I was once told that the best "examination" in determining an adult's readiness to be a catechist within the Atrium was his/her ability to interpret the artwork of the children. Particularly with young children, freely drawn artwork is one of the clearest ways their growing relationship with the Good Shepherd is expressed. Many times these young ones don't have the language to articulate their growth in knowledge and understanding, but they show, often quite beautifully, the connections they are making and the Truths they have come to believe by what they draw, how they draw it, and even by the colors they use. This image was drawn in January by a 1st grade boy directly after hearing the Scripture of the True Vine (John 15) for the first time. (Just prior to this, during the season of Advent, this same child had heard and pondered the Scripture passage from Isaiah 11 about the "stump of Jesse," again, as part of a small group.) As the children were finishing their discussion about the True Vine, this child said, "Maybe on the Stump of Jesse that shoot was the Vine." He then proceeded to draw this image throughout the rest of the Atrium session. When the child shared his picture with me at the end of our time together that day, I asked him to explain what he had drawn. He said that he drew the stump, the True Vine, and the branches, labeling the Vine as "Jesus" and the branches as "us." He also expressed that the "fruit" was silver because it is beautiful pointed out the watering can by which God, the gardener, is pouring out hearts of love instead of water because the True Vine needs God's love to grow beautiful fruit. This second illustration was drawn by a child at home and it was shared with me by a family member of the child. I did not speak with the child about it, so I can only "guess" as to the significance of the image! The child is a 2nd grade girl who, at the time she drew this picture, had about five more weeks to wait before she received her First Holy Communion. In the center of the image are the paten and chalice holding the Body and Blood of Christ with a dove for the Holy Spirit centered above them, surrounded by a heart and rays. This speaks to me of the moment of the Mass (the Epiclesis) when the priest asks God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus, an action of incomprehensible love by which we receive the greatest gift, Jesus Christ, Himself. The image of the sun is also prominent, presumably shining the light necessary for the growth of the True Vine which wraps around the paten and chalice. The presence of the sun additionally indicates, to me, the as-yet-unmentioned member of the Trinity because it is God the Father who is the Gardener, caring for the Vine. Thus we see the Trinitarian reality expressed in the sun (God the Father), the united Eucharist and True Vine (God the Son), and the dove (God the Holy Spirit). The Vine is filled with beautiful fruit and leaves, many of which have been intricately drawn. Is the Vine being fed by the Body and Blood of Christ? Is the child showing the unity of the True Vine and the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? I see indications of both realities in the image she has drawn. Finally, at the bottom of the page are listed "Love! Joy! Parisiea (Parouisa)! Kindness." Perhaps these are labels for the the beautiful fruits that have been drawn on the Vine.
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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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