I'd throw a party

At the end of the Cenacle work when I announce that we know that Jesus rose three days after he died, Marina, age 4, said, "If Jesus rose, I'd throw a party."

Risen!

A ten-year-old who had been in the atrium for years, painted this reflection on Resurrection. He chose to cover the cross in the true vine.

Risen!

A ten-year-old who had been in the atrium for years, painted this reflection on Resurrection. He chose to cover the cross in the true vine.

At the end of the scripture reading for the Cenacle work, as we talked about how Jesus was arrested that night and died the next day, Tillie, age 3, placed the model of the crucifix on top of the model of the cup (which Jesus said held his blood). After I wondered if Jesus knew he would be arrested, she replied, "yes."

Dalia, age 3, has been fascinated with the Last Supper (Cenacle) presentation and asked for it on perhaps six successive weeks. When it was presented to her each time, the figures of Jesus and the twelve were taken one by one from their box as they were brought into the upper room and put around the table. Dalia, however, when working alone with the material always carefully lined the figures up behind Jesus and moved them in and out of the room in this way. I finally realized that she was connecting them with the Good Shepherd story and later noticed her move the figures both in the Good Shepherd parable and Cenacle the same way. She had discovered a great theological truth!

Jayna, age 4, and Talia, age 3, were working with the Women at the Tomb. They were in animated conversation. I overheard Jayna ask, “Where is the king?” while moving a figure to look into the tomb. Talia responded, “I saw baby Jesus in the manager.” While others were singing “Mary had a Baby,” they raised up the figures of the women called Mary. Jayna then asked to sing, “Angel came to Mary” and raised up the figure of the angel.

Natalie, age 3, joined a group of us to sing "Jesus" at the model of the altar. As we sang "He rose," she exclaimed, "He rose means Jesus came back!" Later on she was working with the model of the Cenacle on her own. I noticed that she had placed the velvet lining from the box on top of the lid from the box and one figure on top of the lining. When I asked her why she chose to do so, she said, "He is on a blanket on a bed. He is baby Jesus wrapped in...what do you call it?" I asked her if she meant swaddling and she said yes and rolled the velvet lining around the figure.

He never died again

After the presentation of Jerusalem, a group of 5-year-olds were invited to sing. At first the children chose a song, but then they decided to write one. These are their lyrics:
Jesus is great.
Jesus died.
He rose from the dead.
He came back alive.
He's the only one who came back alive.
He never died again.

We were just a few....

During the presentation of the Cenacle, wooden figures of the apostles and Jesus are gathered around a table as the catechist reads the story of the Last Supper. As the catechist lit the candle to read the Scripture, Edwin said, looking at the disciples around the table with Jesus, "We were just a few and now we are so many."