I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop about a children's faith formation program called Godly Play, which "teaches children the art of using Christian language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God's presence in their lives," (www.godlyplay.ca/Main.html).  Godly Play has its roots in the model and teaching of Sofia Cavalletti and her Montessori collaborator, Gianna Gobbi, in Rome with their work, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. 

The workshop was experiential in nature and as such, we the participants engaged as children would in the telling of the Bible Story, which was the Exodus story.  Toward the end of the story, we were invited to lean in and to imagine ourselves in the story, to appreciate the history of the human family that began with the promise and covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:6 that "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you."  We were then invited to reflect on the fact that we are all part of this larger family.  As a participant experiencing the storytelling, it was very powerful to be reminded of our history and the importance of big 'T' tradition that holds us true to the tenants of our faith, including the ultimate faithfulness of God. 

Just as Abraham drew close to God and God drew close to Abraham during Abraham's dessert journeying, we too draw close to God this Advent season, being reminded that we are part of the larger human family traced back to Abraham.  We are again reminded of God's faithfulness for sending Christ in human form to engage with our human family.

A piece called Saying Yes To God by Catherine Wiecher Brunell from Loyola Press website furthers this thought: 

"Like the expectant Mary and Joseph, we all have a piece of God to bring into this world. We have been created and as such, the seeds of our creative possibilities remain within our core. How do we harvest these? How do we ready them? How do we audaciously trust that we have a "yes" to issue as well?

One way to begin is to put ourselves into the story of God.

Picture the manger scene. We can imagine the animals and even the angels. We can hear the cry of the newborn baby and feel the relief of his parents. We can see the star bright in the sky. But can we find ourselves within its rays? Where do we fit into this familiar miracle? Christ was born unto us. What does this mean? As we look for our place in the scene, we will ready ourselves to respond more deeply to it (www.loyolapress.com/saying-yes-to-god-our-yes.htm)."

Catherine Wiecher Brunell also offers some questions for reflection:  

• Where in your life do you need Christ to enter the most?
• What is God's invitation to you? How is it unbelievable? How is actually very possible?
• What will you co-create with God this year?
• What will change in your life when you say "yes"? What will stay the same?

Finally, we here at King's University College had the pleasure of having Father Jan Michael Joncas with us for our annual Christ the King Lecture.  Father Joncas was ordained in 1980 as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN.  He serves as Artist in Residence and Research Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.  He is a proliferate writer and has also composed and arranged over 300 pieces of liturgical music.

A wonderful piece of music to usher in the Advent season is A Voice Cries Out by Father Joncas.