Every once in a while, a conversation with your children stays in your mind as fresh as when it took place. Many years ago, my oldest son (now closing in on 50 with four children of his own) was sitting next to me in the car as I drove him to his friend’s house.
Out of the clear blue sky he turns to me and says, “Mom, you know all those videos that you won’t let us watch at home?”
I chuckled, and he continued, “Well, you know I’ve seen them all, when I go to visit my friends.”
“Really,” I said seriously, thinking there must be a video planned for that night and his conscience was nagging him.
He continued, “I just want you to know that even though I watched them, I was remembering the whole time that you didn’t think I should be watching them, and I saw them differently than my friends did. I saw the reasons why you didn’t think they were good for me to watch.”
As a parent, this was a memorable moment for me. Most of us realize that we cannot completely protect our children when they go out into the world on their own. But if we know they have understood the reasons why we taught them the things we did, there is a greater feeling of confidence that the lessons would take hold.
Knowing the reasons why is also an essential lesson for students who are learning about their faith. And the seasons of the Church’s liturgical year hold a wealth of opportunities to create learning experiences that will take hold.
Take Lent, for example, which begins Ash Wednesday, March 2, and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday, April 14. As a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Lent is that meaningful period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
It begins with purple, ashes and alms and leads to Easter with “Alleluia!” sung in a church filled with incense and white Easter lilies. The seasons, while deeply connected, are completely unique. Both have an intrinsic beauty that can be seen best when there is an understanding of the reasons why different symbols, colors and rituals are used.
By bringing as many of the symbols and colors of the Church’s liturgical seasons into the learning environment, classroom conversations may become, for some students, the kind of conversations that become memorable.
A wonderful addition to textbook lessons on the seasons and symbols of the Church, is RCL Benziger’s Praying the Scriptures, a downloadable, lectionary-based resource to help children learn and reflect on the Sunday Scriptures in the classroom or at home.
Among the strengths of this resource are the Gospel reflections and Questions of the Week which encourage discussions so necessary for learning that lasts.
Classroom Sessions provide background on the Sunday readings and classroom session plans for primary, intermediate and junior high students, while a Liturgical Year Calendar provides a handy reference to the calendar dates for the Sundays and solemnities of the Church year.
Praying with Scriptures, Year C, is now available! This downloadable, lectionary-based resource is designed to support catechists, religion teachers, and parents who lead others in learning and reflecting on the Sunday Scriptures in the classroom and in the home.
Learn More Here
Mary Regina Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to nine, is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.