The Door

While doing the Parable of the Insistent Friend, Eddie, 8, and I read the maxim, "Ask and it shall be given you." At the end I asked him, "What door do you think this is?" He said, "The door to the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God."

A New Creation

A lengthy discussion of the Kingdom of God took place mainly between two boys of the second grade. This was the outcome:
Nate, 8: It's like each one of us has a part of God in us - like a piece of puzzle. When we put ourselves together, we see God.
Benjamin, 8: Yeah! It's like Legos; you have all these separate Legos and no directions. But when you start getting them TOGETHER, you get a new creation.

While receiving the presentation on the Kingdom of God and the Mustard Seed, Nellie, age 3, exclaimed, "and you water it! And it grows into trees, flowers, carrots and tomatoes!" and then she shot her hands above her head. She carefully held the mustard seed in her hand, and wide-eyed talked of the "big tree" that would grow. We prayed the song "This Tiny Seed" together, and then Nellie gave thanks for "flowers."

When doing The Leaven with another child, Jenna, age 7, said, ”The Leaven rose like Jesus going to the Kingdom of Heaven.” After doing The Leaven work again later, she enjoyed a new meditation work using clay and formed a table with the bread on it. She said “The leaven grows and the Kingdom of Heaven grows and my bones grow.” She also wondered about heaven, “If it had towns for all the people and each town had a grain of leaven, it would use the hair and skin of God and everything would grow and be made of God.”

Pour Goodness into Herod

Flora, age 7, was working with the Leaven. She had prepared two bowls of flour and water--one with yeast and one without--in order to meditate on how the Kingdom of Heaven is like the leaven. Her catechist wondered how the dough with the leaven in it could be like the Kingdom of God. Pointing back and forth between the two bowls, she said:

(bowl with leaven)“Power, (bowl without leaven)No Power;
(bowl with leaven)Love (bowl without leaven)Less love;
(bowl with leaven)A big heart, a big family;
(bowl with leaven)“Bright, like God;(bowl without leaven)Dark, like Herod” (earlier in the day, she had had the presentation on the Flight into Egypt)
(bowl with leaven)Big world;(bowl without leaven)Tiny, tiny world
(bowl with leaven)Bread and wine;(bowl without leaven)Water and candy, cause candy’s not good for you.”
The following week, she asked about Herod, “Why would he kill a baby?” Flora was again working with the Leaven. She said, “I wish I could pour this in [the leavened dough into the unleavened]…pour goodness into Herod.”

It makes us grow - like the seed

During a presentation of parable of the leaven with a 6-9 group I asked, "Do you think the kingdom changes anything in the world?
Felice, 6, answered, "It changes us."
"How?"
"It makes us grow - like the seed."

The Leaven Grows

When doing the work exploring the parable of The Leaven, Janie, age 7, prepared two bowls of flour mixed with water. One bowl contained yeast, and the other did not. Janie said, ”The Leaven rose like Jesus going to the Kingdom of Heaven.” After doing The Leaven work again later, she enjoyed a new meditation work using clay and formed a table with the bread on it. She said “The leaven grows and the Kingdom of Heaven grows and my bones grow.” She also wondered about heaven, “If it had towns for all the people and each town had a grain of leaven, it would use the hair and skin of God and everything would grow and be made of God.”

God is Great

Kent, age 7, did The Gifts work, and explained that his favorite gifts were those on outer space and the fragrances. He illustrated a Kingdom of God Gifts booklet saying “God is great. He prepared for us.”

God was just trying to get his attention

A catechist presented the Kingdom Parable of the Hidden treasure to a group of five 5-year-olds.

During the meditation on the parable, and the discussion following the solemn reading, Lillian raised her hand to be called on. Then, slowly and thoughtfully, with her eyes looking upward, she said, "I was thinking about that treasure. Maybe God sent angels to bury that treasure in the field. But the treasure's not the thing--the field is the thing. And when the man saw the treasure, he knew how valuable the whole kingdom would be. God was just trying to get his attention with the treasure."

The Pearl of Great Price

This picture is a 5-year-old girl's illustration of the Pearl of Great Price

In us!

Excerpt from DoubleClose: The Young Child's Knowledge of God, by our director, Catherine Maresca:
I was in a group of children that included five-year-old Harry. We were speaking about the mustard seed as an image of the kingdom of God. I asked the children to think of other places where this power of God exists. Harry immediately said with a big smile, "In us!" The other children listed various animals and plants, and Harry repeated, "In us!" The others continued with their ideas and Harry announced a third time, "In us!"
Theological Reflection:
Young children are small and vulnerable. But they are actively working to be strong. As infants, they are often moving their legs and arms to prepare them for crawling and walking. When they start to walk, they like to carry the heaviest bag that they can find. By age five, a good race across a field is exhilarating for them. Harry rejoices that this parable affirms the power within him and his growing strength. It connects his life to God's life, his strength to God's power.
God's life is just as present within in us all. A life that grows from small to large, and from weak to strong. In us! A life that reflects God's love. In us! A life that joins us to God, to one another, and to all of creation. In us!

How is God's Kingdom like a Mustard Seed?

Q. How is God's kingdom like a mustard seed?
Jillian, age 5: It's like Jesus who started as a tiny baby and grew and grew - big in love.
Kyle, age 5: It's just small when it starts. And then the love spreads out and grows.

Do not be afraid for he is near

Another prayer from Julie, written in her missal when she was 8:

He is our place of rest.
His power is in us.
He is our shield.
He helps us in making peace.
The kingdom of God is all around.

Do not be afraid for he is near. (surrounded by crosses and lit candles)

Jesus is the son of God.
He is the dwelling of the Lord,
Who was not even defeated by the powers of death.
He sits upon the mighty throne of eternal holiness,
And cannot be taken down from it.
Healer of the sick, giver to the poor,
And rightful son of man.
May all the rightful people of earth praise his exalted name.
by Kimble, age 10

He helps us in making peace

A personal prayer from Julie's (8) missal:

He is our place of rest.
His power is in us.
He is our shield.
He helps us in making peace.
The kingdom of God is all around.

Do not be afraid for he is near. (surrounded by crosses and lit candles)

Big in love

Q. How is God's kingdom like a mustard seed?

Lara, age 6: It's like Jesus who started as a tiny baby and grew and grew - big in love.

"It changes us."

During a presentation of the leaven with a 6-9 group I asked, "Do you think the kingdom changes anything in the world?
Felicia, 6, answered, "It changes us."
"How?"
"It makes us grow - like the seed."

We were talking about the Kingdom of God in relation to the preparation of the chalice and Xandro said that the wine is Jesus and the water is us. He then went on to say that when the water is mixed with the wine, we cannot see it. Then I asked, "Can we see the Kingdom of Heaven?" He said, "No, but it is there just as we cannot see the water in the wine."

Jesus, Remember Me.....

During Lent some children (five year olds) were working with the altar materials (a boy and a girl). The little boy began to hum a song... the girl recognized it and began to sing, "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom." A child nearby was copying Psalm 23. She stopped and began to sing. Three girls doing tracing also stopped and began to sing. Soon most of the children (20 in class) were singing! I was near the two who were mixing the Leaven. They also sang. When the song stopped, several of the children laughed and the two I was watching just smiled at one another and went back to work. I knew then the real power of the leaven lesson!

Trying to get his attention

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to present the Kingdom Parable of the Hidden treasure to a group of five 5-year-olds.

During the meditation on the parable, and the discussion following the solemn reading, Lydia raised her hand to be called on. Then, slowly and thoughtfully, with her eyes looking upward, she said, "I was thinking about that treasure. Maybe God sent angels to bury that treasure in the field. But the treasure's not the thing--the field is the thing. And when the man saw the treasure, he knew how valuable the whole kingdom would be. God was just trying to get his attention with the treasure."