During the meditation on the Good Samaritan with a group of 6-9 year old children we thought about the idea that the Samaritan knew the beaten man was a Jew and an enemy. I asked, "Was it important to the Samaritan that the Jew was an enemy?"
"No," the children answered.
"What was important to him?"
Penelope, 7, immediately answered, "Life."
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Lovable in his heart
Dottie, age 8, during her reflection on the Publican and the Pharisee:
The tax collector was unlovable in his job, but lovable in his heart. The Pharisee was lovable in his job, but unlovable in his heart.
The tax collector was unlovable in his job, but lovable in his heart. The Pharisee was lovable in his job, but unlovable in his heart.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Too Humble
In a discussion of the Pharisee and the Publican:
Catechist: I wonder why Jesus told this parable?
Dorothy: So no one would think he's BETTER than everyone else.
Katya: AND so no one would try to be TOO humble.
Catechist: I wonder why Jesus told this parable?
Dorothy: So no one would think he's BETTER than everyone else.
Katya: AND so no one would try to be TOO humble.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Pray for our persecutors
From Dan Teller's atrium:
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:
Bradley (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.”
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:
Bradley (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.”
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Don't waste your time trying to become rich or beautiful
Elizabeth's (age 12) written reflection on the Maxims:
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.
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.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Thank you for all the world
After the presentation of the Adoration of the Magi,
as the class was leaving, Mira, 5, came
back to the material, which was still set up. She bowed at the waist and said,
"Thank you, God, for all the riches." She turned to leave, then
turned back, bowed again, and said, "Thank you, God, for all the
world."
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
He is like the fire!
It was early Epiphany so we had
the Advent Wreath with its four candles and the added white one in the center
for the Christ candle. It was getting dark outside and in the semidarkened room
I lit each of the candles announcing that the center candle was the Christ
candle. The blaze of all five candles overcoming the darkness was rather
spectacular - causing Branson, age 6, to jump up with arms flung wide open -
almost like a dancing prophet. He joyfully proclaimed his sudden insight and
awareness of the often heard phrase that Jesus is the Light of the world. He
literally danced about saying:
"Now I know why we use a candle to
represent Jesus. He is like the fire! He starts small in one place of the world
and spreads all over the world growing greater and greater everywhere he goes.
It's like a campfire - you start with one little match and it catches fire to
htis enormous pile of wood and blazes into a huge bonfire."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)