The gesture which is presented to the children after The Preparation of the Chalice in the Atrium is The Epiclesis. This is the moment where Father lowers both hands over the gifts of bread and wine (and water!) which have been prepared. Beginning at the age of three, we ponder this gesture in the Atrium. The children often begin by saying this gesture is a "blessing," and, through their personal repetition of this gesture in the Atrium, they come to recognize that it is the moment when Father asks God to send the Holy Spirit to make the bread and wine (and water!) into Jesus. It is the moment in which we receive the greatest of gifts, Jesus Christ, God Himself. In the Atrium there are several works which support or parallel our pondering of this gesture. One is the Cenacle, where we recall Jesus' words at the Last Supper, the first time He showed the Apostles how He would remain with them after His death and resurrection. The second is a work called The Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd, where we help the children recognize that the Church is the place where the Good Shepherd calls His sheep to feed them with the best food and best drink, feeding them with Himself. This illustration was done by a 1st year elementary child. He worked for three Atrium sessions to copy all of the words of the elementary gestures booklet entitled: "The Eucharistic Presence: Epiclesis and the Account of the Last Supper." During these weeks he also received the presentation on La Fettuccia, a long ribbon which shows the "vastness" of Salvation History, from Creation, through Redemption, and looking forward toward Parousia. This illustration, done on the back page of his booklet, shows a synthesis of these presentations. The blue and brown strip show the part of the ribbon which represents Creation. We also see the world and the Church, to the right. Jesus' light, representing the moment of Redemption, is shining out of creation onto the world and the Church. On the left, the dove is the Holy Spirit, who was present in creation and is also present today, particularly in the moment of Epiclesis. Under that image is, again, the cross shining the light of Jesus. At the bottom left is an image of the crucifixion with water and blood pouring out as the water and wine are added to the chalice before the moment of Epiclesis. The light surrounding the image of crucifixion shows that the Light is always stronger, even in moments of great darkness. The Epiclesis is the moment in which God gives us the greatest of gifts, Jesus. What a beautiful illustration of the fullness of this great moment! While the 2nd year children are beginning their Missals, the Children's House (Level 1) children are also spending time focusing on the Gestures of the Mass. We have all spoken of "gestures" as "movements of our bodies that mean something." One gesture the children have pondered together is the Sign of the Cross, when we make Jesus' sign on our bodies to remember how close He is to us. Many of the children in their second or third year in the Atrium have also already spent time at the Gestures Altar this year, recalling some of the Gestures of the Mass that have been brought to their attention in previous years. The first gesture we ponder is The Preparation of the Chalice, when Father pours much wine and a few drops of water into the chalice at Mass. We wonder together about what Father could be praying with this gesture. When speaking about all of that wine and that tiny drop of water one three year old, last year, said the drop of water was like his little brother. A five year old, this year, said it was like God who is so strong and we who are so weak. A first grader, having pondered this gesture for several years now, said it is that God is so filled with love and we have so little but when we are together we just use His love. Many of our 2nd year elementary children are beginning to prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion at their home parishes. In the Atrium, we hope to complement these preparations through the work the children have already been exposed to and through the new presentations they are experiencing this year. The 2nd years have begun their "Missals" which they will work on throughout the year as they continue to be grounded in the most essential moments of the beautiful prayer of the Mass. In addition, the children have already begun to prepare for Reconciliation through a focus on the Maxims of Jesus and on many of his moral parables. This past week in the Atrium we spoke about the 10 Commandments (often emphasized in parish Faith Formation programs) and their relationship with Jesus’ Maxims and “Great Commandment” or, as we speak of it in the Atrium, “The Summary of the Law.” We looked the Summary of the Law (“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”) and then introduced the Ten Commandments, briefly, as the gift of the law God gave to the people before Jesus to help them live well. Reading through the Commandments we looked at how the first three relate to the Great Commandment of loving God and the last seven relate to the Second of loving your neighbor. The Summary of the Law and the Maxims of Jesus (short sayings, mainly from the Sermon on the Mount, which tell us how to live well) give us not only what NOT to do but what TO do! And what’s even better? Jesus gives us the strength to do them! He would never give us a “command” without also helping us to be able to do it. Please check out the Maxims we use in the Atrium which provide an excellent tool for examining our conscience – both for the children and for us as well!!
In the past few weeks the 2nd grade children have been excited to begin their Missals! This new project builds on much of the work they have done in their past years in the Atrium and on their attention and observation during Mass. Throughout their Level I (Children's House) years they began to look at specific moments of the Mass in isolation and then, last year, they began to order these moments through a material called "The Synthesis of the Mass." This year they have added text cards to this "ordering" which will form the basis of their Missal. It has been beautiful to watch them work together in setting up this material each week, communally agreeing on the role each child will assume in the process. This project is a long-term, detailed work, and the children will spend much time this year "making it beautiful!"
|
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|