The parable of the Good Shepherd strikes to the heart of what it means to be in covenant relationship with God. The Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name and they listen and follow where He leads. The children have shown that this parable touches them profoundly and offers an opportunity for them to experience His deep, intimate love from a very early age. This parable also lends itself to growing with the children. A year or so after first encountering the parable, the children are read the parable of the Found Sheep. Here they hear of the persistence of the Shepherd and the joy with which He is reunited with the sheep that has been lost and is now found. Last year an adult who had come to observe in the Atrium left a note saying that a child had been sitting at the prayer table, slowly turning the pages of the Bible and whispering, "The sheep follow Jesus and if something comes and scares them the Good Shepherd is with them." This understanding of the care of the Good Shepherd for the sheep continues to expand into the elementary or Level II Atrium when more of the parable from John 10 is read, and the children are introduced to the wolf and the hired man. Recently, three first grade boys were introduced to this expansion of the parable. At the end, as they were pondering, one child said, "The wolf is the darkness but the Great Light is stronger." A the end of the presentation, the Good Shepherd is left standing between the sheep and the wolf. One of the children said, “He’s like the shield.” Another said, “But he’s not really there. He’s inside.” This led to a conversation about how the Sign of the Cross can help to remind us that the Good Shepherd is there even when we can't see Him. Each one of the boys returned, individually, to the material the following week. Clearly, the Good Shepherd had, again, spoken deeply to their hearts.
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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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