A while back, Jenn asked if anyone had experience using one theme throughout the liturgical year. This got me thinking. We use our "liturgical line" (our mantle and a ribbon clothesline stretched across it) to mark the feasts and seasons of the church. But I thought the boys could really benefit from a single visual that illustrated the changes in the liturgical seasons in a new way. Jenn's suggestion of a tree got the ball rolling and this week , in addition to our liturgical line, I'll be presenting our "liturgical tree" to the boys.
This is what our line looks like right now:
The image of the Sacred Heart is covered and the crucifix stands in its place.
The box with the cross on it contains the Alleluia letters that we boxed up on Ash Wednesday. The small frames contain pictures of St. Joseph and St. Patrick (they usually hold an image of the month's devotion and the day's saint if there is one). They will be removed tomorrow evening.
The items on the clothesline are reminders of the three pillars of Lent:
And the word REPENT:
This week, the line will undergo these changes:
SUNDAY: Blessed palms placed on the mantle in the vase
MONDAY: Items taken down from line and replaced with first four Stations of the Cross
TUESDAY: Saints' images removed, fifth through eighth stations added
WEDNESDAY: Rest of Stations added
THURSDAY: towel and pitcher of water placed on mantle for washing of the feet
FRIDAY: Crown of Thorns bread placed on mantle
"I take frozen bread dough (saves time) and twist it into a braid and then into a circle making sure the ends are together.Then after it has risen the last time the children and I place the sharp round toothpicks all over the braid. Then we bake. Don't stick them in too far as you want it to look like a crown with thorns sticking out."
SATURDAY: No changes, but we'll dye eggs and make Resurrection cookies which will replace the Crown of Thorns bread on Easter Sunday.
SUNDAY: The image in the center of the mantle will be the Divine Mercy. The vase will be filled with fresh lilies, the little box will be opened and ALLELUIA will hang across the line. All cloths will be changes to gold.
Tomorrow, the boys will find this hanging in the dining/school room:
Throughout the week, we will talk about the different aspects of the tree. First I'll introduce the concept and let them know that this tree is a symbol of our hearts and we will watch it change throughout the year all the way until this week next year, letting it remind us what we should be focusing on in each season of our church.
Then I'll have the kids take a look at the trees in our yard and describe what they're like. We'll talk about the fact that the cold of winter has stripped them of their leaves and seemingly of life. We'll reflect on how the cold of sin strips our heart of the life of Christ within us and how throughout Lent we have focused on repenting of those things which make us bare and lifeless.
On Easter, the sun (SON) will appear to shine on our tree and its purple bow will be replaced with gold. Throughout the fifty days of Easter, our tree will begin to sprout green leaves, new life in Christ. On Mercy Sunday, rain will fall on our tree, drenching us in His mercy.
That little caterpillar symbolizes Jesus. He'll make his way up the tree this week, until he spins himself into a cocoon on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday, a lovely little butterfly will flit about our tree. It will fly away on Ascension Thursday and we will wait for what it promises to send in its place. On Pentecost Sunday, a dove will nest in the branches of our tree, the Holy Spirit, our advocate.
This week we'll read The Tale of Three Trees and discuss it as well.
I invite you to follow us on our tree's journey. I'll post only photos of the changes this week, but will give you more details of our plans for the Easter season later.
A blessed Holy Week to you all.