So humble

We were meditating on the Nativity and the visit of the shepherds in the elementary atrium.  Suddenly, Isabel (age 6) blurts out, “It's all so humble!  The baby, Mary, the manger, the shepherds … everything is so humble!”  This was said in a most heartfelt way.

The cross drives the darkness away.

The cross appears to be rising out of the manger.  The love from the cross drives the darkness away.

Go, go, go to Bethlehem

After church on Sunday, Kevin, age 4, came home singing. He sang one line about Mass, like "The bread is my body" and then a line about Christmas. Back and forth for about five minutes. One of the Christmas lines was, "Well, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This lady, this lady named Mary, Had to go, go, go, to Bethlehem."

Good Shepherd

Rohan (age 9) was working with the figures from the Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds.  He asked me to look at their arrangement:  The Child Jesus was towards the front of the table, on the green felt representing the fields where the shepherds lived.  The other figures were also on the green felt, in rows behind Jesus:  First, Mary and Joseph, then, the angel and two shepherds. In the back row, the sheep and another shepherd.  Rohan said they were lined up in order of importance.

The catechist remarked, “It looks as though they are following him.”  Rohan lifted up the Christ Child to indicate that he could not yet move on his own and remarked, “He would be floating.”  [The catechist was struck by this image of the nations following a child who was completely unable to move himself.]  The catechist recalled, “It reminds me of the sheep following the Good Shepherd.  Do you think this Child is the same Good Shepherd?”  Rohan said, “Yes.”

After a period of silence he said, “I have always wondered if God, who had no hands or arms or legs but who made the whole world, knew what he would look like when he came to earth.”

Little Hearts

-->

From Taryn's mother:

We sang a lot at home and Taryn loved singing Christmas carols this year. "Joy to the World" was such a favorite that for a couple weeks we added it to her bedtime lullabies. However she insisted on a word change as follows: Instead of "Let every heart prepare him room", she (and we) would sing, "Let every little heart prepare our room." I thought perhaps it was sung this way in her atrium at school, but apparently not. In any case, it says a lot to me about her feeling at "home" and claiming space (collectively) at school..."little" hearts are important, and "our" room is special.

Was Mary wealthy?

On the Annunciation -

Q: Do you think Mary was wealthy?

A: Yes! She had Jesus. (Quinn, 5)

Hail Mary, the Lord is with you

-->

The Annunciation as retold by Helen, age 4:

Mary lived in a house. She was poor.

One day, an angel came and said to Mary, "Hail Mary, the Lord is with you."

Mary thought, "Ohhhhh!"

"Mary, do not be afraid of me," said the angel. "You are pregnant."

Jesus was in Mary's tummy.

-->  I think God was in Mary's heart.

Thank you for telling me

After the presentation of the Annunciation Gretchen was working alone with the material. She said, "Thank you for telling me about the baby." She made the figure of Mary kiss the angel.

Advent Prayer

An Advent prayer by Monica, 9

Preparation

When it is time

The Lord will come down

He'll show us his crown

Then we'll believe it's him.

We'll be shown the golden-paved highways we've learned in books of Jesus,

And we'll know it's Parousia because our handicapped friends will be able to play with us at recess!!!

Thanksgiving

One mother brought her young son to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. He sat quietly, then said, "Thanks, thanks, thanks."

I love myself

Kristina's mother is expecting a new baby and her prayer was, "Thank you, God, for my Mom and Dad. Thank you, God, for my brother or sister and thank you, god, for me. I love my Mom and Dad, my brother or sister, and I love myself. Amen”

Jesus light up the sun

Beatriz, 4, sang:

Thank you for the Son of Heaven

Thank you for the Angels that sing His name.

Thank you for my little brother.

Thank you for my family. Amen

Another time, she prayed:

Lord Jesus, come back to me.

Lord Jesus, angels are watching over me.

Jesus come. Jesus come.

Jesus light up the sun.

Thanks be to God!

-->

Monique, age 4, set the Prayer Table. We then lit the candle and I asked her if there was anything she'd like to thank God for:

For kitty cats,  Thanks be to God! (raising arms in air)

For the whole wide world,  Thanks be to God!

For 160 years,  Thanks be to God!

For 60 years,  Thanks be to God!

For my whole world,  Thanks be to God!

For the Holy Spirit in heaven,  Thanks be to God!

Connecting Home and Church and the Atrium

Michael, age 8, shared his ideas for families to connect church, home, and the atrium:

1. Light a candle at dinner and think/talk about comparisons with light

and Jesus.

2. Say Grace at every meal.  Think about God's gift to us and us saying

thank you.  Think about how we can say grace always (silently at a friends

house or at school).  If you didn't say grace you wouldn't be saying thank you to

Jesus for the wonderful food.

3. For older group:  At church, listen to the words the priest is saying

and "connect all the parts together in your mind"

4. For older group:  Notice all the symbols of light in the church (ie.

Sun light shining through the window onto the cross, because that to me is

like God shining in upon us during mass. And sometimes you can even see

a shadow of Jesus from the cross within the sunrays and that is Jesus and

God together as they are together, shining down upon us.

At grace tonight we said a scripture verse together from the Good Shepherd parable. Then Julie, 7, repeated it alone, very slowly. After about four words Kevin, 3, Katie, 5, and Annie, 18 months, became completely still and quiet. When I looked up at the end Annie had folded her hands on the table for the first time.

Procession

This experience occurred in the child's home after a few months attending Atrium. Patrice, age 4, followed her mother around the house, walking closely behind her for some time. The child could not settle herself and found no interest in any activity offered to her. When asked by her mother with some frustration as to what she wanted, the child replied that she wanted a procession. Surprised, the mother retorted, "You want a procession?" The child gleefully nodded her head and said, "I want to celebrate and meditate."

With that the two of them took their family Bible and a candle, and processed around the room singing hymns. After a few songs, they reverently placed the Bible on the family prayer table, lit the candle and stood in silence.

Later, the child now content, reflected on the goodness of the Lord. She remained peaceful throughout the day.

I love God!

Today the work of the "Mystery of Life and Death" was presented.  Immediately after the presentation, Caleb, age 6, went to the art area and quietly did this work.  When he was finished, he brought this picture to me and showed me the picture, depicting the beginnings of life and the death of flowers. Caleb asked if he could share the prayer he wrote at our prayer table at the end of this session.  At prayer he joyfully announced, "I love God! I love Jesus!"

The number of people God created

One afternoon four year old Kallie came and asked me to light the candles on the altar table. Instead of requesting a song or a prayer she picked up an egg timer with pink sand in it. After watching the sand fall for a while Kallie told me, "The pink sand is like the number of people God created."

All of our faces

It was a wonderful moment lately, when we were making up our own verses to "He's got the whole world in His hands" and one of the radiant little boys, age 4, paused, took a quick look at all his classmates, and pleased us all by declaring, "He's got all of our faces." As we sang about God holding the beauty of all of our faces, I was thankful to be exactly where I was and the whole thing just seemed well...HOLY.

Several children were working on puzzles in the atrium. Kallie, age 6, said "What shall I do?" and then quickly proclaimed, "Oh yes, the prayer table." She knelt on the pillow, and the catechist lit the candle, clasped her hands, and said a long prayer out loud. The catechist was moved by the natural way this occurred.

I am new

In circle time with the children age 2-5 before going up for communion I asked if we had anyone who was new. Xavier’s hand went up. Xavier is three years old and had been attending our atrium since he was an infant. Thinking to myself that Xavier was only trying to get my attention I only responded to those children who were indeed new and visiting and continued with introducing the new children to the group. Meanwhile Xavier 's hand continued to wave persistently until after the last new child had been introduced, and with some exasperation, I finally said, "Yes Xavier." Xavier 's response was "I'm new." I responded, “Xavier you are not new. I have known you ever since you were a baby." At that Xavier looked me straight in the eye and slowly rose to his feet saying with all the seriousness of a three year old going on 33. "I am too new. Every morning when I wake up I am new. We are all new every single day." I humbly said,"Yes, Xavier you are right. Thank you for pointing this out to us."

The Lord is my King always

Branson, age 6, had a grandfather who was quite ill. He prayed these words at the prayer table:

The Lord is always my King.

And when I see Him I am never lonesome.

And when I am lonesome, some aren't.

And those who aren't, try to comfort me.

Bur you never know when you are going to be lonesome.

But the only thing that is in my heart is you and the animals

Help, this day, everyone who needs you.

But when I see you I feel really happy.

Amen.

After Branson had finished saying these prayers he sat back in astonishment - wondering what had actually happened and from whence all these words had come! He said, "When I was silent I could hear God's voice in my head." He grabbed his head in wonderment and said, "It almost sounded like God was shouting at me!"

Let the Lord be with you

Branson’s grandfather was ill, and would be going into surgery the next day. His catechist asked the 6-year-old if he would like to sit at the prayer table together. Her own prayers for his grandfather were offered in silence- as she didn't want to influence the words of his own prayer offering. After a significant period of silence he opened his mouth and the following words came forth:

Let the Lord be with you.

Christ's name, the Lord, with love and care.

Be with my grandfather and all those who need you.

When I look at this candle I can see you, Lord,

But the only thing that is in my heart is you, and the earth.

On earth, I see you in every rock and stone.

Make sure that the earth is in your heart and all people.

Amen.

It grows and grows

After a presentation on the Liturgical Calendar, Julia, 8, referring to Ordinary Time, said, "About that Growing Time - we put all that we know about God together and it grows and grows."

The Chalice and the Paten

Daniella had come back to the atrium for her second year. She had prepared the altar many times but had never had the Last Supper presentation. One day in the fall she sat for a long time gazing at a 2-dimensional wooden model of the Last Supper, a work of art kept near the material on the shelf. The cup and plate were crude looking rather like a wooden knob and a flat chip. I (the catechist) went and sat quietly beside her for a while. I touched the cup and plate and said, "They are like the chalice and paten."  She looked at me and said intensely, "They are the chalice and paten."

Jesus makes it shine!

The small group was around the altar. A child prayed "Thank you for making the sun."
Wanda responded "God made the sun, Jesus makes it shine!"

After church Kevin, age 4, sang the following line again and again,

Thank you, Lord Jesus, he laid down his life for the sheep.

Right Back

Annie, age 2, has her own Good shepherd (w/ 3 sheep) at home on the table next to her mother's desk. But the Good Shepherd became unglued, and so was away getting repair. As her mother worked at her desk, she over heard Annie saying to the sheep, "Right back, Good Shepherd be right back."

Here is a story of Ollie, who accompanied his mother one afternoon during a weekend of formation in the Catechesis. All afternoon Ollie had been happily occupied with his mom and a few nearby objects which she had provided. At the end of the day, the participants meditated together on the Good Shepherd. As I proclaimed this passage of Scripture, Ollie straightened his torso and focused his attention at the sheepfold. As the figures of the Shepherd and the sheep were brought out of the sheepfold during the reading he outstretched his arms, cried out "aaahhh" and strained toward them, his face alight. When the figure of the Shepherd was rotated (away from Ollie) to face the wooden sheep, Ollie's face fell and his arms sagged. Noticing this, I turned the Shepherd toward Ollie again. His glow returned and his arms returned to the upright and welcoming position until the end of the passage.

It was a wonderful moment, particularly as Ollie is our Godson.  I'd known in my heart that we would eventually be together in the atrium listening to the Good Shepherd. I didn't realize that moment would first arrive when he was 8 months old?

Samuel, age 3 1/2 was doing the Good Shepherd work. He asked me to join him. He talked for 10-15 minutes almost nonstop about the Good Shepherd. A sampling follows:

(Holding the sheep) This is me. This is me when I was a baby.
(Picking up another sheep) And this is my brother.
(Pointing to the flock) This is the Good Shepherd's family.
(Taking a sheep out of the fold.) This sheep is lost. He is not really lost. (Placed sheep on back side of sheepfold with nose through twine.) He's looking in the fold. He wants to come in.
Here I began reading the scripture booklet. "The Good shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."
(We placed the Good shepherd and the sheep out in the pasture.) And then we walked. And we took a little trips. And then I climbed up. (Samuel placed his sheep up on the Good shepherd shoulders.) And then my dad did that too! (He had much joy in his voice.) And then we closed up our sheepfold so we could live in that.
And this is the watch out person and these are all the sheep.
He paused. I read, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him." (Samuel spoke) And then the leader comes along too. Some sheep are the leaders. Only  two sheep have to be the leaders.
I read, "The sheep follow him because they know his voice." Samuel spoke: Can you help me make it further so the other sheep get in? (He wanted me to help move the Good Shepherd and sheep around the sheepfold to make room for all the sheep to follow.)
The sheep are following the Good Shepherd and then some want to come in the fold. Then they lift up the gate.
I said, "And the Good Shepherd always makes sure that the sheep are safe."
Samuel: And no stranger comes along.

Sheep, do you know the road

Annie, age 2 is talking a lot about the sheep and shepherd these days. She sings, "Sheep, sheep, do you know the road." She also goes up to the rocking chair, gets out all the Scripture Booklets,  puts them on her lap and goes through them, page by page. She spent about thirty minutes on this one Sunday morning.

Now they are glad

Fiona, age 5, was working with Good Shepherd figures on her own She took one sheep away and hid it. "Now Jesus comes to find the lost sheep," she said. Her grandmother was also her catechist, and she said, "Grandma, bring the good Shepherd here." Fiona put the lost sheep with the Good Shepherd and brought them back to the fold. "Now they are glad," she said. She had never seen the lost sheep presentation nor heard the scripture I'm sure.

See his heart...

Britta, age 4, was with her mother looking at a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and said, "That's the Good Shepherd."
Mother: How do you know?
Britta: That's Jesus and see his heart, that's where he keeps his sheep.

Jesus is Everywhere here!

Roberta practically danced outside of the Atrium, in the courtyard. It was finally her turn to come to the Atrium! She had been coming with her mother, watching her older brother Douglas enter the atrium, for three years. Finally, she would hear her own name called! Roberta was the first to offer to model a "quiet walk", to whisper her name using "quiet talking", and was very eager to name the items she saw on the prayer table. When I asked what she saw, she said, "I see Jesus, holding a lamb." How amazing to me that children intuitively know Jesus is our Good Shepherd. And as we walked through the environment, quietly taking in all that we could with just our eyes, she stopped before some artwork of the Good Shepherd, which hung on the walls near our Mass area. "Look! Jesus is everywhere here!"

Kristopher and the Good Shepherd

Kristopher's mother is a catechist, but had never talked to him about the Good Shepherd. She wrote:
Saturday evening Kayla (5th grade), Kristopher (18 months) and I were sitting on her bed. Kristopher was holding a small icon picture of the Good Shepherd which had just fallen from where it had been hanging in our hallway. As far as I know Kristopher had never seen it before. Kayla pointed to the Good Shepherd and said, "Who is this, Kristopher?" To which he responded, "Mommy." I then pointed to the sheep, and asked, "Who is this?" "Baby," he answered.

A short while later our whole family was sitting together, and my husband wanted to show us all how well Kristopher knew all our names. He proceeded to ask him "Where's Kayla?" "Where's Eric...Erin...Mommy... Daddy?" To which Kristopher pointed appropriately in turn. When asked "Where is Kristopher?" he pointed to the sheep in the Good Shepherd picture he was still holding and said, "Me."

His face is beautiful

    I was presenting the Good Shepherd parable to Oliver, age 3.
   We reread the Scripture , with Oliver moving the figures of the shepherd and sheep. At the end, he chose not to move the sheep back to the Good Shepherd.  Then he took one sheep from the group and moved it away from the others, and then into the sheepfold, alone. I asked him, " ...this sheep is not with the others?"  He said, " The sheep doesn't want to be with the others right now."  He thought a moment and added, " But the Good Shepherd is keeping his eye on him anyway."  I asked "The Good Shepherd and these sheep may be very far away - can he see sheep still?"   He said " Yes."
   Later, he moved all the other sheep into the fold to join the one. He looked at the Good Shepherd and said, "His face is beautiful. The sheep like to look at him....he has a beautiful face."  

When I was presenting the Found Sheep Judith, age 6, took one of the sheep during our pondering time. She held onto it as if she was not going to give it back. I explained to all the children the importance of making sure that we leave all the pieces of the work together when we leave for home so the other friends who share the atrium have everything they need to do the work. Judith put the sheep back then went off and drew this picture. She explained that it was the power of Spirit that helped Jesus find the sheep.

Almost all of Judith's detailed drawings have Jesus in them with his hand outstretched with a pearl or seed in it with radiating lines.

The Seeds of Faith

During atrium, we had covered the presentation on the Parable of The Sower.  During worktime, Taryn, age 10, took it upon herself to write this poem:
THE SEEDS OF FAITH

WE EACH HAVE A SEED SPROUTING IN US.
IT IS OUR FAITH.
IF WE TAKE CARE OF IT, IT WILL GROW.
IF WE IGNORE IT, IT WILL WITHER AWAY.
THE SEED IS A MAGICAL PLACE.
IT IS WHERE YOU AND GOD LEARN AND LOVE EACH OTHER.

HOW BIG IS YOUR SEED?

Lays down his life

Kristin, age 4, works with the Good Shephard work quite frequently. On this particular Sunday, a day after her Grandfather died, her catechist noticed that when she read "He lays down his life for the sheep", Kristin not only moved the Good Shepherd to a position laying down, but all of the sheep, too.

Kristin is the catechist's niece and it was her father who had died. She wondered, "When I saw Kristin lay the sheep down, it really made me wonder if she perceived that her Pa had laid down his life for his family, and now in sorrow we were laying down our lives for each other."

My Heart is full

Uri, age 4, had spent some time working with the Good Shepherd work. He took this work and placed it back on the shelf. He then went to the chasubles and placed each one very neatly on their hangers. He came to me to join him in singing the "Color Song", in which we name the colors of the liturgical year, and their meanings--Purple for preparation, white for celebration, etc. When we were finished he placed his hand on his chest and said "My heart is full when I come here."

We need to take care of each other

After a presentation of the Good Shepherd and the Hirelings, Niles, age 6, worked a while with the materials. He said nothing about the materials and restored them after he was done. Later his parent came into the Atrium to pick him up. He immediately began to recount his work with the Good Shepherd to his parent. His revelation was " Mom, Jesus takes care of the sheep. We are the sheep. He takes care of us. That means we need to take care of each other."

Hidden Treasure

Beatriz had received the lesson on the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, several weeks before she spontaneously sang this song. In the lesson, they contemplated what the Hidden Treasure could be.

The treasure. The Treasure.
The treasure loves the most. 
He probably likes me more than anyone.  
He likes me forever.
The Treasure comes to me and you
To show us what we can do.
The treasure comes to me and you
To show us what we can do,
The treasure comes to me and you
To guide us. 
The Treasure is mine.
The Treasure is so special.
The Treasure will never die.
The Treasure is ours.
It is very special.
I wonder if the treasure is mine forever.
I wonder if I will learn about the treasure.
I wonder who the treasure is.
I will share and share it and never keep it all for mine.
I am the treasure.
I would not give it up for one dollar or a Pokemon card. 
It is treasure!
Some people walk in darkness but they have seen the light. 

At the end of the song, she paused and said, "Do you like it? It is a God Song because the treasure is God."

How prayer works

Upton, when he was 4 explained how prayer works.  “When you’re born, God gives you love.  When you pray for somebody, you give some of your love back to God, and He gives it to the person you’re praying for.  Later, they give it to someone else, and someone else, and it can even go through animals, like dogs.  But one day, the love comes back to you.”

The Yeast Grows

Becca age 7, attends a Montessori school with an atrium. After communion at church one Sunday, Becca said to her mom, “That was good.”   Her mom said, “Jesus bread is always good.”  Becca responded, “That’s because it’s filled with love.  And the yeast is the kingdom of heaven growing bigger and bigger and bigger until it’s as big as the whole world.”

Maxims

From catechist Dan Teller:
In the 3-6 atrium, a foundation for living the moral life is prepared as the child enters into a personal and loving relationship with Jesus, our Guide and our Shepherd.  In the 6-9 atrium, this indirect preparation for moral formation leads to a more explicit emphasis on behavior in light of our call to follow Jesus. 
One way that we offer this to the children is through meditation on the “Maxims.”  The maxims are brief Scripture passages, mostly from the Gospels and particularly the Sermon on the Mount, that exhort us to live the life that Jesus calls us to live.

Recently, we were discussing two of the more difficult maxims:  “Love your enemies,” and “Pray for your persecutors.”  Two children's revealed their interior response with their comments:

Blake (age 7) remarked on praying for our persecutors:  “We need to pray for our persecutors, because if they are persecuting us, then they won't be ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Neil (age 7) remarked on loving our enemies:  “If we love our enemies, then they won't be our enemies anymore.”

In the world

When Sarah was eight, her mom found this note in her bedroom: In the world there was a country.  In the country there was a state. In the state there was a house.  In the house there was a girl.  In the girl there was the Lord.

God In Us

God in US by Dorothy, when she was in the 6-9 atrium.

The Sun Come Up

Elizabeth's (age 12) written reflection:
What is life all about?
The sun comes up, the sun goes down.
The tide comes in, the tide goes down.
You wake up, you go to sleep.
Is life just a routine?
Our purpose in life is not to see who becomes the richest.
It is not to see who is the most beautiful.
But it is to serve the Lord and learn to love Him.
So don't waste your time trying to become rich or beautiful,
spend it on learning to love the Lord and serve him.

Psalm 23, Part 9

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 9):

51. The staff gives me comfort because it keeps me in the flock.

52. Even though my enemies may be rude to me, I have love deep inside me.

53. His love is like a cup that runs over with love.

54. I'll have more than I need for 2000 years.

55. Goodness fills God, like it does us.

56. I'll stay in heaven forever—infinity.

Psalm 23, Part 8

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 8):

45. He is always with me at communion.

46. Love is on my head. Power and all his love runs over me. His love is like a light coming down over me.

47. Lord, take care of me and watch over me with your powerful love.

48. I will live in the Lord's heart forever, and I will ALWAYS be with God.

49. I don't have to say, "I want bread" to the Good Shepherd. I'll get it from Jesus.

50. He may not give me EVERYTHING—but he'll give me what I need. He gives me eternal life.

Psalm 23, Part 7

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 7):

39. He puts a cross on my head. He runs me over with love.

40. He gives life to the entire world.

41. I always belong to God. I'll always be under God's love. My cup overflows with love.

42. When I die, I'll go to God's kingdom forever.

43. Jesus's hands and heart will comfort me.

44. The Good Shepherd's staff is like a big tall tree of love that I can stay behind and be safe.

Psalm 23, Part 6

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 6):

33. Jesus lays me down in my bed for a safe sleep.

34. He leads me to safety, not danger. I'm safer than I have ever been.

35. He tells us we must go the way of the Light.

36. He cares about me more than gold.

37. If darkness is in my soul, Jesus will clean it out with Love.

38. He stands between the wolf and me.

Psalm 23, Part 5

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 5):

26. God is the one.

27. I shall not want to follow the evil guy.

28. God will tell me where to go. Jesus will show me how to go that way.

29. I won't go in the dark, but if I DO go in the dark, God is always with me, so I won't be afraid.

30. Even enemies can come to the table.

31. I don't need anything else, because I have God.

32. Jesus comforts me and helps me overcome my fears.

Psalm 23, Part 4

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 4):

19. God is with you in dark and light.

20. God will BE my light if the lights are out.

21. God will stay with me always, even the days when I'm not on Earth anymore.

22. He doesn't want everything—he wants US and LOVE.

23. He's always looking for his sheep.

24. Even if I am in darkness, the light will be with me.

25. When we go to Heaven, God already has a table for us. That is the altar and the wine and the bread—the body and the blood.

Psalm 23, Part 3

Reflections by a 6-9-year-old group on the 23rd Psalm (Part 3):

13. He takes me to the right place at the right time.

14. Jesus is always near. You can just relax, He's your protection.

15. God and Jesus will be with me until the end of life. Then I will go to Heaven and live with God forever. If I want a vacation, I'll have to go with God.

16. I don't want anything else except the Lord.

17. He wantsyou to be safe, so he tells you where to go, I'll wait until he tells me which way to go.

18. He takes me from doing something wrong to being forgiven.