Archive for September, 2007
I received the following e-mail from a DRE in Iowa who is dealing with a question that often comes up. (The book she is referring to is God’s Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World’s Greatest Book). Following the e-mail is my reply:
We have so many issues with children and adults interpreting the Bible literally! I am often unsure how to answer them because I don’t want to think that the Bible is just stories! It’s so tricky. So I am writing to you for some advice. Our latest question comes from an 8th grade student in our Catholic school but it’s been asked before by some of our younger students too! The question is: how do dinosaurs fit into the creation story? I would like to have your perspective on how to answer this question for middle school, elementary school and adults. I talked with the 8th grade religion teacher and tried to explain what you said in your book and I also copied the information on Biblical inerrancy from the Finding God website. I would appreciate any help you can give me!
I understand the problem that you are addressing. It is indeed tricky. At the same time, I think some straightforwardness is needed here as well. I recommend the following:
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I would affirm the 8th grader for realizing that dinosaurs are not mentioned in the creation story.
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Tell him/her that this is a clue about what kind of book the Bible is
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Explain that science strives to explain the truth of HOW creation happened
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Explain that the Bible teaches us the truth about God’s relationship to creation (the WHY of creation)
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Point out that scientists didn’t really “discover” the existence of dinosaurs until the early 1800’s. When the Bible was written, there was no scientific understanding of dinosaurs
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The bottom line is, as Catholics, we don’t have to choose between evolution and creationism. We can accept the truth that both teach as long as we realize that they are teaching different types of truth.
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Steer clear from suggesting that Adam and Eve walked around with dinosaurs…that’s trying to bend the creation story to explain science.
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To be blunt: dinosaurs DON’T fit into the creation story other than the fact that Genesis tells us that God created “all kinds of living creatures.” (Gn 1:24)
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However, the creation story teaches us what God has to do with evolution and dinosaurs! God is the creator of all things and all things are created good!
I hope this is helpful. It’s not always easy to answer such a complex question in a short time but sometimes less is more! Good luck. -joe
I updated my list of speaking engagements (see the link to the right), but I thought I would just give a brief glimpse of my October itinerary:
I will be doing the following presentations and workshops:
OCTOBER
3 - Holy Trinity (Westmont), Liturgy and Catechesis (catechist formation)
6 - Ave Maria Press High School Religion Teacher Enrichment Day (Notre Dame, IN), Scripture
10 – Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin Fall Conference (Rice Lake, Wisconsin) – “Teaching to “Generation Me” (Catholic school teachers and parish catechists)
18 – Milwaukee Lifelong Learning Conference Catechist Training – “The Old Testament” (Catholic school teachers and parish catechists)
20 – St. Hugh/Burlington Cluster of Parishes( Lyons, IL) - “Fostering Faith Catechist Formation: Prayer” (catechist formation)
24 - Holy Trinity (Westmont), Liturgy and Catechesis (catechist formation)
30 - St. Raphael (Naperville), The Catechist’s Toolbox (catechist formation)
Monday evening, I led my 8th graders in their first guided reflection. We were focusing on the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit helps us to pray.
I invited the young people to make themselves comfortable…most chose to sit or lay on the floor. The guided reflection I used is from the Finding God program and is on a CD.
After getting the young people to shift gears, I turned down the lights and put on the CD. The reflection lasted about 12 minutes during which time my aide (Kris) and I were free to move about and make sure kids were focused. The guided reflection invited them to imagine they were meeting Jesus and speaking with him about prayer.
For the most part, things went very well. Most of the kids were quiet and cooperative. There was a smattering of antsy-ness and giggling that Kris and I continually and quietly addressed.
When it was over, we talked about the experience. I told them that this was something new and that I expected there to be some difficulty. I also told them that at their age, it can be difficult to hold still for an extended period of time. Finally, I told them that a few of them were just downright acting immaturely and needed to act their age. I reminded them that I wasn’t scolding them…I was coaching them on a skill for Christian living and giving them tips and advice on how to grow into it.
I asked how many would say that those 12 minutes were the most peaceful moments of their day…every hand went up! I explained that we could continue to work at this each week if they promise to try harder or we could just forget it and do book work. Every single one of them requested without hesitation that we do this every week.
This was a fascinating experience to introduce young disciples of Christ to a facet of Christian life that has been practiced for over 2000 years! It requires patience and an understanding of the adolescent mind and heart. Was it a challenge for me? Absolutely. At times I was frustrated. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity and look forward to mentoring them into a prayer relationship with the Lord, guided by the Holy Spirit.
I know that an athletic coach recognizes that kids need to learn step by step. I’m sure that when a coach introduces a new skill or a new play, the first few times around can be a bit rough. The coach’s job is to develop those skills…to polish them and to move his or her players to the next step. I am using the same philosophy in teaching reflective prayer to young people. The first time around, they handled it as I would expect 13-year-olds would. I am satisfied with how it went for the first time. I am not satisfied that this is the best they can do.
We catechists walk a fine line between reaching for ideals and taking kids where they are at. Next week, they’ll be better and the week after that they’ll be even better.
I must say that a number of the kids appeared to be truly intrigued with what we were doing and I find that to be very rewarding. Wait till I tell them that what they are learning is called MEDITATION! I think I’ll wait another week or 2 before I say that….I don’t want them to think that I’m trying to make them holy (even though that’s exactly what I’m trying to do!).
In addtion to our regular session tonight, we will be presenting Confirmation packets to our 8th graders. This packet lays out the immediate preparation for Confirmation, including information about doing service, choosing a sponsor, and selecting a confirmation name. For each of these, the young people are asked to reflect upon what it is that they are doing. Reflection is key to making sure that this is not just some kind of “jumping through hoops” to meet requirements. When we reflect upon our faith in action, we come to see how God’s grace is present and active in our lives.
Lots to do and so little time…!
The famous French mime, Marcel Marceau, passed away Saturday. He entertained people through gestures, facial expressions, and body movement for over 50 years without uttering a word onstage. His philosophy was simple: “Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us without words?”
I believe that this philosophy lies at the heart of Catholic sacramentality (Marceau, by the way, was a French Jew). We celebrate the most moving moments of our lives - those moments when we are most cognizant of the Divine presence - in a manner that reaches beyond words.
Catholic sacramentality relies on movement, gestures, and symbols because we know that, in the presence of God, words alone do not suffice. Likewise, we believe that God speaks to us beyond words - hence the Jesuit notion of “finding God in all things.”
As we approach another week of religious education, let’s remember to speak to our students and allow them to speak in a manner that goes beyond words. A little silence, simple gestures, some signs and symbols…it’s the Catholic language!
My DRE included the following in her weekly e-mail update. I like this:
Watch your thoughts: They become your words.
Watch your words: They become your actions.
Watch your actions: They become your habits.
Watch your habits: They become your character.
Watch your character: it is your destiny.
My next session with my 8th graders will focus on the Holy Spirit as our guide. It’s almost impossible to speak of the Holy Spirit without using metaphors. In our Tradition, we have many powerful metaphors that help us to know the Spirit: water, oil, fire, wind, a dove, and so on. Most importantly, however, I want to be sure that the young people come away from the session knowing that the Holy Spirit is a person…someone they can have a relationship with. I’ll be pondering over the next couple days, the ways that I will best be able to lead them to this knowledge.
If you have any great Holy Spirit ideas for junior high kids, I’d love to hear from you!
I received an e-mail from a catechist named Betty who mentions a discipline problem she faces in her sessions. Here’s her e-mail followed by my response:
I am a volunteer religious education teacher in a small parish. I teach the 9th and 10th grades as one class of 13 students. They are a great group of teens. I find it quite challenging but very rewarding. Challenging may be somewhat of an understatement at times. As we are trying to have discussions or as I am asking questions, they all talk at once. I have tried several different ways to get their attention…and keep it…unsuccessfully. Four years ago, I also taught a 9th grade class of 10 students that did the same thing.
Now, I have just read your article “Ten Tips for Maintaining Discipline” and it offers some great tips, especially when you have one or two students that act out. But, can you offer any suggestions to deal with the situation described above? Thank you in advance for taking the time for my question.
God Bless,
Betty
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Betty,
Thanks so much for your wonderful e-mail. You are indeed quite blessed with your own God-given talents and dedication! I understand the challenge you are talking about…I deal with it all the time. The kids tend to be very impulsive and undisciplined and just shout things out. Here’s what I suggest:
- Preface your questions with, “someone raise your hand and tell me…” or “who can raise their hand and tell me….” This acts as a constant reminder that responses should be preceeded by a raised hand!
- As they begin to talk at the same time, calmly say, “Can I see a hand?” or “I don’t see any hands raised!”
- Before beginning a discussion, invite the class to spend 1 minute in silent prayer, asking God to help them focus and to be respectful of others.
- Preface some of your questions with a student’s name, in essence, calling on someone before they raise a hand. For example, “Betty, what would you say is…?”
- If that student has difficulty answering, you can follow up with “who can raise their hand and help Betty out?”
- It’s helpful to ask the students at the beginning of the year, “For our discussions to be successful, what rules would you suggest?” Typically, they will suggest that they should raise their hands and be respectful. Then, you can post these few rules and remind them that they are THEIR rules. When they break them you can remind them that they are not following their own rules.
I hope these few suggestions are helpful, Betty. The problem almost never goes away but it can become more manageable with diligent efforts. Let me know how things go as time moves on.
Thanks again and best wishes for a great year!
Week 2 of religious education went very well. I remembered most of the kids’ names (next week…NO name tags!) and they continued to be very well-behaved. We went to Church for an opening prayer service and the pastor did a nice job of speaking to the kids about the upcoming year and talking about Jesus as the “key” to our salvation.
Next week, I will be getting a new student with special needs (hearing impairment). The DRE has assigned an adult to be a faith companion for him (she will attend class with him and assist in any way he needs). I look forward to this opportunity and ask the Holy Spirit to help me to meet his special needs and the needs of all of my participants.
By the way, the Albany, New York diocesan paper, The Evangelist, ran a nice story about The Catechist’s Toolbox in the Catechetical Sunday issue. The story also appears on their website. Click here: http://www.evangelist.org/archive/htm8/0913papr.htm
Tonight is week 2 for religious education and a big chunk of the time will be devoted to an opening prayer service in the Church. Of course, this provides an opportunity to teach the young people about reverence. In many ways, reverence is a lost art in our society. Simply put, reverence means recognition of the sacred. In the church, we gather in a sacred space, aware of the presence of the Living God. One might say, “But isn’t God present everywhere? Why behave differently when we are in Church?” To that I would reply, “Yes, God is present everywhere and that means that the reverence we practice in church, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (the sacramental presence of Jesus), is the same reverence that we should show to our neighbors and to all of God’s creation when we leave the church.”
In other words, reverence is a virtue (actually a Gift of the Holy Spirit) that we are called to practice at all times, not just in church. If we behave differently in church than we do elsewhere, we don’t “fix” that hypocrisy by being casual in church but by being reverent in the world!
