We decided to try something new this week and move a few of the Catechesis materials into our Casa. It ended up working beautifully and it allowed the children the chance to choose Catechesis materials on which they have received presentations and use them at will throughout our morning work cycle.
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| Preparing the altar with the chalice, paten, candles and cross of the risen Christ. |
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| We sang: "Lord Jesus come, Good Shepherd come, the Bread is on the table. Lead me to You." |
The children also have the opportunity to care for the Atrium materials in the same way that they care for the materials in our Casa. Here, our altar is being polished.
In addition to the materials the children know how to use from our Atrium, the children received a presentation on the Parable of the Mustard Seed in small groups of two or three.
"He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
-- Matthew 13:31-32
They held, with amazement, the absolutely tiny speck of the Mustard Seed in the palm of their hands. Imagine how tiny the seed is and how large the tree can become! The children compared the seed to the smallest children in our Casa and were amazed still yet, at how small the seed looked.
At the end of our morning, when we usually gather for a quick song, poem or story, we decided to have a prayer service. The children were delighted to each help to prepare the prayer table with our cloth, candle, bible, Good Shepherd statue, and prayer card. After our table was prepared, we sang our favorite Atrium songs and then shared a moment of prayerful silence. It's amazing to watch children of such a young age be so willing and eager to experience God's presence with joy. Spontaneously one child said, "I know why God remembers me. Because He's in my heart." What a gift it is to have faith like a child!
