With today's offering, we introduce a series of responses from children about the time of parousia. Parousia is a Greek word that means "the coming." St. Paul used it in his letters to indicate the time of the fullness of the kingdom of God that Jesus and the prophets before him spoke of frequently. We pray for the parousia with the words, "thy kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer. We hope for the parousia as a time of peace, healing, justice and abundance, a time when there will be no more war, sickness, injustice, or death. When introduced to children at about the age of six, they anticipate its coming with great joy, especially in the face of present wars, poverty, and injustice. -Catherine Maresca
In her public Montessori classroom at age 9, Lizzy's teacher drew a circle on the board around the words "more people." She then asked the class about the effects of more people in the world. As they answered she drew more circles, connected with lines to the first one, with their answers inside them. These answers included "more pollution", "more cars," "more wars." Finally Lizzy raised her hand and said, "There is a time of parousia when all that stuff will be gone."
Listening to the child with respect and humility was the foundation of educator Maria Montessori’s work. We invite you to read through these posts from our collection of art, theological comments and prayers of children, and share your own reflections. Considering these responses together may help us deepen our understanding of the mysteries of the child and God.
from the
Children have a deep relationship with God, rich in love and profound joy. They know God, even before God's name is spoken to them. God dwells in the heart of the child. The spirituality of the child has so much to teach us as adults, yet often we are in too much of a hurry to truly listen.
With this blog, we at the Center for Children and Theology invite you to listen for God with children. For over twenty years, we have collected theological reflections, artwork and prayers of children, generally in response to their work in the Montessori-based religious formation program called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The names of children have been changed to protect their privacy.
With this blog, we at the Center for Children and Theology invite you to listen for God with children. For over twenty years, we have collected theological reflections, artwork and prayers of children, generally in response to their work in the Montessori-based religious formation program called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The names of children have been changed to protect their privacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment