Teaching from the table

By Jo Rotunno

One Sunday morning in May in the 1950s, a little blue-eyed Catholic six-year-old woke up hungry but knew there would be no eggs and pancakes that morning. It was her first Communion day, and she was fasting for the first time. She was excited to be doing what grown-up Catholics do. The events to follow that morning had been anticipated and rehearsed since the previous September. She had attended daily Mass with her classmates at the parish church. She had memorized catechism answers and prayers, made her first confession, practiced processing, and gone with her mother to buy a white organdy dress and a veil. Later that morning, she would kneel with her nose in her folded hands, the host melting in her mouth for the first time, and recite Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love to the God who had graced her with this movement. There were no pictures taken of the event, yet over 50 years later, she can still remember it vividly.

I was that young child, of course, and today I still look forward to first Communion Sundays in May. As I watch children approach the table for the first time, I wonder how they were prepared and whether they feel what I did. I wonder whether this event will be seen in later years as an ending or as the beginning of a lifelong journey into the paschal mystery within a community of faith.

The words and actions of the Eucharist can give some direction to our catechesis. Let’s look at a few of them.

Gather us in

How mindful are we of the importance of this moment of gathering before we enter the celebration and of what it signifies?

            In our classrooms:

-          Do we arrive early so that we can greet and chat with children as they enter? Our actions can teach that our classrooms are small communities of faith where all are valued and all are welcome.

-          How do we assist children in learning to ask for and receive forgiveness? Occasional classroom celebrations of reconciliation will help to prepare them for the penitential rite of the Mass and for the sacrament of reconciliation.

The word of the Lord

The Second Vatican Council brought an increased emphasis on the proclamation of the word at

Mass, and we should give it equal prominence in our catechetical settings.

            In our classrooms:

-          Is the Bible enthroned on our prayer tables? Have we taught the children how to handle the Bible with reverence, to proclaim passages from it, and to use the ritual responses?

-          Do we give children opportunities to reflect on gospel stories and share their thoughts and feelings about them? Every catechetical session should include an opportunity to hear and be enriched by the word of God.

We pray to the Lord

We conclude the first half of the Mass with prayers of intercession for ourselves, for others, and for the needs of the world.

            In our classrooms:

-          Do we do the same in our classrooms? Do we give attention to the quality of our classroom prayer?

-          The Mass is a ritual prayer. Do we help our children to appreciate this by incorporating simple ritual actions in our prayer, such as kneeling, blessing, bowing, or simply sitting in silence? Teaching others to pray and to know and love the rituals of our faith is one of our central tasks as catechists.

We give you thanks and praise

The Eucharistic Prayer brings us to the heart of the Mass. We offer our thanks and praise to God and recall all that we have been given through his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our offering of bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Christ so that as we receive it we become one body and one spirit with him.

            In our classrooms:

-          How well are we encouraging young people to make a spirit of gratitude and praise a part of their daily lives? Do we model that by telling them how grateful we are that they are in class?

-          Do we teach simple psalm refrains of thanks and praise and incorporate them into our classroom prayer? Do we encourage children to offer thanks each day for the gifts they have received? These are all ways we “teach from the Table.”

Go in peace to love and serve

At Sunday Mass in my parish, after the priest offers the final blessing, we raise our hands toward one another and sing our own words of blessing, “May the blessing of God be upon you….” This second blessing reminds us of our responsibility for one another and prepares us for the words that come next: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another.”

            In our classrooms:

-          Blessing should be a regular part of classroom prayer. Ask God’s blessing on the children each week as they leave, tracing a cross on their foreheads. Occasionally, ask them to do the same for one another. Offer concrete ways they can be of service to one another and to the community.

-          The National Directory for Catechesis says that one of the important ways we come to faith is through the practice of discipleship. In other words, we learn by doing. As children prepare sack lunches to deliver to the homeless or do a chore for a family member, they are learning what it means to live a Christian life and to be a blessing for one another. Ask children each week to make an explicit faith choice to live out in the days ahead.

When we teach from the Table, we are reminding children that for the world today, we are the face of Christ. “This is our Body.” So be it.

Jo Rotunno

Jo Rotunno is a lifelong catechist who now serves as Director of Creative Development at RCL Benziger in Allen, Texas. Her special interests are catechist and adult formation.