The catechist was presenting the gestures of peace and breaking of the bread from Mass to a group of 9-year olds. A low round table covered with a white cloth held a plate (model paten) and unbroken bread (model host). After reflecting on the gesture of peace, the catechist invited everyone to stand around the table holding hands. He remarked, “Our standing like this is a way of representing the unity of the peace we experience from Christ. Is this peace just here in our atrium or our own church?”
Several children immediately replied, “No, it’s over the whole world.” Ben exclaimed, “The whole universe!” Charles wordlessly brought a model of the sun and solar system and placed it beside the prayer table (he brought this model from the Montessori classroom connected to our atrium).
Later we reflected on the priest’s gesture of breaking the bread, with the One Broken Bread as the source of our peace. The catechist referred to the broken bread on the model paten, asking “Are there many Jesuses, or just one?”
In response, Charles brought the large Paschal candle to the prayer table. He said, “It’s just like the light.” Charles was referring to the spreading of the one light to many individual lights, which are still united in the One Light. He had lived this reality two weeks before as we celebrated our Easter celebration, the Liturgy of the Light.
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