Catholic Life & Reflection
Year 3 parents and all of the Year 3 teaching team, attended a Parent Formation Night for the Sacrament of the Eucharist last Monday. Marian, the Pastoral Assistant, always provides an insightful and thought provoking presentation. This year she didn’t use the Last Supper as the mediation but instead the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on the beach of the Lake of Tiberus, after his Resurrection, John 21:1 -14. I have included the scripture here for you to read, so you can see why she chose this story to share.
Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
21 Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John,[a] were there, together with two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing!”
The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn’t catch a thing that night.
4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5 Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”
“No!” they answered.
6 So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.”
They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.
7 Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. 8 The boat was only about a hundred yards from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.
9 When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10 Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11 Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip.
12 Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.
Year 3 were inspired! The next day the children arrived to a picnic blanket set out in the middle of the classroom and breakfast for each them. They chatted and laughed, wondered what was going on and were captivated by the scripture. They identified the symbols they could see and the similarities between this story and the Last Supper. What a powerful encounter!
I have a vision in my mind of them in the future, turning to the person next them when they hear this scripture and saying “OH, I love this scripture, my Grade 3 teachers did this really cool thing...”
I am sure the disciples would have reacted in a similar way spreading the joy of the Risen Lord sharing a meal with them.
God bless you all and especially those preparing a child for an upcoming Sacrament.
Stephanie Stewart
Religious Education Coordinator
