Children Are Spiritual People, Too
Written by Seraphima Butler
https://www.facebook.com/seraphimabutler
http://www.soundingblog.com/index.php/art-literature/orthodox-writers-readers-artists/children-spiritual-people.html
We church them. We baptize and chrismate them. We commune them. Children are obviously spiritual people, right?
Sometimes I think we run the risk of forgetting. When I was a new mother, I was very concerned with behaviors, with certain external signs of faith. Yet, I was not as attentive as I should have been to the internal reality that those signs convey. I had to learn the hard way that every child is a unique person, with a unique way of expressing his or her faith. And sometimes that expression may surprise me.
And I have also had experiences, in my own parish and in parishes that I visited, where my children’s expression of faith was clearly not what others were expecting. I have had the kindly worded, “Let me show you where the nursery is.” I have had the angry glares that might send a less hard-headed young mother packing. But once I was touched by my first child’s genuine experience of the spiritual life, something inside me changed. Did I stop caring about those important physical aspects of our worship and practice? Absolutely not. However, my point of focus was made dramatically clearer. I began to be much more intentional in nurturing the love that drove those actions.
So I grew a thicker skin, shed some of my fears of being judged, and sought to “look at the child” as Dr. Maria Montessori would say. I sought to understand the spiritual life that each of my children was living. It led me, in a God-inspired way, to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS).
Since 2003, I have been collaborating with clergy, lay scholars, monastics, and other catechists to adapt the Catechesis for use in the Orthodox tradition. I first began using it in my homeschool. Then, as fellow homeschoolers discovered my “hidden treasure,” one thing led to another, and before long, the director for Religious Education at my parish asked me to implement it there in 2005. Since that time, the work of CGS in Orthodox communities has spread across the United States and into Canada, with interest springing up in both Eastern and Western Europe. People are hungry for a way to meet the vital spiritual needs of their children through a catechesis that honors the primacy of liturgical worship; the unity of Scripture and liturgy; and uniqueness of each person’s path toward theosis.
For over a year now, I have offered a community page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/seraphimabutler) to share my experiences with this beautiful approach to religious education. What I hear so often from readers is amazement at how deep children will go in their exploration of the truths of our faith, how zealously they undertake that pursuit—if only given the time and space to do so. While most curricula offer wonderful content, what most are missing is a process that honors the mystery of our children’s spiritual formation. So many elements are involved: the life of the home and family; the rhythms and liturgical life of the Church (which, God willing, are foundational for the life of the home); the developmental stages the children are passing through, each with it’s own sensitive periods; and of course, God’s desire for that person’s life. CGS helps children deepen their understanding and experience of the Faith by weaving these elements together, while empowering catechists to address each child’s needs and learning style. Quite simply, it helps the child fall in love with God. Operating within a structured framework, it allows the child to enrich his prayer life in the way that is most meaningful for him. As my beloved patron, St. Seraphim said,
“...just as in business the main point is not merely to trade, but to get as much profit as possible, so in the business of the Christian life the main point is not merely to pray or to do some other good deed. Though the apostle says, Pray without ceasing [1 Thess. 5;17], yet, as you remember, he adds: I would rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words with the tongue [1 Cor. 14:13].... [T]he work of God is this: Believe in God and in Him Whom He has sent, Jesus Christ [Jn. 14:1; 6:29]. If we understand the commandments of Christ and the Apostles aright, our business as Christians consists not in increasing the number of our good deeds, which are only the means of furthering the purpose of our Christian life, but in deriving from them the utmost profit, that is, in acquiring the most abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (The Little Russian Philokalia. St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina, Ca. 1991. 94. Emphasis mine.)
To trade in the virtuous works of faith, such as worship and education, and to gain the most spiritual profit: this has become a hallmark of my parenting, my outreach, and my work as a catechist. I thank God for the gift of the Catechesis in my life, in the lives of my five children at home, and the lives of hundreds of Orthodox children across this land. It offers us the opportunity to go beyond the good deed of learning material, performing a movement, or repeating a prayer. It helps us internalize the Faith in ways uniquely meaningful for each of us, and to do those things in a way that brings the most profit. I hope you will join the discussion over on Facebook, and consider how the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd might be a blessing for the spiritual formation of the early child in your midst—and for you, as well.
Photographs courtesy of John Butler, 2012. Used by permission.
Seraphima Sierra Butler holds a BA, cum laude, in English and Dance from Winthrop University, 1997. She is a recognized Formation Leader for the National Association for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, providing training for adults to implement CGS. As Catechesis Coordinator for St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta, CA, she implemented the premiere Orthodox CGS program. Seraphima completed training for all three levels (ages 3-12) from 2003-2009; has been a catechist since 2003; a Formation Leader since 2009; and is the homeschooling mother of five. In addition to her work as catechist, she is a consultant for Orthodox catechists worldwide; has written articles related to the Catechesis in such publications as The Handmaiden and Praxis Magazine; leads workshops and retreats for adults and children; speaks at conferences and events on the correlation of Orthodoxy and the Catechesis; and is the editor of an informative quarterly newsletter, The Sheepfold. More information at www.stathanasius.org/site/content/catechesis.
SOURCE: http://www.soundingblog.com/index.php/art-literature/orthodox-writers-readers-artists/children-spiritual-people.html
Written by Seraphima Butler
https://www.facebook.com/seraphimabutler
http://www.soundingblog.com/index.php/art-literature/orthodox-writers-readers-artists/children-spiritual-people.html
We church them. We baptize and chrismate them. We commune them. Children are obviously spiritual people, right?
Sometimes I think we run the risk of forgetting. When I was a new mother, I was very concerned with behaviors, with certain external signs of faith. Yet, I was not as attentive as I should have been to the internal reality that those signs convey. I had to learn the hard way that every child is a unique person, with a unique way of expressing his or her faith. And sometimes that expression may surprise me.
And I have also had experiences, in my own parish and in parishes that I visited, where my children’s expression of faith was clearly not what others were expecting. I have had the kindly worded, “Let me show you where the nursery is.” I have had the angry glares that might send a less hard-headed young mother packing. But once I was touched by my first child’s genuine experience of the spiritual life, something inside me changed. Did I stop caring about those important physical aspects of our worship and practice? Absolutely not. However, my point of focus was made dramatically clearer. I began to be much more intentional in nurturing the love that drove those actions.
So I grew a thicker skin, shed some of my fears of being judged, and sought to “look at the child” as Dr. Maria Montessori would say. I sought to understand the spiritual life that each of my children was living. It led me, in a God-inspired way, to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS).
Since 2003, I have been collaborating with clergy, lay scholars, monastics, and other catechists to adapt the Catechesis for use in the Orthodox tradition. I first began using it in my homeschool. Then, as fellow homeschoolers discovered my “hidden treasure,” one thing led to another, and before long, the director for Religious Education at my parish asked me to implement it there in 2005. Since that time, the work of CGS in Orthodox communities has spread across the United States and into Canada, with interest springing up in both Eastern and Western Europe. People are hungry for a way to meet the vital spiritual needs of their children through a catechesis that honors the primacy of liturgical worship; the unity of Scripture and liturgy; and uniqueness of each person’s path toward theosis.
For over a year now, I have offered a community page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/seraphimabutler) to share my experiences with this beautiful approach to religious education. What I hear so often from readers is amazement at how deep children will go in their exploration of the truths of our faith, how zealously they undertake that pursuit—if only given the time and space to do so. While most curricula offer wonderful content, what most are missing is a process that honors the mystery of our children’s spiritual formation. So many elements are involved: the life of the home and family; the rhythms and liturgical life of the Church (which, God willing, are foundational for the life of the home); the developmental stages the children are passing through, each with it’s own sensitive periods; and of course, God’s desire for that person’s life. CGS helps children deepen their understanding and experience of the Faith by weaving these elements together, while empowering catechists to address each child’s needs and learning style. Quite simply, it helps the child fall in love with God. Operating within a structured framework, it allows the child to enrich his prayer life in the way that is most meaningful for him. As my beloved patron, St. Seraphim said,
“...just as in business the main point is not merely to trade, but to get as much profit as possible, so in the business of the Christian life the main point is not merely to pray or to do some other good deed. Though the apostle says, Pray without ceasing [1 Thess. 5;17], yet, as you remember, he adds: I would rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words with the tongue [1 Cor. 14:13].... [T]he work of God is this: Believe in God and in Him Whom He has sent, Jesus Christ [Jn. 14:1; 6:29]. If we understand the commandments of Christ and the Apostles aright, our business as Christians consists not in increasing the number of our good deeds, which are only the means of furthering the purpose of our Christian life, but in deriving from them the utmost profit, that is, in acquiring the most abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (The Little Russian Philokalia. St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina, Ca. 1991. 94. Emphasis mine.)
To trade in the virtuous works of faith, such as worship and education, and to gain the most spiritual profit: this has become a hallmark of my parenting, my outreach, and my work as a catechist. I thank God for the gift of the Catechesis in my life, in the lives of my five children at home, and the lives of hundreds of Orthodox children across this land. It offers us the opportunity to go beyond the good deed of learning material, performing a movement, or repeating a prayer. It helps us internalize the Faith in ways uniquely meaningful for each of us, and to do those things in a way that brings the most profit. I hope you will join the discussion over on Facebook, and consider how the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd might be a blessing for the spiritual formation of the early child in your midst—and for you, as well.
Photographs courtesy of John Butler, 2012. Used by permission.
Seraphima Sierra Butler holds a BA, cum laude, in English and Dance from Winthrop University, 1997. She is a recognized Formation Leader for the National Association for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, providing training for adults to implement CGS. As Catechesis Coordinator for St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta, CA, she implemented the premiere Orthodox CGS program. Seraphima completed training for all three levels (ages 3-12) from 2003-2009; has been a catechist since 2003; a Formation Leader since 2009; and is the homeschooling mother of five. In addition to her work as catechist, she is a consultant for Orthodox catechists worldwide; has written articles related to the Catechesis in such publications as The Handmaiden and Praxis Magazine; leads workshops and retreats for adults and children; speaks at conferences and events on the correlation of Orthodoxy and the Catechesis; and is the editor of an informative quarterly newsletter, The Sheepfold. More information at www.stathanasius.org/site/content/catechesis.
SOURCE: http://www.soundingblog.com/index.php/art-literature/orthodox-writers-readers-artists/children-spiritual-people.html
