Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Level 1
May 17, 2015: Easter 6
The Gesture of Epiclesis
Part of the atrium experience is an invitation to fuller participation in the liturgy. This Sunday, the children of Level I will look at the gesture of Epiclesis.
Epiclesis is the invocation of the Holy Spirit in the consecration of the bread and the wine. It is a two-part event calling for the gesture of the imposition of hands and accompanying prayer. To the children, the hand gesture of Epiclesis is a “visible prayer” that expresses in a visual way what the words tell us:
O Father, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be the Body and Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ.
The presentation in the atrium begins with a prepared table with a cloth covering and models of a chalice and paten. The catechist recalls the gesture the children may have seen Fr. Bob do at the Eucharist. Then, the catechist stands and enacts the gesture of the imposition of the hands over the two models. The catechist joins the children and begins to discuss what the gesture makes them think about. Maybe it is of someone who wants to give us something. Of a gift that comes from where? From above? And then, from whom? The Father gives us so many gifts, but in this moment of the Eucharist what special gift do we ask of Him?
The children are encouraged to think about the gesture, doing it on their own, reciting the prayer along with it.
The next time you attend Eucharist, you too may participate in Level I learning by watching the hand gestures of the celebrant during the preparation of the Eucharist; and ponder, what special gift is being asked of Him?
Ms. Georgie
Emmaus Road: New Book: The Imitation of Christ
Emmaus Road has concluded its reading of James Caroll’s Christ Actually. Participants really enjoyed it, finding it helpful in their thinking about Christology (The study of Christ) as well as both biblical and Church history. The book ended with the idea that what really counts is our imitating Christ, his values, his actions, his way of proceeding.
Well, how do you do that? To help find out, Emmaus Road will read a book by that very name. We will be reading The Imitation of Christ, by St. Thomas a’Kempis. This book, written in the Medieval period is one of the most read, most influential books in the entire Christian Tradition. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker, kept it with her at all times. We’ll have to penetrate the Medieval thought forms to get to the heart which is timeless. It should be fun. The book is not very long and is available from Amazon. We’ll be using the Dover Thrift Edition which is only $4.00. Everyone is welcome to participate.
For Monday May 18 we’ll read the first Section.
An Introduction to Praying the Anglican Rosary
Hosted by Kelly Brandt and Briony James May 30th at 9:00am
Please join us at the church for an introduction to praying the Anglican Rosary. All are welcome and we have "loaner rosary beads" for those of you who don't have your own as well as a printed handout of the prayer to be recited. After a brief "how to" and introduction to the beads we will pray the rosary together. Praying the Anglican Rosary takes approximately 15 minutes. We hope you will join us!
Disaster Preparedness. Saturday May 30, 9-3 Ascension Parish Sierra Madre
The Disaster Preparedness is proceeding. Vestry member Stephanie Hseih who is heading it up met with the Finance Committee to begin thinking of how we can continue operating in the event of a major disaster. Fr. Bob has reached out to Hillsides to see about coordinating our Disaster Plan with theirs. Fr. Michael Bamberger who consults on disaster preparedness and recover for Episcopal Relief and Development, and who is the Diocesan Disaster Coordinator will host a conference for Parishes and Institutions on disaster preparedness on Saturday May 30 at his parish in Sierra Madre. Fr. Bob, Stephanie Hseih, and Jim Goltz will attend. Our next step will be to figure out how the parishioners can be contacted and possibly assisted should a disaster strike.
Parents and Children Barbecue Sunday June 7, 4:30 p.m.
We’ll do our first of two Annual Parent and Children Barbecues at the Rectory on Sunday June 7. We usually do two, one at the end of school and the other right before school begins again. Parents and children are invited to the Rectory for fun and food. Details will follow as we get closer.
Young Adult Barbecue: Saturday, June 13, 4:30 p.m.
A number of Young Adults have started attending COA. In an effort to help connect them to each other and the parish as well, Fr. Bob will host a barbecue at the Rectory on Saturday June 13. We look forward to a nice gathering and deepening fellowship.
Sweat the Small Stuff Thank You Eric!
Here are some of the small things that are getting done behind the scenes.
Here's the weekly rundown of projects and tests.
Tighten screws on hinges and lock of basement bathroom door.
Finished filling holes in bathroom walls- especially the hole above the light switch. I may go back and make this look a little better.
Added compression band around loose iron support on tower railing. This may be slightly noticeable on the inside, but should be invisible from the outside (ground) and strong.
Oiled the hinges and tightened the knob on the cabinet on the other side of the choir benches to keep them from squeaking.
Oiled locks to choir loft and the adjacent exterior door. Also I tightened the handle to this door so it doesn't spin around.
Finished "test pew" in the back of the church. If this seems ok to everyone, I'll move on to others.
Did a test on the olivewood choir benches to see how they'd clean up. I took a wedge shaped cap piece and cleaned it with turpentine, buffed off the stained wood, applied new shellac and waxed it.
Food For Thought:
We shift focus in Food For Thought this week to the domain of the Medical and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Does this connect with the reflections in Easter about how should we live in the light of the Resurrection? Well yes for two reasons. 1. Resurrection cannot be reduced to merely the immortality of the soul. No, it is the total transformation of everything, and so our physical nature is part and parcel of it. (Along with the rest of the cosmos!) 2. The Resurrection is not just about what happens later on, but rather is supposed to transform the way we live now, how we live in hope, and how we care for ourselves and others.
1. From the recent issue of The New Yorker, Overkill, by Atul Gawande. Dr. Gawande is the author of the best selling book, Mortality, which takes a critical look at the way we as a society deal with aging people and their care. In this article he looks at the overuse of medical testing and treatment and the dire effects it has on people’s health. What values drive these decisions?
2. From the newest issue of Vanity Fair, The Bonds of Battle, by Sebastian Junger. Sebastian Junger is a journalist and the author of The Perfect Storm, (upon which the movie was based) and War which chronicled his being embedded in a combat unit in Afganistan for a year. In this article he looks at the problem of soldiers afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in far larger numbers now than in previous conflicts. It turns out it is not the combat that causes the problem, but the conditions soldiers find when they come home. They’ve gone from a situation where it was “all for one, and one for all,” to the point of “laying down one’s life for one’s friends,” –Jesus, to a society where everyone is only for themselves. It’s very sobering.