Religious Education and Spiritual Orphans

I read a really thought-provoking article last week that made me reflect more deeply on what exactly a religious education program can and can't offer families.  The article was critical of the Church for her "hero complex"--you know, the tendency for priests, DREs, youth ministers, Catholic school teachers and catechists to swoop in and attempt to evangelize and catechize a child who has little to no understanding of the faith,without really identifying and addressing the problem that kids are coming to them as "spiritual orphans."

If I had to make an educated guess, it is probably the fault of some well-meaning people from years ago who led a subtle or not-so-subtle campaign to tell parents: "You can't teach this!  The faith is difficult and hard to understand! The Bible? What do you know about the Bible?  You must send your child to religious education classes or Catholic schools so that we "professionals" can pass on the faith."  

Well, something awful happened. While so many people trusted the "experts," the faith simply slipped through the cracks of the generations. We as an institutional Church have discovered that 1 hour per week (or even several hours per week) plus Sunday Mass (if we're lucky) isn't enough to pass on a living, vibrant faith to the next generation.  There is a generation of parents and maybe even grandparents, who may be in the Church, but have never really had a life-changing encounter with Christ.

You see, the idea of "either/or"--where either the parents teach the Faith or they trust Father or Sister or the catechist--misses the point.

The family is the first Church, the Domestic Church.  Everything the family does: from prayer, training in virtue, to modeling forgiveness and acts of mercy, prepares the child for a fuller Christian life.  We as a parish education program promise to do all we can to support you in this role, but we can never replace you.

If you were one of these "spiritual orphans" growing up, and still don't have a lot of confidence in your prayer life, or in your knowledge of the teachings of Jesus and His Church, it is not too late! We are always offering opportunities for adults to go deeper and mature in their understanding and relationship to Christ. Also, as any CGS catechists will tell you, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd formation is a most excellent training to help you understand how to meet the needs and serve the spiritual potential of your little child or grandchild.

Opportunities and graces abound! Our Lord wants nothing more than for parents to become more serious in their role as primary educators of their children in the Faith. But as the old Latin saying goes: "Nemo dat quod non habet"--"You can't give it, if you don't got it!" So go and get it!

Abraham's Offering

The first reading last week on the Offering of Isaac led to some very interesting conversations in our home.  Our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level III (9-12 year old) atrium happens to have just finished our study of Abraham this year, so there was a lot of fodder for discussion.

Sacrifice of Isaac by Rembrandt (1635)

In the atrium, we have walked (figuratively, anyway) with Abram from his home in Ur to "a land I will show you" and have seen Abraham's incredible trust and faith in the promise of this voice: to give him a land and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky who will bless ALL nations.  Abraham was already 75 years old when he received this promise.

Fast forward 25 years.  Now the promise is seen with Abraham's own eyes: a SON.  Abraham holds the promise in his arms.  It kind of reminds me of Simon, in the Presentation in the Temple, who holds the Christ Child in his arms and says in effect, "Now you may let your servant go in peace! I've seen the promise!"

But Abraham's faith, made strong through 25 years of hope realized, is put to the test. This promise... this EVERYTHING of Abraham's... God asks him to offer as a sacrifice.  

It is striking and maybe shocking to us that the same Abraham who intercedes so beautifully for the Lord not to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would not intercede for his son! It's almost like Abraham was expecting this, and indeed, if we look at the history of the peoples surrounding him, sacrifice of the first-born son was indeed a common practice.  Do you give your god the sickly and weak animal? Do you offer your leftovers to him? No.  The idea that led to this practice was that to prove your love for your god, you must offer your best--your everything.

But Abraham was not like the other people of his time, and the God who revealed Himself to Abraham was not just another god among gods.  He is the One, True God: the God of Life. 

Abraham's offering was total obedience and trust to this God of Life.  He trusted in a God who would not lie.  Isaac was the son promised, the beginning of an explosion of blessings through Abraham's descendants.  The author of Hebrews saw in Abraham's offering a New Testament faith: 

"By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.' He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol." Hebrews 11:17-19  Abraham obeyed God because he trusted in His promise.

As incredible as Father Abraham's faith is in this story, I hope you don't miss how God totally flips the sacrifice on its head.  For so much of human history, we see human beings wishing to prove their love and devotion to their god or gods.  They gave their best for the love of their god.  Yet, the One, True God says, "Do not do the least thing to him... I know now how devoted you are..." and provides his own Lamb for the holocaust.  In offering His only begotten Son,  the Father in Heaven reveals the unfathomable reality that He offers His Best for love of us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." John 3:16

Yes, Virginia, There Really is a Saint Nicholas

Over a hundred years ago, the New York Sun printed a letter to the editor from an 8 year old girl (Virginia) who wanted to know if there was really a Santa Claus. The famous reply is the most often reprinted editorial in the English language. It's actually a very interesting reply, and goes to the heart of believing in that which we cannot see, and how some of the most real things in life are not tangible at all.

Despite the beauty of Frank Church's famous response, when you think about it, it's not exactly what Santa Claus or Christmas is about. Christmas is not the feast in which we celebrate what we can't see, but that which we can! We celebrate the invisible made visible, Love made incarnate, God made man. Even this tradition of Santa Claus is born from tangible, real actions of generosity and charity that Nikolas of Myra (who was actually a bishop!) made anonymously and famously to those in need.

As one story goes, Bishop Nikolas (later known to us as Saint Nicholas), knew of an unfortunate man who owed a debt so large that he was facing the terrible necessity of selling his daughters into slavery. In the night, Bishop Nikolas snuck in and placed the needed amount of gold coins in their stockings as they hung to dry. How else was this man's radical charity inspired but by the profound humility and complete sacrifice of the Child who was born in Bethlehem this day.

Mr. Church noted that Santa Claus exists "as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist" and that without this "there would be no child-like faith... no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence." He is right again, and this really is the reason we must continue to lift up for our children and for ourselves revolutionary examples of love and generosity and devotion.

Because, my friends, there really was a Christ Child born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, there really is a Saint Theresa of Calcutta, a St. Francis of Assisi, a St. Clare, and yes, Virginia, there really is a St. Nicholas.

Merry Christmas!
Mandie DeVries
Director of Religious Education

Reach Up

We interrupt your regularly scheduled bulletin article to bring you a science lesson. Why? Because it is totally cool, that's why! Maybe you are a super genius and learned this before last week, but among the large amount of things I didn't know was this interesting fact: Did you know that lightning can come up out of the ground?!? When a lightning bolt forms in a cloud and tries to find its way to earth, it has a crazy effect on the ground.  It isn't like the ground just sits around and waits for lightning to strike it.  Little bursts of what looks like ground lighting - actually called "positive streamers" which are sometimes 3 feet, sometimes 300 feet - are drawn up from all around to meet the lightning strike from the cloud! Like this: Then when the lightning from the cloud (technically the "step leader" which is searching for a path to the ground) makes contact with one of these positive streamers: BOOM! I know I said this article is about science, but I have to say that the whole idea of positively charged streamers flying out of the ground drawn by the powerful energy coming out of the sky couldn't help but draw out some reflection on the spiritual life, too. As I watched a super cool video explaining this phenomenon, I kept thinking about how God is always looking for a "path" to earth. The Lord sought out Abraham to bless all nations through him. He found King David to be a "man after His own heart."  He connected with those receptive listeners called the prophets. Then God made the most powerful connection to that point in history with a woman who reached out her hands with the response, "Be it done unto me according to your word," and indescribable, unfathomable power flowed through her. In the fullness of time, God sent His only begotten Son Who reached up to heaven as the Father reached down and formed a powerful connection with earth that will never be broken. Still today, God is searching for more pathways to send down His healing, transforming, life-giving power to the world.  He is reaching down, step-by-step, with his Word and with His Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of... well... all of them! Of course, He also continually reaches down through His total accessibility in prayer. It is pure scientific wonder to discover the ways that lightning finds its way to the ground, but God's ways of finding a path into the human heart are so much more awesome. Reach out! He is there: in prayer, in Sacrament, and in Power!

God's blessing on you and your family this week and always, ~Mandie DeVries Director of Religious Education

Open to Life

As parents of 5 daughters, the second most common question we're asked (after "All girls?!") is usually, "Are you trying for a boy?" Our canned answer is most often: "No, we were thinking of going for a volleyball team." But if I were to tell you a desire deep in my heart, it would be to have a son, and to have a son who would grow up to be a priest.

After losing Baby Jude last fall, however, it has been a bit of a struggle to remain open to life.  Not just open with our actions, but also in our hearts. As I am sure is the case for many couples experiencing infertility or secondary infertility, risking hope and facing disappointment is a roller coaster that is really hard to ride.

But the practice of being open to life is a lot bigger than being willing to accept a pregnancy if it comes. It's being willing to let God surprise you with his answers to your prayers. It is a decision to live without a guarded heart, and instead cultivating an inner life that is ready to receive whatever gifts may come.

Enter Daniel.

While Matt and I were in Phoenix for the International Celebration of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd we met an incredibly joyful young man who is absolutely full of life named Daniel.  He is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Manizales in Colombia. Through an incredible chain of events, Matt and I have "adopted" this young man into our own family and with the help of Father Harris and Bishop Pates, we have received the extraordinary permission from Daniel's own archbishop and seminary director to have Daniel assigned to All Saints Parish for his internship this December!

 

I can tell you I never in a million years guessed that God might give me the gift of a "son of my heart" in the form of a seminarian from Colombia! But I also realize that to be surprised by the grace and Spirit of God, both my husband and I had to be ready and willing to receive it. 

With all the hard things and hurts that this life brings, it is tempting to build walls and protect our fragile hearts. But if we are ever to experience the power of God in our lives, we must be open. Only then will we be able to receive God's mercy and grace when He surprises us with the gift of abundant Life!

God's Blessing on you and your families this week and always,

Mandie DeVries, Director of Religious Education

Faith Formation Begins at Home is a weekly article I write for our parish bulletin and sometimes post here. It offers a perspective of the domestic church and the idea that forming the life of faith must begin and be sustained in the home.

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Serving as a catechist in multiple levels always gives a fresh perspective on child development (spiritual and otherwise), but this is the first year I've been in a Level I atrium alongside the older kids. After 7 years with the older kids, I could describe the transition back to Level I with six words:

"And Now for Something Completely Different!" 

This is probably because the 3-6 year old child has not yet moved into what Montessori called "the rational mind." They are still absorbing everything with no filter, and they can't necessarily verbalize what they need or what they are thinking. I have already had to use nearly all of my skills as a reverse hostage negotiator to help some of the 3 year olds get over the threshold of the atrium.  Never have I had to do that with 10 year olds!

At the beginning of the year, the catechists from the older atria are often smiling and going on about the fruit they are seeing with the children they serve, while the Level I catechists share struggles with spills, messes, and little children who actually get up and walk away during their presentations.

But there is the other side of the coin: one parent told a Level I catechist that her child has been talking about her all week and already loves her.  I don't think any of my Level III boys will get quite to that point, even after the whole year! Another three year old Level I child told his dad, "I didn't think I would like going to catechism. But I do! I really, really do!"

It's pretty easy to get a big head when you are a catechist for the youngest children, because they are so full of joy and love, and when they see you, they want to hold your hand and they seem so happy.  But that is the nature of the 3-6 year old child.  They love with all that is in them, and they want to feel safe, and protected, and cared for.

It is our work as catechists to be the "matchmaker" between these little children who have such a desire and capacity for love and the Good Shepherd who calls them by name and cares for them so deeply.

While the privilege of seeing an older child mature into a more adult faith is awe-inspiring, the spiritual development of the 3-6 year old child retains and reveals something to us that is totally mysterious and, in reality, completely different.

Jesus Christ, the true Catechist, reminds us to pay attention to how His love grows in these little ones:  
"The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Luke 18:16b-17

And again,

"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me." Matthew 18:5

May God Bless you and your family,

Mandie DeVries, CGS Catechist and Director of Religious Education

Interested in learning more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd? New formation courses are beginning all the time!  Check out www.cgsusa.org to find a course near you.  

Handles

For a three-year-old, getting through Mass on Sunday can be quite the challenge. Some people, recognizing this difficulty for the young child, elect to wait until the child is older and can understand what is going on before bringing them to Mass on a regular basis.

Yet, when the time comes to get ready for First Communion, you'll often see that fidgety 6-year-olds and children who are learning the rules of this quite foreign experience are put off with crayons and books so that they will be less distracting to the rest of the congregation. Around the age of “you’re too old for that stuff” we’ll sometimes see kids who are prone to long bathroom breaks, or who sit with a less-than-interested expression, as though they are being forced to do something they loathe. After a while, parents say, “Well, I can’t force them to come” and we don’t see the kids at all anymore.

A recent pew study found that after 8th grade, ¼ of youth stop coming to church at all, and by the time they are graduating college, less than ¼ remain.

But there is another way.

Much like language is assimilated much more easily by the youngest child, a child who attends Mass as a baby and toddler is far more likely to experience the Mass as a native—to develop the prayerful attitudes through practice—than to see it as a foreign, impossible thing.

But just bringing a child to Mass doesn’t make them know the Mass! They can’t enter into something that isn't made accessible to them. Just as we repeat and practice and encourage language and physical development, we must help the child get across that hour on Sunday in a way that gives them (and you) joy! I like to think of these familiar moments as “handles.” What are the moments that a child can grab on to and understand that helps him or her participate more fully in the Mass?

In our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, we offer the young child (3+) “handles” in the form of:

· Prayer language—like the Amen, Alleluia, and the Sign of the Cross
· Familiarity with the objects of the Mass—like the three-year-old who pointed out to his mom,  

“Mom! Father just poured wine into the chalice!” 

· Knowledge of gestures he can do and see like genuflection, epiclesis, and offering
· Reverence—a growing ability to be silent and focused in the presence of God
· Community—the young child loves to be loved! When he comes and sees those who are his friends and those who have come to love him, Church feels like a place of love and friendship.

Of course, you don’t need to wait until your child is three to start doing and teaching these things! Parents are the first teachers of their children, and our parish CGS program can be a great asset to you as you seek to help your child grow in his love and reverence for the Mass. It is my hope that we see more engaged toddlers, children, and teens in our parish every year. They have much to teach us about their great spiritual potential if we will take the time and make the effort to help them participate as fully as they can in the Mass each week!

Note: Atrium lists for our CGS program that serves 3 year olds – 6th grade are being put together right now for the coming year! You can find more information about our programs and sign up ONLINE! Check it out on our website www.dmallsaints.org under Faith Formation. We look forward to welcoming your child(ren) this fall!