One of the greatest privileges of my ministry is being in the atrium (a specially prepared environment where the children can focus on the treasures of our faith: Scripture, liturgy and the sacraments) with the children who participate in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). This Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and at Mass today we hear the parable of the Good Shepherd, and the beautiful and comforting Psalm 23.
The parable of the Good Shepherd is a familiar one for the children in CGS. Although the entire parable is offered progressively over three years, the youngest child (age 3 in Level I) will hear the following verses from the gospel of John: “The sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers. I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:3(b)-5, 10(b)-11, 14-16)
After hearing these verses proclaimed by the catechist, the children ponder the person and mystery of Christ in the image of the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is Christ, who cares for and protects us. He is willing to give his whole life for us. He calls each person by name into a relationship with him. There is a need for us to recognize his call and respond appropriately. The aim of the presentation is to help the child desire and enjoy a relationship with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, using the Montessori method, with the child at the center, and using materials to aid the child’s prayer and meditation.
This presentation includes a model of a sheepfold, a figure of the Good Shepherd and 10 figures of sheep. We begin this presentation by talking about how people liked to be with Jesus and listen to his parables. Because Jesus was so special and different from other people, many began to wonder who he really was, so Jesus told them a parable of who he was. After reading the Scripture twice, the materials are used as the parable is read. Together with the children, we reflect on who Jesus said he is (the Good Shepherd); what makes him good (He takes care of the sheep); what he does for the sheep (lays down His life for them); where he leads the sheep (to food and water); how they know to follow him (they know His voice and He calls them by name); how the sheep feel around the Shepherd (safe and loved); and who these precious sheep could be—are they like the sheep we see in the fields, or did Jesus mean something else? The hope is that they discover the joy for themselves that they (and all of us) are these precious, beloved sheep! As part of our response to God, our Good Shepherd, we sing, “Lord, you are my shepherd, you are my friend. I want to follow you always.”
The parable of the Good Shepherd lays the foundation for other presentations that the children will contemplate. The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name to gather around him at the altar table so that He can remain with them in a most particular way in the Eucharistic bread and wine. The words of Jesus over the bread and wine at the Last Supper, proclaimed again by the priest during the Eucharistic prayer, are an expression of the Good Shepherd’s total offering of himself on our behalf. When the children are asked, “What is this bread and wine?” they respond that it is the Good Shepherd himself, who gives his sheep his Body and Blood. They contemplate how much the Good Shepherd must love the sheep!
It is amazing how these young children come to understand the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. CGS truly helps to prepare the child as well as the adults who are privileged to learn from them, for a more meaningful participation at Mass.
- Denise DeCapria, Resurrection Parish Director of Religious Education