http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2009/05/29/keep-those-stories-comin/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:16:02 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2009/05/29/keep-those-stories-comin/comment-page-1/#comment-1469 Joe Sat, 30 May 2009 04:48:30 +0000 http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/?p=1215#comment-1469 Maura, great story! Love your comments about the Holy Spirit and humility. Thanks for sharing! Maura, great story! Love your comments about the Holy Spirit and humility. Thanks for sharing!

]]> http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2009/05/29/keep-those-stories-comin/comment-page-1/#comment-1467 Maura Sweeney Fri, 29 May 2009 23:32:08 +0000 http://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/?p=1215#comment-1467 Well I've been involved in catechesis for (gulp!) just a bit more than 1/2 my life now. I began the year after I graduated from college, when I was asked to help with a 2nd 1st communion class that my mom was teaching. I thought "sure I can share a classroom with mom. She'll be doing most of the work." That wasn't exactly how it worked out. I ended up having 3 different groups of 10 enthusiastic little boys and girls for 30 minutes each month before or after they rotated to other activities. In many ways it is still a blur, but the one incident still sticks in my mind 22 years later and still motivates me as a catechist and DRE. There was one child in the program who had not yet been baptized and the priest in charge of the program decided that he would capitalize on a teachable moment and baptize that child at our first gathering of the year so all of the other children could see a baptism (which was the subject of the first class). During my time with the children I told them that the sacraments bring Jesus to us in a special way and explained to them that in Baptism We are filled with God's grace and made us a special part of his family. Something about what I said (and truly I don't remember the exact words I used) struck the imagination of one little girl who got really excited. She wanted to know if when she saw her friend being baptized if she would really be able to see Jesus coming to her friend. I tried to explain how the water was a symbol but what she kept on asking was: Would she see Jesus working? Was he really going to be there? Would she really be able to see her friend become part of God's family” Yes I told her with absolute certitude while wondering what I'd gotten myself into. I nearly died of embarrassment when we were preparing for the baptism and I happened to be next to her and heard her tell her mom "Mommy we're going to see a miracle. Jesus is coming." I kept on thinking during the baptism “I am sooooo fired!" Amazingly she watched the baptism with absolute rapture and came over to me after still excited, "Miss Maura did you see that! Now she's part of God's special family!" I know the theology was incomplete but the energy and excitement of that student was absolutely contagious. I know I don't always have the right answers but I have also learned to recognize that there are times when the Holy Spirit works in spite of me. It is both amazing and humbling to witness. Those moments of awe among my students don't come around every day but they are totally worth working for. Well I’ve been involved in catechesis for (gulp!) just a bit more than 1/2 my life now. I began the year after I graduated from college, when I was asked to help with a 2nd 1st communion class that my mom was teaching. I thought “sure I can share a classroom with mom. She’ll be doing most of the work.” That wasn’t exactly how it worked out. I ended up having 3 different groups of 10 enthusiastic little boys and girls for 30 minutes each month before or after they rotated to other activities. In many ways it is still a blur, but the one incident still sticks in my mind 22 years later and still motivates me as a catechist and DRE.
There was one child in the program who had not yet been baptized and the priest in charge of the program decided that he would capitalize on a teachable moment and baptize that child at our first gathering of the year so all of the other children could see a baptism (which was the subject of the first class). During my time with the children I told them that the sacraments bring Jesus to us in a special way and explained to them that in Baptism We are filled with God’s grace and made us a special part of his family. Something about what I said (and truly I don’t remember the exact words I used) struck the imagination of one little girl who got really excited. She wanted to know if when she saw her friend being baptized if she would really be able to see Jesus coming to her friend. I tried to explain how the water was a symbol but what she kept on asking was: Would she see Jesus working? Was he really going to be there? Would she really be able to see her friend become part of God’s family” Yes I told her with absolute certitude while wondering what I’d gotten myself into.
I nearly died of embarrassment when we were preparing for the baptism and I happened to be next to her and heard her tell her mom “Mommy we’re going to see a miracle. Jesus is coming.”
I kept on thinking during the baptism “I am sooooo fired!” Amazingly she watched the baptism with absolute rapture and came over to me after still excited, “Miss Maura did you see that! Now she’s part of God’s special family!”
I know the theology was incomplete but the energy and excitement of that student was absolutely contagious. I know I don’t always have the right answers but I have also learned to recognize that there are times when the Holy Spirit works in spite of me. It is both amazing and humbling to witness. Those moments of awe among my students don’t come around every day but they are totally worth working for.

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