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."

True God to True God

Daughter of God

Natalia, age 6, was working with the Maxim, "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit". She explained, "This [maxim] makes me feel like the Daughter of God."

This work of art is an example of a child's synthesis of several themes offered over a period of years in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It shows that she is not compartmentalizing the materials but allowing them to inform one another.

It is a synthesis of the historical Biblical passage of the nativity (central image), the liturgical sign of the Advent Wreath, the parable of the Good Shepherd, the Maxim to love one another, and a snippet from the creed "true God to true God (sic)" and a prayer of thanks. Our reflection here is to consider each part in relation to the others.

In the context of the Nativity what do we learn about how Jesus loved us, the season of Advent, the image of the Good Shepherd, the creed, and our thanksgiving? How is our prayer of thanks informed by how Jesus loved us, the Nativity, the Good Shepherd, Advent, or the Creed? This work of art is indeed a guide for a rich meditation.