The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II October 12, 2012 - Level 2, Issue 02 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent | 
We hope everyone had some good experiences settling in to the new catechetical year. Level II will focus on prayer this week. Children may start working on the new prayer boxes you heard about during parent sessions. However, we want them to treat this as "their best work," and so we aren't rushing to get this done or send the boxes home right away. We'll keep you posted on this project.
Please note that newsletters will not be produced for each level each week of Atrium. We try to stagger and sometimes combine the news for levels so parents, especially those with children in multiple levels, do not feel over-loaded with reading. Please do not rely on newsletters as a scheduling reminder, but rather use the schedule magnets we handed out or the schedule on St. Teresa's web site. Also, we are considering issuing newsletters on Mondays or Tuesdays, rather than Fridays. We picked Fridays because they occur in advance of all the week's sessions. We're trying to figure out the best and most feasible timing to support all of us. So, please bear with us as we settle into more of a routine.
Just a reminder to e-mail Kate Lynch (kolynchdre@gmail.com) and your catechist (see last week's e-news, accessible through the archive) in advance of an absence, both to ensure the safety of children and to help your catechists' time management. Peace, Lina Hilko (editor)
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Teach Us to Pray
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This upcoming week, the children will receive a presentation on the Our Father prayer. I remember once attending a Lenten retreat at St. Teresa's given by Fr. Michael Sparough, the theme of which was "Teach Us to Pray." Fr. Sparough encouraged us to slow down some prayers which are so engrained in us that we may perform them without even thinking, almost like on autopilot. The first prayer Fr. Sparough slowed down was the sign of the cross (yes, gestures - motions with meaning - are prayers). He jokingly compared some of our crosses to swatting at flies. Whoosh, whoosh, done! He also helped us use our bodies when saying the Our Father, very slowly and deliberately, almost like yoga. This retreat really made an impression on me, and my actions in these two prayers have actually permanently changed since Lent 2005. And I can truly say that I get more out of these two prayers ever since.
So, slowing down the Our Father is something we will do in Level II this coming week. It's good to take time to really think about what we say and why we say it. What could these phrases mean? And not just slow down and think this week, but hopefully forever.
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True Vine, True Fruit
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I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit ....
During the Level II years, the image of the Good Shepherd is integrated with the image of Jesus as the True Vine. The complete True Vine text is found in John 15:1-10.
The word "remain" is repeated ten times in the first ten verses of John 15. It is a beautiful expression of both an announcement (we are already in relationship; we are already in Christ) and an invitation to action. The 6-9 child is expanding from his original (3-6) supreme enjoyment of love and relationship to enjoyment combined with response (moral formation). The child's response to God's gift of love is compared to the fruit borne by the branches.
The fruit of the vine reminds me of a metaphor with which we were presented in our Level II catechist training at St. Teresa's a couple years ago. Healthy moral life is the fruit on the vine, not ornaments on a Christmas tree. Imposed rules are like ornaments. The tree looks beautiful, but the ornament is not part of the tree. The tree isn't even alive. It's "dressed up." The healthy moral life is not to be imposed from without, but kindled from within, arising from loving relationship with God.
So, too, with whatever we do in our faith journey - whether it is preparing for a sacrament or connecting more deeply with the mass or deepening our prayer and devotional life. What we do is true when it springs forth as the fruit of the True Vine, rather than when it is put on, whether by tradition or habit or obligation.
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Walk the Talk
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Today's message on "parent connections" is quite simply, let your children lead you. As catechists, we experience the children in the Atrium as very prayerful in their responses to presentations. Their responses are joyful and exuberant, filled with a peaceful delight. They express their joy through their bodies: working diligently, eagerly, and with great purpose. As catechists we learn that prayer is a sincere, joyful response to the good news that God loves us and continues to give us great gifts in creation and in His word. The children show us what true prayer is.
Consider asking your children, "How shall we pray?" or "What shall we say to God?" Then, be open to what springs forth.
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Please provide comments about this newsletter to Lina Hilko, the editor, at LHilko@aol.com, and/or Kate Lynch, St. Teresa's Director of Religious Education, at kolynchdre@gmail.com.
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