A table where everyone can eat

During children's chapel, which takes place in the Level One atrium, we read the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). After our discussion a six year old child, Sarah, went to get the Last Supper material and told us all "This is a table where everyone can eat. (The child had seen the Last Supper material the previous spring.)

Look, Mom. It's Jesus!

Nellie is the catechist and mother of a four year old boy, Neil, who generally appears to need more movement than many other children of the same age, verbal, and loud. His work is often in the gray area between work and play. He and his best friend were at the cenacle. Then Neil started taking things from the cenacle over to the altar in their atrium. Nellie reached a "That's it!" moment and headed over to the altar area with just enough presence of mind to ask first about Neil's work. He unlocks the tabernacle, opens the door, and says, "Look, Mom. It's Jesus!"

Now we are many

During the presentation of the Cenacle, three children and two catechists were present. When I lit the candle to read the Scripture, Edward, age 5, said as he looked at the disciples around the table with Jesus, "We were just a few and now we are so many."

He got up

Delia 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. Delia, 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 have since watched her move the figures both in the Good Shepherd parable and Cenacle the same way. A great theological truth.

One Sunday after several weeks of this, she was listening to the Eucharistic prayer in church. She asked, "Where is Jesus?" I wondered how best to respond. Last fall our beloved dog died. Delia had been trying to understand death.

Leaving church one Sunday during the weeks she was so involved with the Last Supper story, we passed a large crucifix, with the feet of a life-sized Jesus at her eye level. She approached it and felt the nails, carefully tracing each piece. "Are these real?" she asked. I replied that they were part of the statue, a picture of the real nails. Delia caressed the feet, kissed them, and paused for some time.

Then her mood brightened, she said, "But Jesus didn't stay dead." I asked her what happened. "He got up," she said, and skipped off for cookies and milk at coffee hour.

Now they are glad

Fia, age 5, was working with Good Shepherd figures on her own, took one sheep away and hid it. "Now Jesus comes to find the lost sheep," she said. To her grandmother, who was also her catechist, she said, "Grandma, bring the good Shepherd here." She 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.

Brings it home

Darla's reflection on the parable of the Found Sheep: "Jesus loves each and every one of us and thinks we're worth it. When he finds the sheep, he doesn't say a word. He just picks it up and brings it home."

Always looking for us...

Catechist: I wonder just why the parable of the Found Sheep is IN the Bible...
Lara, age 8: When we disobey, we can get lost. But he loves us. He's always looking for us. And he won't stop. Jesus wants us to know this.