Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - Level 1 Catechist Training at Saint Patrick - Saint Anthony Church

Paschal Narrative

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by Lori Andrada

SUBJECT:  Paschal Narratives

 

TITLE:  The Cenacle

 

AGE:  3+

 

SOURCES: 

  • Mark 14:  12-17, 22-24, 26
  • Parallel scriptures:
    • Luke 22:  7-14, 19-20, 39
    • Matthew 26:  17-20, 26-28, 30
  • The Religious Potential of the Child, p. 114-116
  • Materials Manual, p. 126-134
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church:  1066-1068 paschal mystery

   1356-1361 thanksgiving

   1362-1372 memorial

   1374-1377 presence of Jesus in Eucharist

 

LITURGICAL TIME:  Lent (as early as you can)

 

DOCTRINAL CONTENT:

  • Jesus died and is risen and remains with us in the signs of bread and wine:  this is true presence.
  • The Eucharist is a living memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection.
  • Jesus offers his whole self—body and blood (soul)—as gift to us all.
  • During the Last Supper, by words and gestures, Jesus transforms bread and wine into his body and blood.
  • Through his words and actions, Jesus becomes the Paschal Lamb, by whose blood we are saved from death.
  • Passover was the most important Jewish celebration—a memorial of their redemption, and Jesus celebrated it as an observant Jew. 

 

DIRECT AIM:

  • To lift up the narrative of the Last Supper as the institution of the Eucharist.

 

 

INDIRECT AIMS:

  • To re-announce the paschal mystery.
  • To develop a love for the Eucharist.
  • To prepare for future paschal narratives, later Eucharistic presentations, and First Communion.
  • To facilitate a greater participation in liturgy.
  • To aid prayer.
  • To foster a sense of wonder and awe.
  • To introduce words of liturgy, and their scriptural basis:  “This is my body”  “…this is my blood.”
  • To visually link Jesus’ words and actions at the Last Supper with Eucharist, which is the memorial of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
  • To expand Jesus’ words:  “The Good Shepherd lays down his life…” and link them to Jesus’ death on the cross, and the memorial of it in Eucharist.
  • To understand that our Eucharistic celebration is rooted in the Passover.
  • To foster bonds between Christians and Jews.

 

MATERIALS:

  • Cenacle - wooden environment (open box or triptych, painted to represent the Cenacle, on a low table, ideally with a drawer for the materials)
  • Drawer or basket to store the materials.
  • Figures – 12 disciples and Jesus.  These figures are historic figures so they are 3-D and have faces.  For safety reasons, you will want them to be easily standable.
  • A miniature table around which the “disciples” can stand, and a lovely cloth to cover it.
  • 2 small candles (birthday candle size) and 2 candle holders (either doll house type or made from clay)
  • Standing cross or crucifix proportionate in size to the table
  • Paten with Bread  (Usually made from clay in a appropriate size to look like bread on the paten.) glued to it
  • Chalice
  • Basket to hold paten, chalice, candles, table cloth and crucifix
  • Scripture booklet in red with a red dot on the map to indicate Jerusalem
  • Matches, snuffer

 

PRESENTATION TO THE CHILDREN:

(Bold face words are for 3+, regular type for 5+)

 

Introduction:  This is our cenacle.  (Point  to the Cenacle.)  This is the place where we think about Jesus celebrating the Last Supper with his disciples.

 

We know the Jesus lived in the land of Israel and the people who lived there were called the Jews—the Jewish people.

 

The most important celebration of the year for the Jewish people was and still is the feast of Passover.  If they could, everybody who could would go up to Jerusalem for the Passover.  Jesus did this with his disciples.  He and his disciples were Jewish people.  And so, Jesus went there to Jerusalem, with the ones he loved, his twelve disciples to celebrate this Passover supper.

 

During the Passover there are certain foods that are always eaten, certain prayers that are always prayed, and certain songs that are always sung.

 

As they were going into the city, Jesus’ disciples said, “How should we prepare?”  And Jesus told them that  they should go into the city and they would find a man carrying a water jar and that they should follow him and that he would show them a place where they could set up for the Passover supper.

 

Peter and John went into the city and they found that man just as Jesus said.  And he showed them the place where they could get ready.  And, so they did that.  Later on Jesus came with his disciples.

 

Jesus knew that this was going to be his last supper with his friends, the ones he loved so much.  He wanted to show them how very much he loved them.   During the meal, Jesus took bread and He broke it and he said, “This is my body.  Take and eat it.” And he gave it to his disciples.  And then he took a cup of wine and he said, “This is my blood.  Take and drink.”  And, he handed it to them.

 

He did something very different than had been done before.  We can wonder, “What did those disciples think?”  They had not heard anything like that before.

 

We’ve heard these words before--they are not new to us.  But, they were new for them.  So, we can really wonder what they were thinking and feeling when they heard those words.

 

This is our Cenacle.  We are going to listen to the words that the Bible has about this.

 

 

Scripture Reading with the Materials: 

(Show the diagram of Jerusalem at the beginning of the scripture booklet.)  This is the city of Jerusalem.  You have been working with it.

 

(skip to the section noted below for the beginning of the reading for 3s and 4s

Read:  The day of Unleavened Bread arrived on which it was appointed to sacrifice the paschal lamb.  Accordingly,  Jesus sent Peter and John off with the instruction, “Go and prepare our Passover supper for us.”  (Take out three figures and arrange them on the floor to be Jesus talking to Peter and John.) 

 

Read:  They asked him, “Where do you want us to get it ready?” 

 

He explained to them:  “Just as you enter the city, you will come upon a man carrying a water jar.  Follow him into the house he enters, and say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks you:  Do you have a guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’

 

That man will show you an upstairs room, spacious and furnished.  It is there you are to prepare.”  They went off and found everything as he had said; and accordingly they prepared the Passover supper.

 

(Put two disciples in the Cenacle, one at the left side and one at the right.  Put Jesus back in the drawer.  Place the table in the middle between the Peter and John.  Place the tablecloth on the table.  Lay out the bread/paten and the chalice.  Put the disciples back in the drawer.)

 

(This is the starting point for the presentation with threes.)

Read:  As it grew dark he arrived with the Twelve.  (Put Jesus at the back of the table behind the paten and chalice, facing towards the children.  Place the other disciples all around the table.)

 

Read:  During the meal he took bread blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  He said, “Take this; this is my body.”

 

He likewise took a cup, gave thanks and passed it to them, and they all drank from it.  He said to them:  “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out on behalf of many.”

 

After singing songs of praise, they walked out to the Mount of Olives.  (Return the figures to the drawer.)

 

We know that when Jesus was at the Mount of Olives later, he was arrested there.  The next day he was crucified and died on the cross.  (Place the cross/crucifix on the table.)

 

But we know that that is not the end of the story.  Three days later Jesus rose again.  (Place two candles on the table.)

 

As you light the two candles, say, “Christ has died. “  (as you light the first candle)  “Christ is risen” (as you light the second candle)

 

“Christ is always with us always in the signs of the bread and of the wine.”

 

Welcoming and Inviting a Response:
There’s a song that we can sing.  You may have heard it in church.  Sing, using any simple Eucharist hymn used in your community, e.g. “Come and Eat” by Laura Kintz.

 

“Come and Eat” by Laura Kintz

Come and eat at my table.

Come and sit by my side.

Come and drink at my table.

Here you may always abide.

 

 

Restoration of the Material:

Would you like to help me put it away?  (Put the materials away with the children’s help.)

 

This is your work now.  You can use it any time you want.

 

CHILDREN’S WORK WITH THE MATERIAL:

  • Using the materials.
  • Going to mass.
  • Original artwork.
  • Reading the scripture booklet.
  • Copying the scripture booklet.

 

RESPONSE OF THE CHILDREN:

 

 

CGS Level 1 Catechist Training