Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

  • Home
  • About
    • About Amazing Catechists
    • Patron Saint of Amazing Catechists
    • Donations
  • Topics
    • Art
    • Campus Ministry
    • Catechetics
    • Catechism
    • Catechist Training
    • Catholic Spirituality
    • Church Documents
    • Columnists
    • Culture
    • Elementary School
    • Evangelization
    • Family Life
    • Featured
    • Games
    • General
    • Grief Resources
    • High School
    • Homeschooling
    • Liturgical
    • Mary
    • Middle School
    • Music
    • New Age
    • NFP/Chastity
    • Prayer
    • RCIA & Adult Ed
    • Reader Suggestions
    • Sacraments
    • Scripture
    • Special Needs
    • Spiritual Warfare
    • Technology
    • Theology
    • Therapeutic
    • Video
    • Vocations
  • Contributors
    • Alice Gunther
    • Amanda Woodiel
    • Cay Gibson
    • Christian LeBlanc
    • Christopher Smith
    • Deanna Bartalini
    • Dorian Speed
    • Elizabeth Ficocelli
    • Elizabeth Tichvon
    • Ellen Gable Hrkach
    • Faith Writer
    • Father Juan R. Velez
    • Gabe Garnica
    • Jeannie Ewing
    • Jennifer Fitz
    • Justin Combs
    • Karee Santos
    • Lisa Mladinich
    • Marc Cardaronella
    • Maria Rivera
    • Mary Ellen Barrett
    • Mary Lou Rosien
    • Maureen Smith
    • Msgr. Robert Batule
    • Msgr. Charles Pope
    • Pat Gohn
    • Peggy Clores
    • Robyn Lee
    • Rocco Fortunato
    • Sarah Reinhard
    • Steve McVey
    • Tanja Cilia
    • William O’Leary
    • Alex Basile
  • Shop
  • Contact us

Fine Art 6: More Spacious than a Tea Party

By Christian LeBlanc

The January 4 class included a review of the Hail Mary prayer via the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. We had already treated the Annunciation and Visitation in the December 14 class, but without a couple of instructive artworks. [The class calendar is deliberately scheduled to finish the Old Testament in time to coordinate Mary Stuff with the Church feasts of Dec 8, Dec 25, and Jan 1.]

First I showed the kids this miniature of the Isenheim Altarpiece, explained how big it really is (about 9′ x 16′) how the panels work, etc. My sister got this for me as a Christmas gift when she was in Colmar, France last summer. Which was way before my wife told me a few weeks ago that the Annunciation I liked so much but couldn’t name was the Isenheim Annunciation. More than coincidence?

We then focused on the Annuciation panel, which isn’t visible in the photo above, using this color handout:

Our discussion was very close to what I anticipated in an earlier post. The kids recalled Gabriel’s greeting to Mary, and saw that it was directly quoted in the Hail Mary. The kids then recounted the Visitation, and recognized Elizabeth’s greeting in next bit of the prayer.

I then asked the kids to guess the Catholic significance of January 1. None could, but that was OK. I told them it was the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. To add dimension to this feastday, we reviewed a handout of this ikon:

The common name for this ikon type is Platytera, Πλατυτέρα, meaning more ample, broader. That’s short for “more ample than heaven.” It means that Mary, by containing the Creator of the Universe in her womb, was figuratively larger than infinity. Or as an old Greek hymn puts it, “He whom the entire universe could not contain was contained within your womb, O Theotokos (God-birther).” It’s a terrific teaching tool that illustrates an aspect of Jesus’ humility, and that Mary was the mother of not only Jesus’ human nature, but of his entire person, comprising both his human and divine natures. That is, Mary is the Mother of God- just as the Hail Mary says. [Plat is related to English flat, German platt, and French platte, as in the Platte (broad) River] That literal womb makes this a very unusual Platytera, which was completed in January 2011 by the ikonographer Tom Athanasios Clark in the apse of St. George’s Orthodox Church in Shreveport, La.

Most Platyteras look like this one:

Which is fine as far as it goes…whose lap is Jesus sitting on- his babysitter’s? Just kidding, but sitting on a lap isn’t what I’d call compelling visual testimony to the intimate prenatal relationship between God the Son and his momma. By the way, the Greek is Πλατυτέρα των Ουρανών, Platytera ton Ouranon, Wider than Heaven.

Or they’re like this one:

This Platytera’s better because it’s a bit more expressive (although in an abstract sense) of Jesus being physically inside Mary. But neither of these is as effective as that cutaway pink uterus in the first example. The kids get that one right away: Mary’s tummy, her womb.

We may as well learn some more Greek while we’re at it:  those letters in the above ikon are M-R and Th-U. The squiggies above the letters mean those are abbreviations. They’re short for Μητηρ Θεού/ Mitir Theou/ Mother of God. I always wonder: if you’re going to spend a couple thousand hours or so on a mosaic, why cut corners with abbreviations?

To finish our Marian train of thought, I bring out a chair that my kids sat on when they were practically toddlers- a chair like one of these…

…and demonstrate how Mary was more spacious than a tea party.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

If you make a purchase via a link on this site, we may receive a small commission. There will be no added cost to you. Thank you!

Read all posts by Christian LeBlanc Filed Under: Catechetics, Catechist Training, Middle School

About Christian LeBlanc

Christian LeBlanc is a revert whose pre-Vatican II childhood was spent in South Louisiana, where he marinated in a Catholic universe and acquired a Catholic imagination. During his middle school years in South Carolina, Christian was catechized under the benevolent dictatorship of Sister Mary Alphonsus, who frequently admonished him using the nickname "Little Pagan." After four years of teaching Adult Ed and RCIA, he returned to Sr. Alphonsus' old classroom to teach Catechism himself. This is his tenth year of teaching sixth grade. Married to Janet, the LeBlancs have five children and two grandsons. Christian and Janet belong to St. Mary's Parish in Greenville, South Carolina.

Check out Christian's book on Bible-based catechesis at:

https://www.createspace.com/3835986

Comments

  1. Barb Schoeneberger says

    January 9, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    That first icon is gorgeous. I love the colors – it almost vibrates with life. The tea party example is one I’ll remember. Thanks so much for sharing your teaching. Maybe I’m still a sixth grader.

  2. Magister Christianus says

    January 9, 2012 at 8:19 pm

    Once again, I love the use of great art. You hold a real class with these children, truly teaching. There is no goofball entertainment here. I love it.

    I am curious…do other catechists use fine art in their work with children? If so, what are some of the works you use?

    As a high school teacher and father of an 11- and 6- year old, I can vouch for the fact that children are quite capable of relating to fine art and approaching truth through it.

  3. Christian LeBlanc says

    January 10, 2012 at 9:00 am

    “…do other catechists use fine art in their work with children?”

    I’m curious as well…if any of y’all do so, let us know what stuff you use. Considering that so much religious fine art is deliberately loaded with visual teaching, they’re practically made for the classroom.

  4. Lisa Mladinich says

    January 10, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    Wonderful lesson, Christian!

Search

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Sign up for our Newsletter!

Join our email list and get immediate access to the free guide 'High Impact Lesson & Classroom Management Tips'.

Help us to serve the Church by patronizing our affiliates.

FTC Disclosure: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, we may receive a small commission. There will be no added cost to you. Thank you!

Sock Religious

That One Sheep Shirts

That One Sheep Shirts

Stickers

Stickers

The Catholic Store

Catholic Bibles

Catholic Bibles

catholic-jewelry

Catholic Religious Jewelry

Holy Heroes

holy-heroes

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Amazing Catechists. · Log in