parable of the prodigal son; the children's only reaction to this parable was the question:  "What happened to those pigs?"  The teacher drew the conclusion that parables are not suited to young children, whereas it was the choice of parable that was at fault.  The children responded in the only way appropriate to their age:  Since they are in the sensitive period for protection, they were struck only by the fact that the swine were left abandoned, and the whole problematic of sin and conversion completely escaped them."

 

Level II (ages 6-9)

The 6-9 child develops a strong sense of social justice and fairness.  A unifying goal in Level II is to help the child remain in Jesus' love.  This is a time to deepen and build the relationship with God through the child's own joyful responses to God's gift of love and God's many gifts of Creation.  In Level II, the image of the Good Shepherd is integrated with the image of Jesus as the True Vine (John 15: 1, 4-5, 9), including the words "I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."

 

The 6-9 children are often seeking to know rules and to define right and wrong.  At times, it may appear that a child is tattling on others when really the child is simply trying to learn whether an action was right or wrong or to learn the consequences that are associated with a particular wrong.  In this age group, the child generally is more comfortable identifying or measuring wrong within others.  For this reason, Level II presentations include various moral parables which build a "cast of characters" against which the child can measure right and wrong.  The 6-9 child is reticent to turn the yardstick on himself, however.  So, there does exist a certain moral uneasiness in this period.  A solid foundation in the love and protection of the Good Shepherd, and if needed a return to these fundamentals, should help ease this initial uneasiness.

 

Level III (ages 9-12)

The 9-12 child is ready and able to apply moral rules to the child's own actions and choices.  But in order to do so in a morally mature manner, it is important for the child to have experienced the earlier periods of development.  These earlier proclamations (Good Shepherd and True Vine) turn the child naturally toward God, like a sunflower turns naturally toward light.  On page 152 of Cavalletti's The Religious Potential of the Child, we read, "Actions are the manifold expression of the global orientation of the child."  On this same page, Cavalletti continues on the topic of moral maturity:

 

"Before the older child begins to question himself whether [his] action is good or bad, we should have provided him with a "yardstick" with which he can give his own response when the time comes; we should give the older child a reference point to orient himself in the new horizon that is opening before him.  The yardstick must already be prepared by the time he needs it.  The adult's hurried intervention in the moment when the moral crisis is already in action is undoubtedly detrimental.  The older child will either rebel against an inopportune intrusion, or he will become accustomed to using someone else's yardstick; then morality will not be the child's own listening to the voice of the Spirit, but rather obedience to an external law.  Thus the older child - and often the adult as well - will stay on a level of moral immaturity."

 

Level I to II to III

Through this progression of moral formation, "The enjoyment the child experienced in considering the Good Shepherd's love now grows into the deep joy of knowing himself to be loved and supported, even if one is an imperfect sheep; that the Good Shepherd's love does not stop when faced with deficiency whatever it may be, and that it surpasses every human capacity." (RPC, pg 154)

Parable of the Good Samaritan
This parable, found in Luke 10:30-35, is so well known by adult society that we have the common colloquial phrase "good Samaritan" and even Good Samaritan laws.  The story can be so ingrained in us that we forget that at one time it was new.  Maybe for your child it is still brand new.  Parents can help their child remember this story just by linking it to events and actions you see today, perhaps current events.  Just a simple noticing, "It's like the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible..." can help your child remember and connect the parable to every-day life.
Parable of the Insistent Friend

Jesus tells the parable of the insistent friend (Luke 11:5-8) right after his response to the disciples' request, "Teach us to pray."

 

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.'  I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "

 

It can be interesting to think of who the characters are:  the person knocking, the person who has been woken, the friend in from a long journey.  Think once.  Now try switching roles.  For instance, if you thought one of the characters was Jesus, can you see a different perspective if you switch Jesus to a different character?
Parable of the Wedding Feast

Upon first reading this parable, found in Matthew 22:1-13, you can be left really wondering what it can be telling us about the Kingdom of Heaven.  This one is a challenge and can sometimes just be given to the older children of Level II.

 

A king invites guests to the wedding banquet for his son.  Two sets of invitees don't come.  Some are just too busy to bother.  And some are downright inhuman in rejecting the invitation.  Click on the scripture reference to read the parable.  How is God speaking to you through this parable?  Can you identify with any of the characters?  Is this referring just to long ago events, perhaps the lives of prophets or of Jesus?  Or are these actions happening today around us or even through us?
Hear I Am, Lord
Please consider that new catechists will be needed at all levels next year to help our continuing catechists, while keeping up with the program's growth and changes.  You are welcome to quietly observe in the Atrium if that would help you better understand this service possibility.  If you are interested in observing, please talk to Sarah Coles to arrange a date.  Keep in mind that you may choose to observe a Level other than your child's Level, depending on your interests.
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].