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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

First Communion: Preparing Her Heart for the Bread of Life

The Consecration: The Words
Many years ago I purchased books and materials for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. I was intrigued by the ideas and philosophy behind this introduction to the faith for young children. In particular, I was drawn to their preparation for receiving Our Lord in the Eucharist. I quickly discovered that an atrium in my home, "by the book" was not a realistic approach. In my typical fashion I gleaned, pruned and plucked what I thought would work best in our home. The past few years, I had drifted away from these lessons. I felt somehow inadequate and for some strange reason lamented that I couldn't recreate the perfect atrium in my home. And yet, I knew these lessons were beautiful and had indeed cultivated a personal love and intimacy with Christ, particularly in one of my older children. I resolved to return to these lessons. I found myself once again creatively adapting, using what was available in my home and rewriting to make it work even better.

The Consecration: The Gestures
I am so glad I did. Helping Kay prepare has been a beautiful work. I have been privileged to see the moments when her eyes light up as she makes her own connections, makes the lesson her own. And just as exciting has been having Agnes along with us, taking it all in. Agnes is in love with the Good Shepherd. Every single time she sees our little icon of the Good Shepherd she says "There is Jesus, and I am his little lamb." Yes she is and I am so glad to be able to bring her to Him.

Look here for resources. There are, I am sure, other online resources. I am not a trained instructor so I make no claims about the accuracy of my own personal lessons or how I have chosen to use the materials.

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