Ok, so that's an unusual pairing, but it's been a while since I've had time to update this blog!
First, the kids have all been introduced to a work that is called "The Rubrics of the Mass." This work builds off of the first semester work, "The Structure of the Mass." This work, however, does more than just distinguish the different parts of the Mass--the kids actually take time to think about EACH prayer! The handmade work is a wooden box that looks like a book--the Sacramentary--and has colored ribbons as drawer pulls.
We started with the orange ribbon in the 3rd drawer--the heart of the Mass--the Eucharistic prayer. In the drawer are cards with each of the prayers for the whole Eucharistic prayer, title cards, small pictures of the chalice, or host, or paten, and a control chart. The beauty of this work is that by reading the cards (and checking for clues on the back) the kids should be able to do the work of getting all the prayers, titles, and pictures in order all on their own without needing help from catechist.
From here, we introduce our Level III Missal work. This is much more complex and complete than the Level II Missal, which is more of an overview. The kids who have been in the atrium before, actually went and got their Level II Missals and looked over them before they started anew on the "Final" Missal. Believe it or not, the kids actually like to do this kind of copy work.
When it comes to Sin...
Having finished our typology study of Creation, we took the leap into Genesis 3, pondering the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the serpent, and the grasping of man and woman to achieve what they already had (the likeness of God), only to lose their dignity as children of God.
Children have a knack for cutting to the heart of things, and as we thought about the comparison between Adam and Eve who were given dominion over the created world, yet after the fall they resort to "hiding" from God. One child said, "It's like they became cowards." Another noted, "It's like they don't trust anybody, now." Truly, God promised them that if they ate of the tree they would die... they chose to believe the serpent instead of God, and we hear those words, "Remember man, you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
(Note: the kids remembered that Adam's name came from the Hebrew word adam which means man, and the Hebrew word for Earth is Adamah. So this reads, "Remember adam, you are Adamah, and to Adamah you shall return.)
The exciting part of the typology is when we get out the chart and see how this Old Testament story has a golden thread that ties it to Jesus--the new Adam. We see that the Tree of Knowledge is the tree of defeat, but it becomes the Tree of Victory (the wood of the Cross!) We also see the striking symbolism in baptism where we are clothed in the white garment--overcoming our nakedness of being stripped of our dignity with the original sin.
We follow the golden thread into the future--all the way to the Parousia--and we see that it will not be until then that the final enemy, death, will be defeated. And we know that is the time when God will be All in All! We pray together "Our Father...thy Kingdom come!"
God's Blessings!
Mandie DeVries
CGS Level III Catechist and Director of Religious Education
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