Light and the Red Sea

Drawn as a response to the story of the parting of the Red Sea. The caption reads "In Him there is no darkness at all: the night and the day are both alike."

King and Soldiers

A presentation on the Flight into Egypt took an unexpected turn as some of the third graders considered King Herod's order to kill the innocent children in Bethlehem. They wondered, “Who is responsible for the sinfulness of the killing - King Herod, the soldiers who did it, or both? If a soldier was just following the king's orders, was that wrong? The soldier could have been punished, even killed, if he had refused to follow the king's orders. But the soldier could have refused, or have found another way not to carry out the order.” This interesting discussion revealed the growing interest in justice and moral behavior in the elementary age child.

Holy Spirit?

We were meditating on the Presentation in the Temple, and particularly on Simeon's response to the Holy Spirit's prompting to go to the temple, and his response to holding the Christ child. Kelly, age 8, asked, “How do we know if the Holy Spirit is really speaking to us?” She deeply considered this question, wondering, “Is it in a dream, or while we are awake? And how do we know for sure that it is the Holy Spirit, and not just our own mind?” This is a profound question.

How Did They Know Him?

To my question of how Simeon and Anna could have known who Jesus was, out of all the people in the Temple, Nyere, 4, responded, "Maybe when he was in Heaven before coming into his mommy's tummy, he talked to them and told them how he loved them."

Did He Know?

During a meditation on the Presentation in the Temple, the overarching theme of all the Infancy Narratives (“Who is this child?”) really surfaced for Ellie (age 8). She asked, “Did Jesus when He was a baby know that He was God?” As a catechist, I responded, “Well, we know that Jesus was a real baby, and as a person He saw the world as a baby does. We also know that Jesus was truly God, who is all-knowing.” The interchange was followed by a period of silence, but it was the full sort of silence that is truly a response to a mystery.

This Little Star of Mine

After the reading of the Adoration of the Wise Men, Ben asked to sing, "This Little Light of Mine," and he did so holding the star from the work. For the verse where we sing, "Hide it under a bushel? No!" he hid the star behind his back.

Quite a Gift

This was a card, with the "gift wrap" on the outside and the drawing of moon and stars on the inside.