The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level III 
April 12, 2011 - Level 3, Issue 7
In This Issue
The Forgiving Father
The Mustard Seed
Story of a Bread
The Pearl of Great Price
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Dear CGS Level III Parent,  
The Good Shepherd

I'm playing catch-up in this newsletter.  It covers the three April presentations:  last week, this week, and the final week of April.  The common thread is parables.  Last week we read and discussed a moral parable, and this week and the final week of April, we will consider parables of the Kingdom of God.

 

As we approach Holy Week and Easter, I'd like to encourage families to plan ahead how they will celebrate this very special time.  Holy Thursday mass is so beautiful and important to nourishing your child's Level III experiences.  This mass specially commemorates the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist.  The readings at this mass also support the Level III typological scripture studies because the First Reading is of the institution of the Jewish Passover.  Level III studied Moses last year.  This mass helps us meditate on various common threads running through God's Plan, from Old Testament to New Testament and ultimately through to Parousia, the time when God will be all in all.

 

Also, Holy Thursday is the day each church receives its new blessed oil for the coming year for the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick.  I know at St. Teresa's in year's past the new oil is brought ceremoniously forward.  Since liturgy and sacraments are central to Level III work, this is a particularly beautiful mass to attend. Notice the details together.

 

Another beautiful St. Teresa tradition is the living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.  Children are welcome (actually encouraged) as solemn actors to form "living statues" in the various scenes.  This helps them "walk" with Jesus from Holy Thursday to his death on the cross.  This is a very hands-on way for children to reflect on these important events.

 

Peace,

The Level III catechist team:

   Sarah Coles on Tuesdays

   Lina Hilko on Thursdays

   Tom Kinsella and Paul Gilmet on Sundays

The Forgiving Father

Last week, Level III read and discussed the parable of the Forgiving Father (known by most as the parable of the Prodigal Son), found in Luke 15:11-32.  We read the first part of the story, up to the father's command to hold a feast.  The children seem very familiar with this part of the story.

 

At this point, we took a break and worked with cards which help us think about the steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We discussed where we see each step of Reconciliation in the story we had just read.

 

  1. We listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  Comparing our lives to his Word, we sometimes find that we choose to stray from the Shepherd's voice.
  2. When we become aware of this distance or blockage, we confide our sins to God by talking to the priest.
  3. We receive absolution from God through the priest.
  4. We go forth, fortified by God's love, grace, and forgiveness, to pray and to change our actions so that we once again follow the Good Shepherd.

After this card work, we continued to read to the end of the parable.  In this part, we encounter the bitterness of the older son upon learning of the return of the younger son.  We spent lots of time talking about this part of the parable.  Actually, this part can cause discomfort in some children, but not all.  It hopefully also causes wonder.  We know, from lots of other work, that God's intent is that we share in the fullness of God's love.  To remain in good relationship with God, we are called to keep His commandments.  Although rules, such as the Maxims, can be hard to follow consistently, we can read as part of the parable of the True Vine that the intent is joy:  "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."  (John 15:11)

 

Perhaps you would like to read this parable today with fresh ears.  There's always something interesting and new to hear or to pray over.

The Mustard Seed

This week, Level III reflects on the parable of the Mustard Seed found in Matthew 13:31-32:

 

He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a 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.'"

 

Children have heard this parable since their earliest years in Atrium.  And yet, every time they hear it, they are a slightly different person.  When they are very young and small, the smallness of the mustard seed appeals to them.  They know that they are growing.  They have big plans for growth.  So, they are very nourished by God's transformation of the very tiny into the very great.

 

Various Level III messages revolve around our personal action to "write the Blank Page" or contribute toward the fulfillment of the Plan of God.  So, this week we talk about the concept of reaching the highest fulfillment.  When the seed is still a seed, has it reached its highest fulfillment?  No.  What does its highest fulfillment look like?  When and how do we reach our highest fulfillment?  When does the Kingdom of God reach its highest fulfillment?  Interesting questions.
Story of a Bread

We conclude Atrium this week with the "Story of a Bread."  Have you ever considered everything that is in a loaf of bread?  Some say:  flour, water, yeast.  I'm reminded of Rafiki, the Baboon in the Lion King, when he tells Simba to look in a pond at his reflection.  Simba just sees himself, and a "himself" in which he is disappointed, at that.  Rafiki says, "Look harder."

 

This story helps us look harder.  What is the flour?  Ground up wheat.  What is the ground wheat?  A seed, earth, sun, water, time.  All the inventions and work of people to cultivate and farm and harvest and thresh and bake.  All the machines invented by people which help us do these works.

 

A loaf of bread is good to eat.  But has the bread reached its highest fulfillment?  The children wonder.  People have taken this bread as far as they can.  But God can raise it to an even higher fulfillment.  God, through the Spirit and through the prayers of a particular human being, the priest, can transform bread into the Risen Jesus Christ.

 

Isn't it amazing how the bread of Eucharist is connected to every piece of the Plan of God?  To Creation.  To human beings and their works.  To God incarnate.  We have often talked with the Level III children about the Plan of God:

 

A plan has always existed in the mind of God, the purpose of which is to bring all human kind and all of Creation into the fullness of God, in a cosmic communion of love.

 

Consider in a fresh way how the bread of Eucharist, or Communion, exemplifies the Plan of God.

The Pearl of Great Price

When we meet the week after Easter Sunday, the children will reflect on the parable of the Pearl of Great Price, found in Matthew 13:45-46.

 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

 

How is this parable speaking to you today?  Will it speak differently right after Easter Sunday?

Please feel free to talk to me or email me ([email protected]) if you have questions or comments about this information.