Parish of St. Edward the Confessor Daily Advent/Christmas Reflections



candle
December 18, 2007

By

Mr. C's 2nd Grade Class

candle

Reading 1
Psalm
Gospel

Text of Reflection:  
December 18, 2007

I can honestly say I didn’t know what to expect when I asked my class to help me with this daily Advent reflection. But I guess I underestimated my second graders, for they were a little wiser than I had expected and they were able to draw upon things that we had explored earlier in the year. That being said, I am thankful for the opportunity to share my Catholic faith with them and for all the things they teach me!

<>Today’s reading centered around the Immaculate Conception and Joseph’s reluctance to accept Mary as his wife.  An angel of the Lord appeared in Joseph’s dream and “convinced” him to accept God’s calling. He did what the angel commanded of him and took Mary as his wife. He had no relations with her until she bore him a son named Jesus.
<> 
<> <>The concept of the Immaculate Conception is probably not understood by most second graders, so I used this reading to draw upon and reinforce some of the things we had discussed earlier in the year.  The angel of the Lord said that Joseph’s son shall be named Emmanuel. We had discussed the meaning of the word Emmanuel in a previous class, and I was glad to see most of my students’ hands raised when I asked them the meaning of the word. “God is with us”, they said, and I smiled.
<> 
 <>I also asked them the meaning of the word Jesus, and again hands were quickly raised. “God saves us”, said one student. I quickly responded with another question: “What does he save us from?”  And just about everyone shouted our sins.
<> 
 <>I also asked them how they felt about God’s greatest gift of Jesus. Some were glad they had received such a gift. Others said it made them feel happy. But all agreed the gift of Jesus is a good thing.
<> 

So what does this reading teach us? The answer is simple. The gift of Jesus is the greatest gift of all, and He comes to be with us and to save us from our sins. So use your time this advent season to reflect upon this gift. He comes to save us from our sins. He forgives us no matter what we do. And if your conscience is not clear, go to confession and experience His saving power. Remember, Jesus means “God saves”. Our kids know this. Do you?