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Save the Date
| Next Children's Participation Mass: Sun, Feb 1st, at 9AM. Soon we will start asking for children and families to help with that mass.
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| Dear CGS Parent, | 
Welcome back to Atrium after the holidays. Last Sunday marked the end of the liturgical season of Christmas (liturgical color white) with the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus. We have now entered into the liturgical season called Ordinary Time. The color is green which reminds us that Ordinary Time is for growing - growing in relationship with God and in knowledge of God.
Even though officially Christmas season has ended, this week both Level I and II have taken one last chance to listen to and reflect on an Infancy Narrative: the Adoration of the Magi. Infancy Narratives are stories of the conception, birth and childhood of Jesus. These stories help children experience Jesus as a real person living in a real place and real time.
Peace,
Lina Hilko (editor)
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Adoration of the Magi
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The infancy narrative called the Adoration of the Magi is found in Matthew 2: 1-12. The joy of the Magi upon seeing the "light of Christ" is particularly apparent in Matthew 2: 9-11:
"And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother."
The Magi, even though of a different culture and living in a different place, studied and anticipated Jesus' star. And when they saw the anticipated sign, they recognized it and promptly responded. They traveled a long distance to see Him. They brought Him gifts and knelt down to worship him. The Magi adored Jesus. We will show the children in the atrium the figures which represent the Adoration by the Magi. We will say to them, "We, too, are around the crib of Jesus. How will we respond to Him? What shall we do? What shall we say?"
In all Levels of CGS, we reflect on gifts and our personal response to the gifts from God. In this narrative, children can experience this back-and-forth, giving and responding to gifts. The Magi don't only offer gifts to Jesus. First, they recognized the gift from God that was being brought down through Jesus.
It is interesting that Scripture says that the "the star preceded" the Magi. In all of our work in the Level II atrium, we present the importance of understanding Salvation History, the Plan of God throughout the ages - past, present, and future. This Plan has three great moments starting at Creation, continuing in Redemption (Jesus' birth, death and rising) and coming to fulfillment in Parousia, the time when God will be all in all. God's Plan has been shown throughout all of history and the Light is present throughout this Plan if we, as God's children, choose to see it and follow it as the Magi did. The events and people of the past, which we can know through the Bible, illuminate the entire Plan of God, just as the star illuminated the journey of the Magi.
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Shepherd or Magi
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Parents may desire to reflect particularly now on two infancy narratives - the Adoration of the Shepherds (Luke chapter 2) and the Adoration of the Magi (Matthew chapter 2). These two narratives can help us consider the different ways that we meet God.
The shepherds hear the announcement of angels and go with haste to meet the Lord. Just try to imagine that event. It seems far from rational - a jumble of fear, followed by joy; a mix of the extraordinary followed by a return to the ordinary; perhaps the epitome of faith. To listen and respond, even when it makes little sense.
The Magi come about it in a more intellectual way. We get the sense that they have studied long and hard in search of this coming. We meet Jesus in different ways at different points in our life - from life-stage to life-stage, or even from day to day. Neither path is right or wrong. These are both valid ways we come to know God. We listen. We study. The most important and unifying aspect is that we respond and are overjoyed.
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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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