Empty Tomb

The empty tomb filled with light. Alleluia!

Sending down praise on him

At the end of the year, a catechist found this picture in a seven-year-old's folder. When asked about this picture, she said the lines between God and Jesus were "just praise, God sending down praise on him."

Palm Sunday

Page 5 of a book made by Daniel, age 5. On this page, he wrote, Palm Sunday. His mother added the words, "The day Jesus came to Jerusalem."

Jesus arrested

Soldiers arresting Jesus.

She is in heaven

A few months after my mother's death last July my daughter Dara, who was not quite three at the time, asked, "Mommy, where is Nonnnie?" I replied, "Where do you think she is?" We had often discussed Nonnie's presence now in heaven with Jesus. Dara most profoundly responded, "She is in heaven." She paused slightly then continued, "That means she is in the body of Christ, the Bread of heaven." There was another brief pause then she proclaimed, "And so am I."

God's Body

Told by Madeleine L'Engle at a retreat:
At communion a four year old said, "If this is God's body how will it get all back together again?"
A six year old answered, "Well when we get together God's body will get together again."

Bread of Life

Trevor is age 5.  He has not always come to the atrium consistently, yet when he is present, he is contented and eager to work.  For several weeks now Trevor has only wanted to do the work with the parable of the leaven.  Quite familiar with the scripture having read it so often, Trevor just wanted me to sit with him as he worked yesterday.  Instead of reading the scripture first, I simply wondered out loud, "Since Jesus used parables to tell us about God and the Kingdom of God, I wonder what he wanted us to understand telling us a parable about leaven?" 

Trevor began working then, measured flour for both bowls leveling each scoop painstakingly slow, marveling at how each time it looked like a plowed field.  Then he  measured the yeast.  As he leveled off the yeast in the teaspoon he suddenly said out loud, yet to himself:   It makes perfect sense! Jesus is called the 'Bread of Life.' You have to have yeast to make Bread.  And Jesus is like the yeast for us!"

He happily stirred the water into the mixture, placed the bowls under the heat lamp, took the spoons to the washing bend and hummed contentedly to himself until it was time to gather at the prayer table. 

He's bringing them the bread and the wine

Tessa, just turned 6, worked with the Good Shepherd material. She moved the sheep out of the fold, then moved the Good Shepherd back into the fold. she told the adult, "He's taking them on a picnic." Adult: "And he has left them outside the fold?" Tessa: "He has gone to get them something to eat...He is bringing them bread and wine."  She moved the Good Shepherd to each sheep in turn.

(We do not have the Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd in our atrium and Tessa had never seen it, nor heard any talk connecting the Good Shepherd to Eucharist.)

He rose

As we were reading the scripture booklet for the Cenacle material, Becca, age 4, place the figure she had designated as Jesus on his back next to the table.”  When I announced, “Three days later he rose,” Becca then stood the figure back up.