Monday, August 31, 2009

In her Montessori classroom, Becca, age 6, wrote this story with the Movable Alphabet:

wus along tim ago win ther was no wrld
ther wus onl god becus he wus ol bi himslf
so he mad too peepl

Monday, August 24, 2009

Jesus is the boss of the Earth

Elliot, age 6, asked his Mom, "Who's the boss of the Earth?"
"God," she answered.
"Nah," he responded.
"Then who?" she said.
"Jesus is the boss of the Earth; God is the boss of heaven," Desmond replied.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Eucharistic Presence

Dana, age 5, had been coming to the atrium infrequently. Her catechist finally had the chance to present to her the Eucharistic Presence--a meditation which connects the Eucharist to the Good Shepherd feeding his flock. Immediately after receiving the presentation, Dana worked alone for an hour and drew this reflection. The drawing includes a group of people gathered around the altar with bread and wine, and an image of a sheep above the altar.

Monday, August 10, 2009

"It’s all made of pearls"

From Catechist Dan Teller's Journal:
The priest makes the gesture of epiclesis during the Eucharistic prayer at Mass, by lowering his hands over the chalice and paten, and praying over the gifts, “And so Father, we bring you these gifts…” This gesture is presented to the children as an indication of the first part of an exchange between God and people: God sending the gift of Himself in the Eucharist; people responding with the gifts of themselves, through the prayer of Offering that the priest makes in elevating the host and precious blood (“Through Him, with Him…)

Uri, age 4: “It’s all made of pearls.” (as the glass chalice and paten are brought out, a week or two following a lesson on Jesus’ parable, “The Pearl of Great Price”, which indicates the value of the Kingdom of God)

Rowan, age 6: During conversation of the priest’s hands being held down, and the meaning of this: “God is a gift to us; we are a gift to God.”

Monday, August 3, 2009

Wow -- birth and death -- all at once in the same place

Walter, age seven, has been in the atrium for three years. When he received the City of Jerusalem presentation, we lit a small candle next to the empty tomb to symbolize the resurrection. Walter then went to do the baptism work for the umpteenth time. He was about halfway through lighting the small candles from the large paschal candle, when he paused, looked at the paschal candle and the smaller candles, and said, "Wow -- birth and death -- all at once in the same place."