The Gatekeeper
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level II April 16, 2013 - Level 2, Issue 15 |
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| Dear CGS Level II Parent | 
Although we originally planned to spend time on the sacrament of Baptism this week, we have made a change to enhance readiness for those who will celebrate First Reconciliation and First Communion soon. Tuesday and Thursday children will receive a presentation this week on a gesture of the mass called "Lavabo." (Sunday children will receive it on May 5th due to some catechist availability adjustments.) Regardless, over the next two sessions, all will receive Lavabo and Baptism.
Please keep in your prayers the seventeen children and their families who are in the final stages of preparation to celebrate First Reconciliation on April 25th and First Communion at the noon mass on April 28th. It is a joyful gift to our whole community to welcome these children into closer communion with Christ and the Church.
Peace,
Lina Hilko (editor)
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Lavabo
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The lavabo is one gesture of the mass which lifts up the close connection between Reconciliation and Eucharist. The priest washes his hands before beginning the Eucharistic Prayer and says the words, "Lord, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." You can help your child to notice the lavabo gesture from time to time at mass. What does this gesture mean? Is it greater than cleaning fingertips?
It is interesting that the lavabo, though it can be done by the priest alone, is quite often a gesture which employs the help of an altar server (acolyte). When another person helps the priest to perform this prayer, it can remind us of the communal aspect of reconciliation with God. While we are sometimes tempted to think that we can accomplish communion with God directly, one-on-one, this simple gesture may remind us that communion between oneself and God often benefits from, or even requires, the help of another human being or of a community.
The sacrament of Reconciliation, like all our sacraments, is communal. When studying the steps of the sacrament, our children learn that, "When we become aware of our sins, we confide them to God through the priest." (This is the step called "Confession.") Confession is to be conversation with God, but we do so through conversation with the priest, who represents the communal aspect of the sacrament.
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Gestures
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Gestures are motions which convey meaning, such as holding an index finger to one's lips to ask for silence. The earliest humans likely communicated far more through gestures than through spoken words. Even we today can travel to a foreign country and make ourselves understood through motions. For young children, the gestures of the mass offer a language more powerful than words to explore the mysteries of our faith and the meaning of our liturgy.
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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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