What do you do for living?

How did God create 40000000 things?

What do you do for a living?

I do a lot of things. Aside from being a wife and mom, farmer, Catholic Worker -  I am a catechist. And it just so happens I get paid to do it because it comes with a title, director.

But really the question is:

What do you do for living?

One thing that I do quite regularly is meditate with children on the mysteries of our God in the atria of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

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   #3  The atrium is a community in which children and adults live together a religious experience which facilitates participation in the wider community of the family, the church and other social spheres.

• The atrium is a place of prayer, in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation and prayer.

From Sofia Cavalletti's 

32 Characteristics of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

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This week we have been meditating on the three main events of God's plan for Salvation: Creation, Redemption, and Parousia.  

After the presentation of the Fettucia (an impressionistic lesson on the the mystery God and time) the mediatation question was What questions do you have for God?

Did you create me because you love me?

How did you make me? How did you make animals? No one is God's mother. How did God be made?

How did God create a rainbow?

Come, Holy Spirit

Times have been tough.

Really tough. 

school shooting after school shooting

presidential fiasco after fiasco 

acts of terror and war in the name of peace

horrendous acts of sexual violence

And that was just last week.

The earth groans on. 

Where is the hope?

I am no fool. But I am. I am a fool to hope in Christ - in his Pentecost.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is with us. The Holy Spirit is indeed renewing the face of the earth.

***

Sofia Cavalletti writes of Pentecost in The History of the Kingdom of God, Part I: From Creation to Parousia, (p. 184): 

 At Pentecost, the Spirit, who is salvation and who first resides in the person of Jesus, begins to be diffused by descending upon the Virgin and an initial small group of Christians. They are the first seed of the church, the society that lives the very life of Christ, so much so that they are considered to be his own Body. The Gift of the Holy Spirit must permeate the world more and more until the day when 'God will be all in all.'"  

Love on the Cross

Tuesdays I am a guide in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd level 2 atrium. Today's work was The Origin of the Eucharist. 

This is one of my favorites because we begin with the Last Supper and take the children all the way through the Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, and the work of the Apostles spreading the Eucharist to the whole world. Jesus wanted more than anything to be with his people for all time through his Body and Blood. It was the Apostles who kept the work up and then they entrusted this work bishops and priests who still are doing the work of sharing the Eucharist with us today. 

When the presentation was all said and done I asked, if you were there with the Apostles at the Last Supper what would you like to tell Jesus?

Responses:

• "I love you"

• "I want to live with you"

•  "Thank you for the hard work of your death and Resurrection"

Then I dismissed the children for silent prayer work. I always watch their prayer work over their shoulders. One child's work caught my eye, "Tell me about your picture." 

"This is the altar where the priest turns the bread and wine into Jesus. And this is Love on the Cross because that's what it took to do what he did."

Why Bread? Why wine?

Have you ever stopped to wonder why Jesus chose bread and wine as the gift of himself? No? Me neither until I became a Catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. And even then, the first time I gave this presentation I wasn't sure what the point was. "What could the children possibly get from this?"

I just gave the presentation "Story of Bread" for the second time in my history of being a level 3 catechist (grades 4-6.) We went through the whole presentation. At the end, I asked, "Ok, what do you think? Why did Jesus choose bread and wine?"

Child: So many things come together to make it all: People, the priest, God

Other Child: Don't forget the Earth - Fruit of the Earth

Me: Ok, why is that so important to Jesus, that all of this come together?

Child: Togetherness

Other Child: Unity - He wants to bring Unity.

Audible gasp of other child followed with: It parousia in our food!

This was never part of my consciousness before. Ever. And without this work that God has gifted me with I would have never known. Each day that I get the privilege of working with children in the atrium, I learn something new about the Good Shepherd and his Plan for us. It is the Good Shepherd and the Openness of the Children that are my teachers.

David

5 years ago, I was assisting in a level III Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. The catechist was presenting work on the saints. She told a story of her patron saint. How when she was a teen, picking her saint she haphazardly chose Elizabeth and then thought nothing of her for many more years. The story goes that when you pick your saint, whether you are paying attention or not they are yours and they look out for you. 

As she was telling this story, I was grimacing on the inside. I, like many other teens, haphazardly took a name. Davida. (that's David with an a on the end) It was my baptismal name so I also took it for my Confirmation name. Nevermind that David is Old Testament and I should have not been permitted to take this name for Confirmation. 

Why was I grimacing on the inside? Because what immediately came to mind was that David was a murderous adulterer. Great. I took a namesake of a person that was horrid. My catechist friend pointed out all of the positives, he wrote the psalms, David was a great model of God's mercy. 

I still wasn't impressed.

This last weekend, it was time for me to plan the anual Catechist Formation for the start of the year. I had been so busy with setting up our atria, Justin being away, and  Nativity House happenings (the birth of our first guest baby) that I gave very little thought to our formation for the morning. It was actually in the wee hours of Sunday morning that I decided, "we will just reflect on the psalms."

The psalm that grabbed me was 139. It wasn't until I wrote out the entire psalm that I noticed the tiny print, a psalm of David.  This is a psalm that we are all familiar with - on eagle's wings. But as I meditated on it, particularly verses 13-24, I was captivated. There has been a plan for me since before I was born. I marvel at His plans for me and how he makes it all come to be. Remember, he knows all... What comfort.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.

 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
    God, I’ll never comprehend them!
I couldn’t even begin to count them—
    any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
   

 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

David, pray for us

The Spiritual Life of Parenting

A few weeks ago, when we were on retreat with with Nativity House, Gracie asked, "Does God love the devil? He created the devil but the devil chose to not follow God. I bet God loves the devil and is sad about the devil's choices."

This comment was out of the blue. She had obviously been thinking about it. I was really struck by her statement. I responded in agreement, "Yes, I am sure that God is sad because of all the pain and suffering that the devil causes." The conversation didn't go much farther.

Here weeks later I am still pondering this moment. I can think back to a string of conversations Gracie and I have had over the last year about "bad guys" and how God made them too and that good people make bad choices... I imagine this comment is part of this line of thinking.  But it's not so much the, "where did this comment come from?" that has kept me occupied with pondering. 

That comment was a privileged glimpse into this seven-year-old's interior life. She has an interior life.  Every seven-year-old child has one.  What are we doing as parents to nurture that interior life?

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With this glimpse, I was prompted to turn to Maria Montessori and Sofia Cavalletti....

... in giving the child the full opportunity to live his own religious life, we shall realize that religion will have much deeper roots in his soul,  and will depend much less on the stimulus of the teacher. Furthermore, the religious life of the  children will also animate the religious life of the adults, because it will be more true and more real...  

~Maria Montessori, God and the Child

In the contact with God the child experiences an unfailing love. And the contact with God the child finds the nourishment his being requires, nourishment the child needs to grow in harmony... In helping the child's religious life, far from imposing something that is foreign to him, we are responding to the child's silent request: "Help me to come closer to God by myself." 

~Sofia Cavalletti, The Religious Potential of the Child

A child working in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium - The parable of the Good Shepherd, "The Sheep know the shepherd's voice. He loves his sheep. They know he will take care of them."

Reflections on the Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:

Seminal Moments on the Journey

Every once in a while I have the realization that all of the many journeys of life have been leading to this moment! There are the obvious moments, our wedding day, the birth of Gracie Day...

World Youth Day in Denver was one of those moments for me. I was 15 years old - I loved Jesus. I was Catholic, had been since birth; but, World Youth Day turned my world upside down. The world was full of us, people of faith, called Catholics. And they all loved Jesus just as much as I did. This was one of those moments, seminal in my life, all roads converging there. 

Celebration

Back at the beginning of October, I had another similar experience. My dear friend, Kathy Fech,  and I woke in the dead of night to catch a very early flight (5:15am) to venture to Phoenix, AZ, for the Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Much like that first World Youth Day, I had no idea what to expect or how my life would be changed. 

This was an intensive gathering of joy, love, peace, wonder and awe. Over 600 friends from 24 different countries (not to mention the presence of bishops, priests and many seminarians.) Each one steeped in the work and message of the Good Shepherd. I was surrounded by the most dynamic, fun-loving, friends that I wasn't even aware that I had. 

There is no way that I can include all the ways that I was touched during these 5 formative days in the dessert in one blog post. My joke toward the end of the Celebration was that I needed three months of mystagogy.  So what I have here is a few points that I have been pondering since my time there. I am sure that as time passes, more gifts will unfold from the Celebration.

The New Adult

After a day and a half of sitting through keynotes and plenary sessions, I had a full brain and fanny fatigue. I needed a session where I got up, explored, and worked. Luckily, the elders who planned our time there anticipated this need. During one afternoon session, I went to a level II atrium and was immersed in the beautiful silence of the sacred space of the atrium. I was drawn to the parable of the Hidden Treasure.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

I had just presented it in the atrium the week before and wanted to sit with it.  I chose the tracing card. The words that came after drawing & coloring:

Look at the joy with which he buries the treasure. Is it in hope that some one else may have the joy of discovering the hidden treasure? By purchasing the field he is creating a safe place for others to make the discovery.

All of a sudden, this parable made sense to me -  in a new way. We as Catechists have purchased the field of faith. In it we have hidden the treasure. We bring the child to the field, inviting them to explore with hopes that they too will find the treasure. 

It was later in the week that The New Adult was explained more in depth. This is the transformation of the adult that comes about through pondering the Good News with children. I have witnessed this in all of the catechists that I met. We are called to take the time to ponder with our children.

Essentiality

Back in my training our formation leaders kept talking about this word. I didn't get it. I didn't even pay it enough attention to ponder it. During this time in the dessert essentiality hit me over the head like a ton of bricks - in a very gentle, loving way (as only the Good Shepherd would.)

I was first struck by this in the toddler atrium. Being immersed in the Montessori world for the last 10 years, I was not surprised at all by the notion of a Toddler Atrium. Gracie was in a toddler Montessori environment during that stage of life, this was something I was familiar with. I was not anticipating the way that it struck me. I was overcome by the simplicity of the space -  Practical life and a the essential Catechesis of the Good Shepherd works. It was beautiful, inviting, essential.

Then we had a talk about ecumenism. I am not going to lie. I wasn't super excited and even thought about skipping out on this talk. But remember, the work of the Catechesis involves The New Adult.

During the session a story was told.  During the Consiglio Meeting of 2007 Sofia had a tremendous explosion of great joy. She was overcome: "We have applied the rule of the hierarchy of truth in the Catechesis and now can see the fruit of the work" With the focus on liturgy and scripture - the essentials - God's plan for our World can be realized - God's plan of Communion. It was in the hearing of this story, somehow (I guess through the power of the Holy Spirit) Sofia's joy at this discovery was transferred to me - I could feel it.

What is essential to our understanding of the love and care of the Good Shepherd is that we ponder the mysteries present in scripture and liturgy.  With this as our focus how can we not grow deeper in communion with one another? Not only deeper in communion with our Catholic brothers and sisters; but, too with those in other Christian traditions.

The Mystery of Time

The Good Shepherd works in his time and his time is always what is right.  There was a time 10 years ago when all I wanted was to be trained in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. A formation leader wisely said to me, "This is not the time for you. Let the seed of the Good Shepherd grow in you. Be patient. He will present the right time." I thought she was crazy.  I wanted it right then. But she was right, the Good Shepherd knew when the right time was. 

This experience in the dessert has brought to light depth of mystery and a yearning to ponder. There is no doubt that I will continue to unpack all the gifts from this fruitful dessert experience.  In the meantime, I continue the work in the atria of St. Dennis in Lockport, IL, along with 12 other catechists that also call this their work.

Gracie's Easter Journey

Back during the first week of Advent, us Wozniaks were exploring the jaunts of St. Benedict. The first place that we visited was the Monasterio di San Benedetto in Subiaco. This is the sight of the Sacro Speco - the Sacred Cave of St. Benedict. Below is the picture  of the building that was attached to the side of Subiaco, a mountain. We explored through winding halls with chapels attached along the way. It is a place that by its construction and air demands sacred silence. Benedict is definitely present there. We were in hot pursuit - in silence- of the Sacro Speco. Gracie and I stopped off in one of the chapels. In a whisper, I asked Gracie, "why do you think that St. Benedict wanted to pray in a cave?" She responded, "I guess he wanted to be closer to Jesus in the tomb."

Fast forward to the Triduum - the Liturgy that begins on Holy Thursday with the Celebration of the Last Supper and ends on Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. Holy Thursday Gracie asked, "Is this the day Jesus washes feet?"  Good Friday, "This is the day we kiss the crucifix." And for the Easter Vigil, with much excitement, "This is the day Jesus turns on the lights!" While she was looking forward with a delightful anticipation, when we got to church for the Vigil that anticipation turned to restless anxiety. 

"Mom, it's very dark in here."  "I know where the light switches are, can I please go turn on the lights." "Jesus can't turn on the lights, he isn't even here." "When are the lights going to come on." "Mommy, I am scared."

We were in the thick of the Triduum Journey. There we were in the dark. We were in the tomb with Jesus. I imagine that the delightful anticipation turned restless anxiety is much of what the apostles must have felt in those Triduum Days. Gracie was feeling it. I was privileged to observe it. Once again, she is my teacher.

On May 10, Gracie received her First Eucharist. I am positive that through the Triduum experience that Jesus was preparing her for this most special moment.  As this Easter Season draws to a close, I am deeply aware of the new life that Christ Jesus gives us each day through the wonders and musings of our children. We just have to be poised to listen. 

Maria Montessori on Baptism

On Pulaski Day, some fellow catechists and I ventured to the National Office of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to be inspired by the oldest running atria in the country. Naturally, I also perused their book selection. Much to my delight, I found a new printing of Maria Montessori's The Child in the Church. I was immediately taken with it. What wonderful inspiration!

We shall be conscious of an even deeper respect for the child when we fully realize what he represents to us after his baptism. When the child has been baptized - and therefore, his nature, contaminated by original sin, has been buried in the sepulcher of the baptismal font - and when he rises to a new life in Christ by virtue of Christ's fruitful death, then we welcome him anew. He is now reborn directly from God, participating in God's own nature, and as God's true son - called to the possession of the divine life in an ever more perfect form.

The parents who consider the child in this way will tremble with respect before him because they now see God in him. They will no longer consider the child as something begotten by themselves alone and their property to do with as they please. They will rather be vividly conscious, instead that the child belongs to God rather than to them, existing for God rather than for them, and that they have received from God's own hand this dependent and helpless infant in order that they, as God's helpers, may rear this new child of God according to the divine plan.

Education to Wonder: Part 2

Much of our summer so far has involved hiking. We realized sometime in May that not only is Gracie's stamina for a long walk much better these days but that she really loves being in the woods. We have had some great hikes, some much longer than intended, at Indiana Dunes State Park and Turkey Run State Park. We have also spent much time combing the Michigan Lakeshore for the perfect stones. 

Through our time together on these walks it is apparent the Gracie makes the leap to wonder quite easily. She is aware of the reality that surrounds her because she adheres to natural moments of observation and comtemplation. Our children really do have much to teach us. 

We look forward to many more walks so as to marvel at the wonderful creation we have been given and to ponder the mysteries of life that we are privy to through our children.

G: Mommy, what is that green stuff floating on the water?

Me: That's algae. It's usually really slimy.

Gracie gets down close to inspect. Mommy! Algae has leaves!

Walking through a bog. Walking sticks in tow.

Every few feet there were stunning purple iris-looking flowers growing out of the water.

G: Mommy, wait! I want to take a picture. It's so green here.

We found a trail side waterfall. Waterfalls are always exciting.

G: I think I am standing on the biggest rock here!!

 We found some wildlife.

Gracie's favorite find of the day.

Education to Wonder: Part 1

Last week, I finished all of my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training. I am now a trained catechist at all levels (I, II, III.) This part of my journey has been an experiment in moving where the Good Lord leads. If I had it my way, I would have started my training for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 9 years ago. But God had it his way. This was the time He needed me to do it.

Last week, in the final days of an intensive week of training the words education to wonder kept nagging at me. This is a notion that I am very familiar with as a Montessorian. As a teacher we are called to observe the wonder of the child and at the same time be caught in wonder along side the child. The elementary curriculum of cosmic education is full of breath taking wonder. And for my years in the elementary Montessori world I was right there beside my students in full wonderment.

When I began my formation as a catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I was so happy to delve again into the notion of Education to Wonder.

Here is some of what Sophia Cavalletti has to say...

If we were to better clarify the nature of the stimulus man receives from wonder, perhaps we could compare it to a magnet. the nature of wonder is not a force that pushes us passively from behind; it is situated ahead of us and attracts us with irresistible force toward the object of our astonishment; it makes us advance toward it, filled with enchantment.

Wonder is a dynamic value; nevertheless it does not drive us to activism but draws us to activity, to an activity we do as persons immersed in the contemplation of something that exceeds us. Maybe the particularity of wonder is that we find activity and contemplation inseparable blended  within it.

I would like to elucidate right away that in speaking about wonder I do not intend to talk about something like Alice in Wonderland. Wonder is a very serious thing that, rather than leading us away from reality, can arise only from an attentive observation of reality. Education to wonder is correlative with an education that helps us go more deeply into reality. If we skim over things we will never be surprised by them. Wonder is not an emotion of superficial people; it strikes root only in the person whose mind is able to settle and rest in things, in the person who is capable of stopping and looking. It is only through continued and profound observation of reality that we become conscious of its many aspects, of the secrets and mysteries it contains. Openness to reality and openness to wonder proceed at the same pace: As we gradually enter into what is real, our eyes will come to see it as more and more charged with marvels, and wonder will become a habit of our spirit.

Sophia Cavalletti

From The Religious Potential of the Child, Ch. 8 

Sofia Cavalletti on The Parable of the Good Shepherd

I have spent this year immersed in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It is tremendous. I completely recommend it. I have learned so much about our God, my Faith, my relationship with Jesus, our Children and how they are in touch with the deep. Much of my bedside reading has been Sofia Cavalletti, the humble servant behind the curriculum of the Catechesis.

Here is some of what she has to say about the Good Shepherd.

The points that most enchant the children , are above al the personal love and protective presence of the Good Shepherd: he calls each one of His sheep by name, He knows each intimately even if there are many sheep; He calls his sheep and gradually they become accustomed to the voice of their Good Shepherd and they listen to Him. In this way a precious relationship is established; a thread of love binds the sheep always more closely to their Shepherd. The Shepherd's voice is powerful and supremely patient; it never tires of calling and reaches out even to those sheep who are far away, beyond the sheepfold. Slowly the too turn to hear his voice and they gather together into one great flock. The Shepherd knows the needs of His sheep, and He guides them to good pastures, walking ahead of them to show the way and to be the first to confront any danger should it arise. So the sheep are safe and peaceful with their Good Shepherd; they know there is someone to protect them even in danger.

The Religious Potential of the Child

by Sofia Cavalletti

p.65-66

* * *

So for Easter this year, Gracie and I made 3 sheepfolds: 1 Zach and Allie, 1 for Peyton, and 1 for my god-daughter in Italy.  It was a wonderful project for us to work on over Holy Week. To pray for our family and friends while being together in a special creative space. 

our first 3 sheep

They are all ready for curing in the oven

It all fits nicely...

...in this box.

From the Mouth of Babes...

Gracie: God holds on to you and never lets go. But you can't feel him holding on, can you?

Me: Sometimes you can

Gracie: What does he hold on to?

Me: Your heart.

Gracie: Oh! Your heart beating is how you feel God holding on!

* * *

Over the last few days, it has been obvious that Gracie's heart has been open to the voice of the Good Shepherd. He has been working through her that is for sure.

Children Show us the Kingdom

 

Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. God's kingdom belongs to people like them. What I'm about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive god's kingdom like a little child will never enter it.

 Matthew 10:14-15

 We should not forget that the child can help us, too, by showing us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. A great respect for the individuality of the child should be a part of our deepest Christian thought; and putting this thought into practice should tend to the personal refinement of every religious teacher.

Maria Montessori, The Mass Explained to Children

Thoughts on Baptism from The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

This is education, understood as a help to life; 

an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution 

and unites all in a common aim, attracting them to a single centre. 

Mothers, fathers, politicians: all must combine in their respect 

and help for this delicate work of formation, 

which the little child carries on in the depth of a profound mystery, 

under the tutelage of an inner guide.

~ Maria Montessori from The Absorbent Mind

From The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti

   from the Baptism Presentation

When Jesus was born, the light began to illumine the world. (At this point light the paschal candle before the children's amazed faces.) However the darkness overwhelmed the light for a moment.  Jesus knew this could happen; in fact, he had said, "The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep." (Now extinguish the candle) Bu tthe vitory of the darkness over the light was only momentary; for the light was relit, never to go out again. (We relight the paschal candle and begin to meditate with the children on this new light that illumines the world.)  This is a very special light, so strong, so powerful, that never again will it be overpowered; and even more, it is a far-reaching light. The risen Christ did not want to keep this new light for Himself alone. He gives it as a gift to all those who come close to Him. From that day when the light was relit in the world, how many have received it into their hearts! How much more brightly it shines! And then one day this light came to me too, and to you. (At this moment the children are called one by one to the paschal candle to light their own little candles and the meditation then continues on the gift of light.)

    How beautiful it is to have our own candle shining so brightly, and to know that on the day of our baptism a very special light was enkindled in our hearts. What a precious gift! could we have lighted our little candles if the paschal candle had not first overpowered the darkness? Could we have this light in our hearts if Christ has not first given it to us?

Gracie came home with these completed works after a day of work in the Atrium at her school Seton Academy Montessori. She has come home with colorings of the image here to the left many times before. The one above of the two candles and the baptismal gown is new.  Knowing that her soul and person are absorbing this most profound truth is extremely touching. Deep within her is the light and the knowledge of a sweet sweet love that reaches beyond. She is in an environment that helps her to discover all that this love is capable of. She is in an environment that helps her to be independent in her discoveries. God is good.

Maria Montessori on Religious Education

During a job interview six years ago the gentleman who would become my boss a year later read this quote to me. I was new to Montessori at the time. I was a wanna-be religious educator and learned of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. When Dan read this, I was amazed at which the profound reality of liturgy was passed on to children. Maria Montessori was one amazing woman. She not only developed amazing materials that make each and every concept tangible for the child so that independence is mastered at each level; she thought of each child as a whole being: spiritual, emotional and physical. This excerpt is from The Discovery of the Child's chapter on religious education. This was written about her first work with religious education in a 3-6 environment.

Work in the fields as part of religious education:

We thought that it would be an excellent idea to have the children grow the wheat and the grapes to be used as the material for the Eucharist and thus incorporate the children's religious activities into their labors and joys in the fields. we therefore set aside portions of a large meadow where the children used to play in the afternoon for the growing of grain and vines. Two rectangular patches were picked out by the children themselves, one on the extreme right and the other on the extreme left of the field. A type of grain was then chosen that mature rapidly. Furrows for the grain were laid out in parallel lines, and each of the children sowed a portion of the grain in them. 

The actual sowing, the care required to see that no seeds fell outside the furrows, and the seriousness and solemnity with which the labors were carried out at once showed that the activity was suited to the goal intended. A little later the vines were planted. Those looked like shriveled roots and were so dry that they gave no promise of that marvel to come, the appearance one day of real bunches of grapes. The shoots were placed equal distances apart in furrows laid out in parallel row. Then we decided that it would be well to plant flowers all around them as a kind of unending homage of fragrance and beauty to the plants which one day would furnish bread and wine for the Eucharist...