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January 9, 2008
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Welcome to Faith Formation Update, a free monthly
e-newsletter for catechetical leaders with a focus on parish catechesis beyond textbooks
and classrooms. I'm Jeanne Hunt. In each issue I offer a brief starter and
my "Every Family" column. My co-worker and fellow
religious educator Joan
McKamey offers media resources and ideas in her "Seen
and Heard" column. Our co-worker Chuck
Blankenship suggests other faith formation resources for adults from St. Anthony Messenger
Press in his column, "Sowing Sampler." Finally,
we encourage YOU to share views and program ideas about this month's topic on our online
bulletin board, "Faith Formation Forum." In
these days of great feasting and celebration of incarnation we invite you to sit down with
us at our winter table of talk and reflection on that ancient symbol of the incarnation,
the table, where we meet our Christ.
—Jeanne Hunt
p.s. You're receiving this either because you signed
up, or because you're a loyal customer of St. Anthony Messenger Press. We will never send
you unwanted e-mail. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page.
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In the next few months, catechists begin in earnest
to prepare second grade children for their First Eucharist. The parent meetings, Jesus
retreat days and practices will fill our calendars. However, if we simply tend to the calendar
dates and forget the deeper issue of readiness, catechesis and evangelization, we fall
short of this graced moment.
This is a time when many young parents bring their child to sacramental
preparation. These parents are ready to understand and embrace the significance of Eucharist.
We teach them as well as their child. Through the connection between the common symbol
of the family table as a place where we meet Jesus and the ritual table of the assembly,
families begin to understand that Jesus is not just meant for one hour on Sunday. Jesus
is the ever-present person in our lives throughout each day and in all that we do. It is
important that this connection be demonstrated in our catechesis. When we integrate common
experiences with the sacred experience of Eucharist, the mystery is approachable.
We need to encourage young families to dust off the dinning room table
and to begin again to eat meals there. Too many fast-food meals and family-room buffets
have polluted our culture’s understanding of table time. I encourage everyone to
start eating at a table, sharing the news of the day and even breaking a piece of bread
from a loaf and passing it to the next person. This simple gesture underscores the actions
the child sees in church. As the family sits together, prays together and eats together,
the meaning of the symbolic eucharistic table will make sense. But without the demonstration
of table habits at home, there is no way for children (or their parents) to find this deeper
meaning. Catechesis requires helping families connect with our liturgy and rituals. For
so many, it is not what they hear but, rather, what they do and see that teaches.
When we are aware of the sacred in our ordinary lives, we begin
to understand that Jesus Christ abides with us. It is the task of Catholic parents to provide
a home where Christ dwells. Then, the connection with Eucharist will happen. In his book Jesus
in the House, Allan F. Wright asks, “How much different would homes be today
if we taught, forgave, healed and shared meals as Jesus did?” The question intimates
that our homes are the first place we learn about Jesus and begin a relationship with him.
This book is an excellent resource for parents, small groups, catechists or those who want
to bring a vital presence of Christ into their everyday lives.
As catechists, the first task in Eucharist sacramental preparation
is to evangelize the families. This evangelization can begin at the family table. We can
know the facts of faith but never hunger for the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
This is a teaching moment. Jesus is waiting at his place at the family table to become
a real part of our children’s lives.
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Fitting my family around the supper table was a challenge
as I was growing up, especially when all eight children and my parents were together for
a meal. Chairs took up too much space in our kitchen, so we eventually resorted to a picnic
table with detached benches. My place at that table was at the end of a bench, near one
of the table corners. As we kids grew in size, there was less space for me on the bench,
and I got shifted around the corner. What’s important is that I had a place at the
table. We all had a place at the table. That’s what mattered most.
Today my own family (husband, daughter and myself) is very small by
comparison. Our table has extra places, and we each have a chair. One of the things we
most enjoy is opening our home to friends and family and sharing meals around our table.
Often we will clear off the placemats and salt and pepper shakers and play games at the
table. It is an important place of gathering and togetherness.
As our Church family gathers for the celebration of the Eucharist,
we are seated around a table as well. As we welcome First Communicants to the table for
the first time, we gladly shift to make room for them at the table of the Lord. We invite
them to share in the closeness we experience with Jesus and with the Church community as
a result of participating in this most special of meals.
We help them whet their appetites for this personal closeness with
Jesus and for connection with the community when we show them how important these relationships
are in our own lives. Our modeling helps make First Eucharist much more than an event that
becomes a treasured memory. If the adults in a child’s life truly celebrate Eucharist,
then that child’s First Eucharist is more likely to be just the first in a lifetime
of meaningful encounters with the Body of Christ.
An important element in any children’s sacramental preparation
process is the parent meeting(s). The video program First
Communion: Taking a Place at the Table was designed with parent meetings in mind.
It is now available on DVD. This four-segment program (story, witness, teaching and music
video) offers parents a basic foundation as they help their children approach the eucharistic
table for the first time. Click here (RealMedia | Windows
Media) to see a video clip from the story segment of this program. Kimberly is preparing
to celebrate First Eucharist. In her preparation, she learns that saying “Amen” as
she receives Communion means that it should make a difference in how she treats others.
This leads to a touching reconciliation with her granddad. Parents and children can view
this story separately or together. You can see another clip from this program, from the
teaching segment, by clicking here (RealMedia | Windows
Media).
Those looking for a more comprehensive approach to parent formation
on Eucharist will find the companion videos Eucharist:
Celebrating Christ Present and A
Walk Through the Mass especially helpful. The program planner Experience
Christ Present helps catechetical leaders use segments from the three Catholic
Update Videos mentioned above in a variety of approaches to parent and catechist formation
on Eucharist.
Video programs about the Eucharist for children that are also available
on DVD include:
First Eucharist is an important time to connect with and form both
the children preparing for this celebration and their parents. It’s an opportunity
for evangelization and the last chance some parents will give us. So, make the most of
this contact. Make sure your presentations are fresh and engaging but not too didactic.
Give them dates, times, picture information, dress recommendations, etc., as a handout—and
reach your hand out to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ so that they know they
have a place at the table and what that can mean in their everyday lives.
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Scripture makes many of us Catholics nervous. For much
of our history, we were not particularly encouraged to read much Scripture, aside from
the limited selection of Gospel stories, Pauline letters and Hebrew Scripture that were
included in the Roman Missal. But with the new lectionary since Vatican II, along with
the encouragement of Holy Mother Church, Catholics are now beginning to look to the Bible
for more spiritual nourishment.
Richard Rohr, in his latest book Things
Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, explores the central themes of Scripture
to help us discover new, vital meaning and relevance in these ancient texts. In his
own inimitable style, Rohr uncovers what the Bible says about morality, power, wisdom
and the generosity of God in a way that demands a life-changing response from believers.
His insights offer a Christian vision of abundance, grace and joy to counteract a world
filled with scarcity, judgment and fear—a vision that can revolutionize how we
relate to ourselves, others and the world. As Fr. Rohr explains in his introduction, “I
offer these reflections to again unite what should never have been separated: sacred
Scripture and Christian spirituality.”
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Share your ideas on adult faith formation at our online bulletin board. Our editors will screen and post your thoughts, and you can learn from others' ideas. Submit your ideas by clicking here. |
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