Mystery is one of the common themes throughout the month of May. We continue to unfold the mystery of Jesus' death and resurrection as we move into the joyous weeks of Easter. The neophytes who we welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigil continue their reflection on the faith as they journey through the last stage of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, mystagogy. We as companions to their journey help break open the great mysteries of our faith in our thoughts, words, and actions. The neophytes also remind us that our journey of faith continues to unfold/ They call us to encounter the great mysteries of faith, the Trinity and the Paschal Mystery, anew throughout the season.
At the same time, we begin a month that is dedicated to Mary, the mother of God and the Church. We acknowledge her Immmaculate Conception and Assumption as two of the mysteries that bookend her life, and look to her faith as a model for us. At the close of the month, we celebrate the birth of Church at Pentecost. As the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults notes, "The Church is a holy mystery because of her origin in the Holy Trinity and herm ission to be the Sacrament of Salvation (the sign and instrument of God's plan to unite all under Christ)" (p. 112). Because we are members of the Church, we are called to respond to Jesus' cry to "Go and make disciples" and spread the Good News of salvation—evangelize.
In this issue to To Teach, we offer suggestions on how to more deeply explore these mysteries of our faith and resopnd to Christ's call of evangelization in our schools, in our families, and with our children.
As you plan ahead for the coming school year, invite your staff and school board members to look at how well the school imitates Mary and her role as mother of the Church (see the section, “Mary as Mother of the Church” in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 146, for a full description) and ways in which you could improve. For example, how well does the school nurture your students as children of God? How faithful is the school to values and virtues of the Church?
Collect concrete ideas from staff and parents on how their children could be better disciples and share one idea a day during morning announcements.
Review Carole Eipers presentation on evangelization and catechesis in Ministry Through the Lens of Evangelization as part of your visioning for the next school year. As you address her reflection questions, consider how the school community from the school board to teachers to students can be a place of evangelization inside and outside the classroom.
Make “rosary” quilts based on the 40 mysteries of the rosary. Assign one of the mysteries to each student. Using scraps of felt, material, and ribbons, have your students cut out images and shapes that visually describe the mystery, paste them on a square of felt or material to serve as the background. Tape, glue, or sew the mysteries together in order by the type of mystery (see the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church or other rosary resources for a complete list of the mysteries), and post the “quilt” in your classroom. Use it as a reference point when you pray the rosary with your students.
In small groups, create “cue cards” for the prayers of the rosary—Our Father, Glory Be, Hail Mary, and Hail, Holy Queen—using one poster board per prayer. Decorate the cue cards and post them and use them as students pray.
Invite someone from the community who knows American Sign Language to teach your students the signs for the Hail Mary. Learn how to sign other prayers like the Our Father as the children become more familiar and comfortable with the signs. Incorporate the signed version of the prayers into your class’s prayer throughout the month.
Visit the Marian altar in your parish church. Lead your students in prayer including the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary which can be found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers or Manual of Indulgences. Using the statue or picture of Mary, identify the symbols in the picture, e.g., crown, holding the child Jesus, or standing on a globe, and how they relate to the titles of Mary in the Litany.
Have your students create new pictures to accompany the text for A Rosary for Peace or Rosary for the Church in Need using pictures from magazines and newspapers. Encourage them to find images that are contemporary and demonstrate that the rosary continues to be relevant.
Proclaim Acts 2:1-42 (Pentecost) with your students, and review that Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church. Invite some students to prepare a short history of the birth of your parish, and share that, too. Create birthday cards or plan and host a birthday celebration for the children in your class.
Use the Sunday readings (online or as a podcast) in Easter as a starting point to brainstorm one way that the children can act like disciples of Christ with their friends, in their families, and at school.
With your children, find objects in your household that can be used as symbols for the mysteries of the rosary—a wine bottle for the wedding feast at Cana (the second of the Luminous Mysteries) or an olive branch for the agony in the garden (the first of the Sorrowful Mysteries). Place these objects near or around your statue or picture of Mary as you pray the rosary with your children.
Review the common prayers that are recited during the rosary—Our Father, Glory Be, Hail Mary, and Hail, Holy Queen—with your children.
As the month begins, read “Chapter 12. Mary: The Church’s First and Most Perfect Member” in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Reflect on discussion questions 2 and 3 from the perspective of a parent.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, invite your children to affirm Mom as someone who imitates Mary very well. Look at the prayers to and scripture stories about Mary for ideas as well as Chapter 12 on Mary in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Write these affirmations on a big card, on pieces of ribbon, or on a banner made.
Give Mom a copy of Mary in the Church as a gift for Mother’s Day. Make and buy a colorful bookmark and put it at the beginning of the chapter called, “Behold Your Mother: Woman of Faith.” Inscribe a wish or a thank you at the top of that page.
Deepen your understanding of and appreciation for the Eucharist during this Easter time and read and reflect on any of the chapters in Book of Readings on the Eucharist. Each chapter explores a different dimension of the Eucharist including how Eucharist forms us for mission (Chapter 8) and its relationship to justice (Chapter 9). Write your responses to the reflection questions at the end of each chapter in your journal. Take the opportunity each Sunday in May to share some of what you have learned with your children.
Read Pope Benedict XVI’s Angelus reflection each Sunday during May. Share a short summary with your children, or the full text with older children. Make the reading a part of your meditation with your spouse.
Explore the Church’s tradition of indulgences in the new edition of the Manual of Indulgences, especially those related to prayers to the Mary, beginning on page 58.
Review the Sunday readings each week with your children as part of prayer before dinner. Read the readings online or listen to the podcast. What does being a disciple mean according to the Scriptures?
Teach your students traditional hymns about Mary like "Sing of Mary" and those about the Holy Spirit including "Come, Holy Ghost" and "Veni Sancte Spiritus" which can be found in many hymnals.
"Forming Adult Faith" includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.
Chapter 10. The Church: Reflecting the Light of Christ
Chapter 12. Mary: The Church's First and Most Perfect Member
Both individuals and groups—a full staff or a grade level gathering—can use the following suggestions. Most suggestions can be completed in 10-15 minutes.
Read the story of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Chapter 9 and reflect on discussion question 1. Focus your responses specifically on experiences as a school leader, educator, or parent. End your reflection with the medittaion on p. 109.
After reading the sections on the Holy Spirit in Chapter 9 including the sidebar on the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, identify where you see the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit alive in your school or home. To which gifts do you need to give greater attention? Which fruits are most needed?
As background, read the lesson of faith plus the sections that ending with "The Church Manifests the Holy Trinity" and discuss or journal on question 1 of the discussion question. Each day for a week, read one section starting with "Church as the Sacrament of Salvation" and describe how your parish community lives out that particular image or understanding of the Church. For each image or understanding, consider why it is important and how it shapes your understanding of your faith.
Divide Chapter 12 into four sections and use each one as your reflection, one section per week. Begin your prayer with the meditation on the Magnificat and end with the Memorare.
"Compendium Corner" provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that are related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)
Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
95. ". . . Born of a Virgin Mary": Why is Mary truly the Mother of God?
96. What does the "Immaculate Conception" mean?
97. How does Mary cooperate in the divine plan of salvation?
100. In what way is the spiritual motherhood of Mary universal?
136. What does the Church mean when she confesses: "I believe in the Holy Spirit"?
138. What are the names of the Holy Spirit?
139. What symbols are used to represent the Holy Spirit?
142. What is the work of the Spirit in Mary?
144. What happened at Pentecost?
145. What does the Spirit do in the Church?
151. In what way is the Church a mystery?
152. What does it mean to say that the Church is the universal sacrament of salvation?
153. Why is the Church the "people of God"?
156. In what way is the Church the body of Christ?
159. Why is the Church called the temple of the Holy Spirit?
