A
anilorak13ska
Guest
How do you do it?
- Status
X
Xantippe
Guest
Why would you?
1
1ke
Guest
This.
X
Xantippe
Guest
Do you know any 3 or 4-year-olds?
I have one currently, and she gets absolutely zero out of the Mass readings. (She does repeat liturgical prayers, though.)
So, I don’t really see this as being an urgent problem.
Also, is it even in the Mass readings? And if so, how often does it come up in the cycle?
I have one currently, and she gets absolutely zero out of the Mass readings. (She does repeat liturgical prayers, though.)
So, I don’t really see this as being an urgent problem.
Also, is it even in the Mass readings? And if so, how often does it come up in the cycle?
P
pianistclare
Guest
You know, if you have no idea what the passage means to in the Catholic Church, then you shouldn’t comment.
It is the 2nd Reading at the Easter Vigil. Of the SEVEN that run through salvation history and examples of the various covenants of God with His people.
Again, if you are unaware of Catholic teaching, why come here and rant about it?
Better to try to learn something, .
M
Mike_from_NJ
Guest
While maybe not for 3-year-olds there are multiple examples of the Isaac story for kids:
Children’s Chapel featuring drawings and written in comic sans (the most childlike of fonts).
Sharefaith.com and includes a maze, a kids’ crossword, and a spot the difference page.
Kids Bible Stories also featuring drawings.
Children’s Chapel featuring drawings and written in comic sans (the most childlike of fonts).
Sharefaith.com and includes a maze, a kids’ crossword, and a spot the difference page.
Kids Bible Stories also featuring drawings.
P
pianistclare
Guest
At 3 years old one should be teaching the child the Sign of the Cross, the Guardian angel prayer, and the Hail Mary & Glory Be.
They will study ALL of the Bible stories in Sunday school in the years to come.
They will study ALL of the Bible stories in Sunday school in the years to come.
T
tawny
Guest
The story of Abraham & Issac is one of trust in the Lord. We may not always understand what God wants us to do or what he will do. No matter what, God wants us to say yes to him. That’s how our trust in him gets stronger.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Preschool age is a little young to be concerned about having to explain everything in the Bible, some of which is difficult even for adults. If a child hears someone mention the Isaac story and comes to you with a question, then that is the time to explain, putting it in the context of its times when animal sacrifice was a normal ritual and explaining that Jesus brought about a new covenant and new customs. But if they don’t ask then no need to even go there.
There are plenty of Bible stories for small children focusing on God’s love and Jesus’s love for us and being kind to one’s neighbors, without getting into difficult subjects. I know when I was 3 my mother read me a children’s book about Jesus and one about the Good Samaritan and one about Jonas and the Whale…these were more age-appropriate stories than Abraham’s sacrifice. I also remember a storybook about Abraham being kind to his visitors and being rewarded with a son and many descendants, that left out the sacrifice story.
There are plenty of Bible stories for small children focusing on God’s love and Jesus’s love for us and being kind to one’s neighbors, without getting into difficult subjects. I know when I was 3 my mother read me a children’s book about Jesus and one about the Good Samaritan and one about Jonas and the Whale…these were more age-appropriate stories than Abraham’s sacrifice. I also remember a storybook about Abraham being kind to his visitors and being rewarded with a son and many descendants, that left out the sacrifice story.
T
tawny
Guest
Well stated.You know, if you have no idea what the passage means to in the Catholic Church, then you shouldn’t comment.
It is the 2nd Reading at the Easter Vigil. Of the SEVEN that run through salvation history and examples of the various covenants of God with His people.
Again, if you are unaware of Catholic teaching, why come here and rant about it?
Better to try to learn something, .
FYI, DaddyGirl, RCIA is not just for those wanting to convert to the Catholic faith. It is for all Catholics who wish to further their knowledge as well as spiritual growth & development of their faith. You may wanted to look into such, to further your knowledge of the faith.
S
SyroMalankara
Guest
This is too much for a child, but read it and parse out what you can tell a child based on your child’s age and ability, our Faith is rich in meaning:
(syriacstudies.com/AFSS/Syriac_Articles_in_English/Entries/2010/4/6_Spoken_Words,_Voiced_Silence__Biblical_Women_in_Syriac_Tradition1_Susan_Ashbrook_Harvey.html)
Ephrem’s brief consideration bore fruit in subsequent Syriac texts. In one anonymous mimra on the episode, Abraham takes Isaac to the mountain. En route he tells himself that, since God did not command him to tell Sarah why they were going, it was not his place to do so. 24 In other texts, however, Sarah is given to speak for herself.
In one dialogue hymn (soghitha) on the sacrifice of Isaac, Sarah is presented both in speech with Abraham and by reference when she is discussed in dialogue between Abraham and Isaac. 25 First Sarah questions Abraham about his preparations: “Might it be that you are going to sacrifice our son?” 26 This interchange follows:
6. Abraham says, “Sarah, be silent:
you are already upset, and you are vexing me.
This is a hidden mystery, [End Page 112]
which those who just love men cannot perceive.”
7. SARAH “You are not aware of how much I endured–
the pains and birth pangs that accompanied his birth.
Swear to me on him that he will not come to any harm,
since he is my hope. Then take him, and go.”
8. ABRAHAM “The mighty God in whom I believe
will act as a pledge to you for me, if you will believe it,
that Isaac your son will quickly return,
and you will be comforted by his youthfulness.” 27
Later, on the mountain, Abraham explains to Isaac that Sarah’s testing is a type for the Virgin Mary’s trial still to come at Christ’s passion and resurrection. 28
An anonymous mimra (verse homily) tells the story in fuller fashion, with Sarah speaking on several occasions to different characters. 29 She begins by questioning Abraham about his preparations and intentions, reminding him that she has been his faithful companion through all their wanderings and in their dealings with divine messengers, sharing his mind and purpose: “We were as one person with a single love.” 30 Abraham fends her off with the promise of returning to her with the fleece of the animal they will sacrifice on the mountain. Sarah is not to be fooled:
You are drunk with the love of God–who is your God and my God–
and if He so bids you concerning the child,
you would kill him without hesitation. 31
Later, after events have followed their familiar course, Sarah greets the returning men, questioning Isaac and his attendants as to what had taken place. When Isaac responds, Sarah faints from horror and then recovers, weeping as she sings a hymn of welcome and thanksgiving for her son who was slain and yet returned to her: “The fingers which fashioned you in my womb have now delivered you from the knife. / Welcome in peace, light of my very self, who has added new light to me.” 32
Here is Sarah, then, presented as dutiful wife and mother, whose faith in God endures grave testing. Articulate in her expression of a mother’s devotion–indeed, of the fragility of women’s maternal joy–Sarah’s speech conforms to normative social and religious models for women’s behavior. [End Page 113] Yet the seeds behind this story–Ephrem’s musing that Sarah would have demanded full participation in God’s command had she known Abraham’s purpose–could lead to less familiar territory.
Another anonymous verse homily survives about this episode. 33 Interestingly, it opens with a call that appears to identify the homilist as female: “Give me your attention, O hearers, to this fine narrative: / I begin to lay down before you the story of holy people.” 34 The speaker here seems to be identified by a first person feminine singular verb form (which could alternatively be a rare form of the masculine singular). 35 In this extraordinary homily, Sarah sees Abraham’s preparations with Isaac and, with dread in her heart, questions his intention. Abraham replies, “This secret today women cannot be aware of.” 36 But Sarah will neither be put off nor shirk the truth she sees. Admonishing Abraham “with a groan and great feeling,” she identifies his purpose and begs to join him. Unlike Abraham who is portrayed as acting without thought of the implications, Sarah brings the situation into full view.
Let me go up with you to the burnt offering
and let me see my only child being sacrificed.
If you are going to bury him in the ground
I will dig the hole with my own hands,
and if you are going to build up stones,
I will carry them on my shoulders;
the lock of my white hairs in old age
will I provide for his bonds.
But if I cannot go up to see my only child being sacrificed
I will remain at the foot of the mountain until you have sacrificed him and come back. 37
Sarah then speaks to Isaac, exhorting him to obey his father and explaining to him exactly how to present himself as willing victim so that Abraham’s sacrifice will not be blemished. She ends with a prayer offered in tears, “May the God who gave you to me return you to me in safety,” and, taking Isaac by his right hand, leads him to Abraham and says farewell. 38 Later, on the mountain as he prepares to die by Abraham’s [End Page 114] hand, Isaac yearns for his mother: “Sarah was wanting to see me when I was bound like a lamb / and she would have wept beside me with laments and by her tears I would have received comfort. / O my mother Sarah, I wish I could see you, and then be sacrificed!” 39 Events take their course, and all comes out well on the mountain top. But the homilist continues the story.
T
tawny
Guest
Correct.
S
SyroMalankara
Guest
Returning home, Abraham decides to test Sarah one more time. He tells Isaac to stay back, “and I will see how she receives me; I will spy out her mind and her thought.” 40 Alone, Abraham enters Sarah’s presence. She greets him,
Welcome, O blessed old man, husband who has loved God;
welcome, O happy one, who has sacrificed my only child on the pyre;
welcome, O slaughterer, who did not spare the body of my only child.
Did he weep when he was bound, or groan as he died?
He was greatly looking out for me, but I was not there to come to his side;
his eyes were wandering over the mountains, but I was not there to deliver him.
By the God whom you worship, relate to me the whole affair. 41
To this speech, Abraham replies that the sacrifice had gone peacefully, and that Isaac had indeed remembered her as he lay upon the pyre. In response Sarah speaks again,
May the soul of my only child be accepted, for he hearkened to the words of his mother.
I was wishing I was an eagle, or had the speed of a turtle-dove,
so that I might go and behold that place where my only child, my beloved, was sacrificed,
that I might see the place of his ashes, and see the place of his binding,
and bring back a little of his blood to be comforted by its smell.
I had some of his hair to place somewhere inside my clothes,
and when grief overcame me I placed it over my eyes.
I had some of his clothes so that I might imagine (him), putting them in front of my eyes,
and when suffering sorrow overcame me I gained relief through gazing upon them.
I wished I could see his pyre and the place where his bones were burnt,
and could bring a little of his ashes and gaze on them always and be comforted. 42 [End Page 115]
As Sarah then sits in silent mourning, Isaac suddenly enters. With tears of wonder Sarah greets him. After hearing his account of what transpired on the mountain, she ends the homily with a prayer of thanksgiving to God who returned her son to her. Abraham is not mentioned in this final portion of the homily.
Here Sarah is used to convey the story’s emotional movement–from love, to terror, grief, and joy–but she is also its true hero, far exceeding Abraham’s performance. Twice tested, she both wittingly gives up her child and without complaint accepts his death as finished. In her lament we are given untraditional words, for Sarah does not bewail Isaac’s untimely death nor her sad lot as bereaved mother. 43 Instead, she muses on the comfort she gains by bodily acts of remembrance: the touch of his hairlock, the sight of his clothes, the longed for smell of his blood and sight of his ashes all to comfort her. While we would expect the female character to represent body as well as emotion, Sarah’s speech is unconventional both in content and in function. It is offered in response to a test required of her not by God but by her husband Abraham. Yet the story’s turn suggests again the typological relationship between Sarah and the Virgin Mary, since it would be Mary’s lot also to mourn the death of her son not knowing that he would return to her. Abraham’s absence from the final portion of the homily is less a condemnation of his (admittedly heinous) act of deception, than it is an absence that sets in relief the typological parallels of Sarah: Mary and Isaac: Christ. Sarah’s fortitude and faith are thus demonstrated twice over, with ringing pathos, and in her the congregation receives a moral exemplar of profound proportions.
The Virgin Mary
If Sarah’s words offered the model of absolute faith and unequivocal obedience–matters of right conduct for the life of devotion–Mary’s [End Page 116] words are used most often in Syriac hymnography to address matters of theological import, especially through play upon the wondrous paradoxes of her condition as virgin mother of God (exquisitely demonstrated in Ephrem’s Hymns on the Nativity, for example). 44 In some hymns and homilies, however, Mary’s speech as an act in itself takes on heightened significance. The narrative assumed behind her words is that which ties the events of Adam and Eve in Eden to Mary’s situation at the incarnation. 45 For Syriac writers, the power of Mary’s speech lay in its contrast to Eve’s alleged silence; in their view, Eve had listened to the Serpent and received his words uncritically, that is, in silence. To undo the fall, a woman was needed who would listen, question, and speak in order to initiate God’s saving plan. As one anonymous mimra put it:
8. From among those below (=mortals) it was not a male
who was appointed to repay the debt,
but a female, one chosen from among women.
She listened, spoke, and established something quite new,
thus gaining renown in the world.
9. Instead of the serpent, there stood Gabriel,
instead of Eve, Mary the Virgin.
On that first occasion it was not a man who spoke,
and because of this no male
was appointed to pay the debt. 46
In some texts, Mary’s act of speech is described and praised at length, yet no words are actually quoted as hers. 47 Indeed, the theme of Mary as Second Eve, whose words brought salvation from the Fall, presented Syriac writers with certain dilemmas. There was no controversy in Mary singing praises to her baby as Ephrem, for one, had portrayed. But the importance of Mary’s words with the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation and with Joseph shortly after presented a more problematic scenario. In [End Page 117] one anonymous mimra, for example, Mary receives Gabriel with suspicion, asking how his words announcing her conception of a son could be true. The angel replies, “Mary, keep silent, / for your Husbandman needs no seed / He will come down and sow Himself into your womb.” 48
Welcome, O blessed old man, husband who has loved God;
welcome, O happy one, who has sacrificed my only child on the pyre;
welcome, O slaughterer, who did not spare the body of my only child.
Did he weep when he was bound, or groan as he died?
He was greatly looking out for me, but I was not there to come to his side;
his eyes were wandering over the mountains, but I was not there to deliver him.
By the God whom you worship, relate to me the whole affair. 41
To this speech, Abraham replies that the sacrifice had gone peacefully, and that Isaac had indeed remembered her as he lay upon the pyre. In response Sarah speaks again,
May the soul of my only child be accepted, for he hearkened to the words of his mother.
I was wishing I was an eagle, or had the speed of a turtle-dove,
so that I might go and behold that place where my only child, my beloved, was sacrificed,
that I might see the place of his ashes, and see the place of his binding,
and bring back a little of his blood to be comforted by its smell.
I had some of his hair to place somewhere inside my clothes,
and when grief overcame me I placed it over my eyes.
I had some of his clothes so that I might imagine (him), putting them in front of my eyes,
and when suffering sorrow overcame me I gained relief through gazing upon them.
I wished I could see his pyre and the place where his bones were burnt,
and could bring a little of his ashes and gaze on them always and be comforted. 42 [End Page 115]
As Sarah then sits in silent mourning, Isaac suddenly enters. With tears of wonder Sarah greets him. After hearing his account of what transpired on the mountain, she ends the homily with a prayer of thanksgiving to God who returned her son to her. Abraham is not mentioned in this final portion of the homily.
Here Sarah is used to convey the story’s emotional movement–from love, to terror, grief, and joy–but she is also its true hero, far exceeding Abraham’s performance. Twice tested, she both wittingly gives up her child and without complaint accepts his death as finished. In her lament we are given untraditional words, for Sarah does not bewail Isaac’s untimely death nor her sad lot as bereaved mother. 43 Instead, she muses on the comfort she gains by bodily acts of remembrance: the touch of his hairlock, the sight of his clothes, the longed for smell of his blood and sight of his ashes all to comfort her. While we would expect the female character to represent body as well as emotion, Sarah’s speech is unconventional both in content and in function. It is offered in response to a test required of her not by God but by her husband Abraham. Yet the story’s turn suggests again the typological relationship between Sarah and the Virgin Mary, since it would be Mary’s lot also to mourn the death of her son not knowing that he would return to her. Abraham’s absence from the final portion of the homily is less a condemnation of his (admittedly heinous) act of deception, than it is an absence that sets in relief the typological parallels of Sarah: Mary and Isaac: Christ. Sarah’s fortitude and faith are thus demonstrated twice over, with ringing pathos, and in her the congregation receives a moral exemplar of profound proportions.
The Virgin Mary
If Sarah’s words offered the model of absolute faith and unequivocal obedience–matters of right conduct for the life of devotion–Mary’s [End Page 116] words are used most often in Syriac hymnography to address matters of theological import, especially through play upon the wondrous paradoxes of her condition as virgin mother of God (exquisitely demonstrated in Ephrem’s Hymns on the Nativity, for example). 44 In some hymns and homilies, however, Mary’s speech as an act in itself takes on heightened significance. The narrative assumed behind her words is that which ties the events of Adam and Eve in Eden to Mary’s situation at the incarnation. 45 For Syriac writers, the power of Mary’s speech lay in its contrast to Eve’s alleged silence; in their view, Eve had listened to the Serpent and received his words uncritically, that is, in silence. To undo the fall, a woman was needed who would listen, question, and speak in order to initiate God’s saving plan. As one anonymous mimra put it:
8. From among those below (=mortals) it was not a male
who was appointed to repay the debt,
but a female, one chosen from among women.
She listened, spoke, and established something quite new,
thus gaining renown in the world.
9. Instead of the serpent, there stood Gabriel,
instead of Eve, Mary the Virgin.
On that first occasion it was not a man who spoke,
and because of this no male
was appointed to pay the debt. 46
In some texts, Mary’s act of speech is described and praised at length, yet no words are actually quoted as hers. 47 Indeed, the theme of Mary as Second Eve, whose words brought salvation from the Fall, presented Syriac writers with certain dilemmas. There was no controversy in Mary singing praises to her baby as Ephrem, for one, had portrayed. But the importance of Mary’s words with the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation and with Joseph shortly after presented a more problematic scenario. In [End Page 117] one anonymous mimra, for example, Mary receives Gabriel with suspicion, asking how his words announcing her conception of a son could be true. The angel replies, “Mary, keep silent, / for your Husbandman needs no seed / He will come down and sow Himself into your womb.” 48
S
SyroMalankara
Guest
In other anonymous soghitha, the dialogue between Mary and Gabriel takes on a humorous tone. 49 The Angel greets Mary with gracious announcement; Mary is not impressed: “Who are you, Sir? / And what is this that you utter? / What you are saying is remote from me, / and what it means I have no idea.” 50 Gabriel tries again; Mary is nonplussed. Gabriel cites the authority of God who sent him; Mary will not be moved. By this point, the Angel is exasperated: why, he asks, is she answering back? How can she question the message he was sent to bring? Mary refuses to accept what sounds to her impossible. The angel pleads, “It is appropriate you should keep silence, and have faith too, / for the will of the Father cannot be gainsaid.” 51 Mary wrestles until finally she receives the Holy Spirit overshadowing her, and by that action is convinced.
In another anonymous mimra, God prepares Gabriel for exactly such an encounter. In his charge to the angel, the divine Father admonishes him bluntly:
Do not stand up to [Mary] or argue,
for she is stronger than you in argument;
do not speak too many words to her,
for she is stronger than you in her replies. . . .
If she starts to question you closely,
disclose to her the Mystery, and then be off. 52
In a dialogue poem between Mary and Joseph, the roles are reversed as Mary now argues the position of faith and Joseph that of reason which cannot believe. 53 Unlike the humorous tones of the dialogue with the angel, here the exchange is heavy with pain as virtuous bride opposes righteous husband. Mary explains her conception by the Holy Spirit; Joseph orders her to be silent. She will not: “I repeat the very same words-- / I have no others to say.” 54 Joseph replies, “You should not contradict”; Mary answers, “You should believe my words.” 55 The disputation [End Page 118] continues in bitter if stately argumentation until Joseph finally is persuaded. In triumph Mary sings, “Now I shall pour out my words.” 56
It is Jacob of Serug in several mimre on Mary who reflects at length on the paradox of her action by speech. 57 The point, he insisted, was that Mary had to choose obedience by her own intelligent free will and not in silent, unthinking acquiesence as Eve had shown to the serpent. Mary’s real beauty lay in this, her perfect virtue and freedom: “However great be the beauty of something from God, / it is not acclaimed if freedom is not present.” In Mary’s case, “she rose up to this measure on her own.” 58 What wonder, Jacob marvelled, that Mary stood in argument with Gabriel, “One humble daughter of poor folk and one angel. . . . One woman and the prince of all hosts. . . . Maiden and Watcher met each other and conversed in argument on the matter until they abolished the conflict between the Lord and Adam.” 59 Eve had willingly kept silent; but Mary “inquired, sought, investigated, learned and then kept silent.” 60 Jacob’s words are ironic, for Mary’s actions here are precisely those that characterized the heretical activity of “investigation” as Ephrem had earlier described and condemned it. 61 Yet in Jacob’s rendering, it is Mary’s words with Gabriel that bring us salvation–first by their very articulation, and second by the instruction Mary then presents to the faithful:
Blessed Mary, who by her questions to Gabriel
taught the world this mystery which was concealed.
For if she had not asked him how it would be,
We would not have learned the explanation of the matter of the Son. 62
In Jacob’s handling of the scene of the Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth, the women speak and understand while their men are silent and uncomprehending. 63 Moreover, in his rendition, not only do the [End Page 119] women speak, but they read the Scriptures and interpret the prophecies. Speaking, reading, interpreting, telling, narrating, prophesying, revealing: with a multitude of verbal actions Mary and Elizabeth express and explain God’s salvific plan in a celebration of words. When Mary returns to Joseph, she must then convince him, in ardent dialogue, of what she and Elizabeth know to be true. Having established this jarring picture of Mary’s strength of speech, Jacob then constrains her into a more appropriate mode. Mary’s speech, he tells us, had in fact been in the privacy of domestic space. Had she dared to speak in public,
she would have been scorned, hated, caluminated.
She would have been slandered, persecuted and stoned; she would have been regarded as an adultress and a liar.
Because of this, divine providence had sought for her a just spouse to be her husband. . . .
a “head” to protect her and to shelter her and to defend her because of her conception. 64
Mary’s speech far more than Sarah’s raised problems in the Syriac mind. To stress adequately the active role Mary had played in the salvation drama required the exaltation of her words. In the dialogue hymns as in Jacob’s verse homilies, Mary’s words are powerful: they can undo the work of Eve, they can bring about or stymie God’s intended action. In these hymns and homilies, the social discomfort raised by Mary’s model is openly identified and negotiated. Mary’s speech is rendered safe by virtue of its asocial location: she speaks in solitary exchange with the angel; she speaks in the safety of “women’s space” with Elizabeth; she speaks in the sheltered space of her husband’s home. 65 Nonetheless, in hymns and homilies she speaks–and her words were voiced in the collective space of the ecclesial community, intoned by homilist and sung by women’s choirs.
In another anonymous mimra, God prepares Gabriel for exactly such an encounter. In his charge to the angel, the divine Father admonishes him bluntly:
Do not stand up to [Mary] or argue,
for she is stronger than you in argument;
do not speak too many words to her,
for she is stronger than you in her replies. . . .
If she starts to question you closely,
disclose to her the Mystery, and then be off. 52
In a dialogue poem between Mary and Joseph, the roles are reversed as Mary now argues the position of faith and Joseph that of reason which cannot believe. 53 Unlike the humorous tones of the dialogue with the angel, here the exchange is heavy with pain as virtuous bride opposes righteous husband. Mary explains her conception by the Holy Spirit; Joseph orders her to be silent. She will not: “I repeat the very same words-- / I have no others to say.” 54 Joseph replies, “You should not contradict”; Mary answers, “You should believe my words.” 55 The disputation [End Page 118] continues in bitter if stately argumentation until Joseph finally is persuaded. In triumph Mary sings, “Now I shall pour out my words.” 56
It is Jacob of Serug in several mimre on Mary who reflects at length on the paradox of her action by speech. 57 The point, he insisted, was that Mary had to choose obedience by her own intelligent free will and not in silent, unthinking acquiesence as Eve had shown to the serpent. Mary’s real beauty lay in this, her perfect virtue and freedom: “However great be the beauty of something from God, / it is not acclaimed if freedom is not present.” In Mary’s case, “she rose up to this measure on her own.” 58 What wonder, Jacob marvelled, that Mary stood in argument with Gabriel, “One humble daughter of poor folk and one angel. . . . One woman and the prince of all hosts. . . . Maiden and Watcher met each other and conversed in argument on the matter until they abolished the conflict between the Lord and Adam.” 59 Eve had willingly kept silent; but Mary “inquired, sought, investigated, learned and then kept silent.” 60 Jacob’s words are ironic, for Mary’s actions here are precisely those that characterized the heretical activity of “investigation” as Ephrem had earlier described and condemned it. 61 Yet in Jacob’s rendering, it is Mary’s words with Gabriel that bring us salvation–first by their very articulation, and second by the instruction Mary then presents to the faithful:
Blessed Mary, who by her questions to Gabriel
taught the world this mystery which was concealed.
For if she had not asked him how it would be,
We would not have learned the explanation of the matter of the Son. 62
In Jacob’s handling of the scene of the Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth, the women speak and understand while their men are silent and uncomprehending. 63 Moreover, in his rendition, not only do the [End Page 119] women speak, but they read the Scriptures and interpret the prophecies. Speaking, reading, interpreting, telling, narrating, prophesying, revealing: with a multitude of verbal actions Mary and Elizabeth express and explain God’s salvific plan in a celebration of words. When Mary returns to Joseph, she must then convince him, in ardent dialogue, of what she and Elizabeth know to be true. Having established this jarring picture of Mary’s strength of speech, Jacob then constrains her into a more appropriate mode. Mary’s speech, he tells us, had in fact been in the privacy of domestic space. Had she dared to speak in public,
she would have been scorned, hated, caluminated.
She would have been slandered, persecuted and stoned; she would have been regarded as an adultress and a liar.
Because of this, divine providence had sought for her a just spouse to be her husband. . . .
a “head” to protect her and to shelter her and to defend her because of her conception. 64
Mary’s speech far more than Sarah’s raised problems in the Syriac mind. To stress adequately the active role Mary had played in the salvation drama required the exaltation of her words. In the dialogue hymns as in Jacob’s verse homilies, Mary’s words are powerful: they can undo the work of Eve, they can bring about or stymie God’s intended action. In these hymns and homilies, the social discomfort raised by Mary’s model is openly identified and negotiated. Mary’s speech is rendered safe by virtue of its asocial location: she speaks in solitary exchange with the angel; she speaks in the safety of “women’s space” with Elizabeth; she speaks in the sheltered space of her husband’s home. 65 Nonetheless, in hymns and homilies she speaks–and her words were voiced in the collective space of the ecclesial community, intoned by homilist and sung by women’s choirs.
H
Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
A preschooler would not understand the story. The same way they wouldn’t understand the book of Job, the crucifixion, or incest and rape that is in the Bible.
Just try to keep the cherios out of the pews…
M
Memaw
Guest
There is such a Huge difference between Abraham listening to God’s Voice and someone hearing voices in a mentally ill mind. God spoke to Abraham several times before so Abraham KNEW who he was talking to. God knew what HE was doing when asking Abraham to do that and HE also knew HE would never let it happen. God was to give us HIS SON as a sacrifice for our sins and he was testing Abraham to see if his love was strong enough to offer his son, before God made Abraham the Father of all Nations. When I explained this to my children and the ones I taught, (CCD), I told them how much Abraham loved God and trusted God. God also knew how much Abraham love HIM and trusted HIM with his son. Abraham passed the test 100% and Issac grew to be a great man as God wanted him to do. God Bless, Memaw
P
pianistclare
Guest
Absolutely correct. And yes, this is a topic for Sunday School.
A
anilorak13ska
Guest
My daughter saw a picture of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac in a children’s coloring book and asked, so thank you to those of you who provided useful responses.
She sees the crucifix in church and at home and is not oblivious to it. Besides, we do read and talk about the faith with her, so the only reason I can see for a child this age not showing an interest in explanations of the harder topics is that the faith is not being discussed in the home.
It is my duty as the parent to educate my kids on the faith. Yes, I have the option of delegating some of it to the church religiou ed, but the responsibiity is still ours first and foremost. Besides this, dd is too young to be in the church rel ed yet, but her questions are already coming.
She sees the crucifix in church and at home and is not oblivious to it. Besides, we do read and talk about the faith with her, so the only reason I can see for a child this age not showing an interest in explanations of the harder topics is that the faith is not being discussed in the home.
It is my duty as the parent to educate my kids on the faith. Yes, I have the option of delegating some of it to the church religiou ed, but the responsibiity is still ours first and foremost. Besides this, dd is too young to be in the church rel ed yet, but her questions are already coming.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I remember from being very young that sometimes kids are drawn to dramatic / gory pictures and stories. But they don’t appreciate all the dimensions of the story like adults do. I had one or two Catholic books at about age 5 that had stories of martyrs being killed in awful ways, like burned at the stake, etc. (I was a very advanced reader for my age.) My mom ended up taking them away from me because she thought it would give me nightmares. In reality I didn’t think too hard about it, especially since it was hundreds of years ago, not across the street that week.
In the case where a child asks a question, I think the simplest possible explanation along with a reassurance that God does not call on parents to do these things today since Jesus came, is best.
In the case where a child asks a question, I think the simplest possible explanation along with a reassurance that God does not call on parents to do these things today since Jesus came, is best.
M
Memaw
Guest
I truly wish all parents felt the same way you do. I taught CCD for nearly 20 years and it never failed to amaze me how little some of the students knew about the simple basics of their faith. Most of the time I taught 5th grade. Once I moved to another state for a year, and taught 5th grade and the first day I asked all the kids to bring a Rosary with them next week and we would start our class with one decade of the Rosary. None of them even knew what a Rosary was !! I took mine out of my purse to show them and one girl said, “OH, I think my aunt has one of those.” I called my friend from back home and had her send me some Blessed Rosaries and we proceeded to learn what the Rosary was. By the way that wasn’t all they didn’t know. I had to start from scratch with them, But they sure knew who Harry Potter was and Bart Simpson etc. And they all knew what an abortion was. My Gosh, I was married and had children of my own before I even knew what an abortion was. God help us for what we have done to our Children and what we haven’t done for them. God Bless, Memaw
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