Children in our parish who are preparing to receive the Eucharist for the first time on Sunday, May 29 met tonight for the last of their preparation sessions. Over the past couple of months, these children have gotten to know each other, and little by little they have learned about the mystery of God's forgiveness, and about the various gestures and words we speak and hear during the celebration of the Eucharist.
The final words of the Eucharistic celebration are usually spoken by the presider (or by a deacon if one is present), so tonight we focused on these words: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
What does it mean to love and serve the Lord? How do we do this? Answer, by taking care of one another. This was a wonderful opening for a teaching about the homeless in our community (by no coincidence, the subject of a previous post). It didn't take much coaxing to begin a discussion with our little friends about the things that the homeless might need ... food, love, blankets, clothing ... the list went on.
Then we suggested that each child might want to prepare a package of 'things' for one of the homeless in this community. We don't often know who these people are, but we do want to show them that somehow we are thinking about them, and even in small gestures, we want to show them some love. Each child therefore prepared a little note addressed to one in our community who doesn't have a home. In addition, each child (with the help of his or her parents) then prepared a package of gifts which will be forwarded to those in need.
Inside each plastic zip lock bag (so that they are protected from rain) is a note written to each package's eventual recipient, a water bottle, some tissues, a package of gum, a granola bar, cookies, bandages, a package of wet wipes, a pair of socks, some deodorant and even a few emery boards in the 'female' packs. When all was said and done, there were 22 packages prepared. In the next couple of days they will be distributed as signs of love from little ones to the needy.
Some of those who were involved in preparing these packages may indeed themselves have loved to take the proceeds home, but this was a lesson about sharing with the less fortunate. What a lesson for young ones! What an opportunity to recognize that no matter how needy we ourselves may feel, there is always someone else who is more in need of our help, and it's always better to share the blessings we've received.
In two weeks' time, when these children receive the Eucharist for the first time, perhaps they will recognize that the gift of Christ's body is already being shared with others, thanks to their generous gesture begun tonight.
The final words of the Eucharistic celebration are usually spoken by the presider (or by a deacon if one is present), so tonight we focused on these words: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
What does it mean to love and serve the Lord? How do we do this? Answer, by taking care of one another. This was a wonderful opening for a teaching about the homeless in our community (by no coincidence, the subject of a previous post). It didn't take much coaxing to begin a discussion with our little friends about the things that the homeless might need ... food, love, blankets, clothing ... the list went on.
Then we suggested that each child might want to prepare a package of 'things' for one of the homeless in this community. We don't often know who these people are, but we do want to show them that somehow we are thinking about them, and even in small gestures, we want to show them some love. Each child therefore prepared a little note addressed to one in our community who doesn't have a home. In addition, each child (with the help of his or her parents) then prepared a package of gifts which will be forwarded to those in need.
Inside each plastic zip lock bag (so that they are protected from rain) is a note written to each package's eventual recipient, a water bottle, some tissues, a package of gum, a granola bar, cookies, bandages, a package of wet wipes, a pair of socks, some deodorant and even a few emery boards in the 'female' packs. When all was said and done, there were 22 packages prepared. In the next couple of days they will be distributed as signs of love from little ones to the needy.
Some of those who were involved in preparing these packages may indeed themselves have loved to take the proceeds home, but this was a lesson about sharing with the less fortunate. What a lesson for young ones! What an opportunity to recognize that no matter how needy we ourselves may feel, there is always someone else who is more in need of our help, and it's always better to share the blessings we've received.
In two weeks' time, when these children receive the Eucharist for the first time, perhaps they will recognize that the gift of Christ's body is already being shared with others, thanks to their generous gesture begun tonight.
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