Over the summer months I have been enjoying pondering in the company of many adults in formation courses. It is always a gift to see the face of a child focused and intensely pondering the gift of our faith and it is no less of a gift to watch adults open and enjoy these same gifts in much the same way. Last summer I began a Level 3 course with a number of adults with whom I've been given the privilege of walking since 2016. In introducing them to typology, a looking at Old Testament passages in light of the New Testament and hearing echoes of truth throughout all of Salvation History, we took time, as we do with the children, to chart out some of our thoughts on these connections. I hope you enjoy their ponderings as much as I have!
As we finish up this summer of Prayer Art, it is good to return to the youngest of children. In this drawing we see the essentiality of the child who chose to use one color to draw the chalice and paten on the altar with the priest beside it. The Eucharist, Jesus truly present, remaining with us as a testament to His incomprehensible love, is at the heart of our faith. Truly, God is so good.
As part of an "end of the year" card, I received the following image from a Level 3 child who is finishing her seventh and final year in the Atrium. She chose to write out portions of Psalm 23 and of John 15, showing they are passages from the Holy Bible. Her illustration focuses on the still waters which are surrounded by green pastures, an image of the peaceful environment which the Good Shepherd prepares for His sheep.
Psalm 23 is a favorite Scripture in the Atrium from the time it is first introduced in Lent of the 3yo's first year in the Atrium. This copy of Psalm 23 was written and illustrated by a 3rd grader. There are a number of elements of the drawing which are noteworthy. You see the green border which indicates that Psalms are part of the Liturgy of the Word as well as the bright yellow sun shining down on the scene. The vine branches (laden with much fruit) weave around the words of the Psalm, indicating a connection to the True Vine. The mountains seem to be beyond the fence of the sheepfold which speaks to the reality of the dark valley and yet the protection offered by the Shepherd.
During the Easter Season, at times the older children extend their enjoyment of the Resurrection by looking up Scriptures which are about light. In the following images a 3rd grader copied Matthew 5:16 and Isaiah 60:1 and then drew an illustration on the back of his paper. The cross forms the center of the flower which has "light" as its petals. I am reminded of the saying "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians" as we see the light and life which comes forth as a result of suffering and death in the life of Jesus, and in our own lives, depicted in this simple drawing.
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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April 2024
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