Created with Hope

Prayer by a 4th grade boy whose father is in jail and whose mother is dead:

Lord God, you created us with hope. We thank you for all the good things you give to us. Please forgive your children who went against you and help those who don't have any strength or can't see their families any more because of sickness and can't walk, see or hear. God, you have opened up the light and gates to heaven. We thank your son Jesus for dying on the cross for us. You give us sun, earth, land, trees, animals, grass, people. And at the end to our earth there would be hope.

Awe, Wonder and Strength

In our Pentecost celebration, after the children lit their candles to choose their gifts, they told each other why they chose their gifts. Here are two:

I chose awe and wonder because there are so many beautiful things, I just want to appreciate them more. Serena, 9

I chose strength because we need it so we don't despair. Xander, 9

Parousia

With today's offering, we introduce a series of responses from children about the time of parousia. Parousia is a Greek word that means "the coming." St. Paul used it in his letters to indicate the time of the fullness of the kingdom of God that Jesus and the prophets before him spoke of frequently. We pray for the parousia with the words, "thy kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer. We hope for the parousia as a time of peace, healing, justice and abundance, a time when there will be no more war, sickness, injustice, or death. When introduced to children at about the age of six, they anticipate its coming with great joy, especially in the face of present wars, poverty, and injustice. -Catherine Maresca

In her public Montessori classroom at age 9, Lizzy's teacher drew a circle on the board around the words "more people." She then asked the class about the effects of more people in the world. As they answered she drew more circles, connected with lines to the first one, with their answers inside them. These answers included "more pollution", "more cars," "more wars." Finally Lizzy raised her hand and said, "There is a time of parousia when all that stuff will be gone."

Who in our world needs the light?

These words of 9-12 year old children reflect both their global awareness and that the light of Christ illuminates moral questions. For older children, the Risen life we celebrate during this season of Easter extends to all people and all concerns:

During the bombing of Yugoslavia a catechist asked a group of 9-12 year olds, "Who in our world needs the light?" A fourth grade girl, Dana, answered, " The Serbian people need the light so they can stop. The Albanian people need the light so they can hope."

Who in our world needs the light?

These words of 9-12 year old children reflect both their global awareness and that the light of Christ illuminates moral questions. For older children, the Risen life we celebrate during this season of Easter extends to all people and all concerns:

During the bombing of Yugoslavia a catechist asked a group of 9-12 year olds, "Who in our world needs the light?" A fourth grade girl, Dana, answered, " The Serbian people need the light so they can stop. The Albanian people need the light so they can hope."