On Holy Thursday:

From Pope Francis' homily at the Chrism Mass

"On this Holy Thursday, I ask the Lord Jesus to enable many young people to discover that burning zeal which joy kindles in our hearts as soon as we have the stroke of boldness needed to respond willingly to his call."

Amen!

"I am a priest because he has regarded my littleness (cf. Lk 1:48). And in that littleness we find our joy. Joy in our littleness!"

So often, we ponder littleness in the atria - it is something that resonates with all the children, but esp. the youngest. Jesus was born in a little village in a little country....the smallest of seeds contains within the power to grow into a large tree....the tiny yeast has the ability to cause the flour to rise.... One of the gifts I enjoy the most as a catechist, is seeing the deep joy in the faces of the children when the Gospel is proclaimed. 

In preparation for these three Holy Days, we have reflected on the Last Supper, or Cenacle, and on the City of Jerusalem. When presenting the Last Supper to the younger children, we read: Luke 22:7-13 and Mark 14:17, 22-24, 26. This focuses on the essential moments, leaving out the betrayel of Judas. For the 7 - 12 year old children, we gradually add other Passion Narratives such as:

·       Jesus Arrested  -John 18:1-14, (7+)

·       Jesus before Caiaphas Matthew 26:57-68, (7+)

·       *Agony in the Garden - Luke 22:39-46, (9+)

·       Jesus before Pilate and Herod Luke 23:1-12, (7+)

·       The Trial before Pilate - John 18:28-36 and 19:16, (8+)

·       *Crucifixion - Luke 23:33-46, (9+)

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The children are also encouraged to find other scripture accounts of these events using the scripture charts provided in the atria. All of my children at home are now 10 and over, so tonight we'll gather our bibles and pick one of the above narratives to focus on. My niece, who has young children, will probably do the Last Supper reading with her 4 year old, using some simple apostles and a block for the table. 6 years ago, after doing this work at home, my now 12 year old found the sheep from the Good Shepherd work and gathered them around the Last Supper table. She spent a very long time meditating on the scene, having just recently made the discovery that we are the sheep. It was a truly beautiful moment!