Faint remembrances of our angelic life

Back in the 1830's, Bronson Alcott kept a journal in which he recorded "Conversations with Children on the Gospels," classroom conversations that he had with children ranging in age from seven to twelve. Here is part of one about angels:

Mr. Alcott: I should like to know what you each think angels are.

George K: I think angels were good people who lived here.

Emma: Angels are God's messengers, like our thoughts; they bring us our thoughts.

Mr. Alcott: So you think that they are not ourselves, but bring us thoughts. Is there any thing human in them? Can you become angels? Have you been angels? 

George: My spirit was an angel when I was a baby.

Mr. Alcott: What change happens to an angel when it takes a body?

Charles: It becomes human.

George K: Angels are good spirits; once they were in bodies and did good with their bodies. 

Lucia: Spirits in heaven, before they have had a body, are angels.

Martha: Angels are good spirits with or without bodies.

Edward B: I think our ideas of God and divine things are faint remembrances of our angelic life."


It absolutely threw me for a loop to realize that these children are every bit as profound as William Wordsworth's "...trailing clouds of glory do we come / From God, who is our home." It shouldn't have surprised me, though, what with Jesus telling the grown-ups that we need to become like little children.

So don't be shy about talking with your children about angels. They probably know more than we do.

Meanwhile, to continue preparation for celebrating Michaelmas in two weeks -- that's the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels in more modern parlance -- next week I'll post a very brief Festal Meal liturgy you can do at home. Today I'll provide one more suggested food item you can make.

And by the way, you certainly don't have to limit games or songs or food or stories about angels to any particular season -- God promises angels to "keep us in all our ways," which means all the time. So despite the title of my most recent book, angels span every season of the year and of the heart.

Ok, now the food. Since my impetus for learning about angels is connected to having written Season of Angels about the adventures of young Tobias and the Archangel Raphael (adapted from the Book of Tobit), the food -- making fish-shaped pretzels -- comes from one of Tobias's adventures. It's not that angels feast on fish (at least not that I know of, on any regular basis).

http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2179/season-of-angels.aspx

To make fish shaped soft pretzels,  use your favorite basic bread recipe, either white or whole wheat, or use store-bought pizza dough or defrosted frozen bread dough. After letting the dough rise once, punch it down and divide it into golf ball size pieces; dough made with four cups of flour will make about 20 balls. Have the children roll their balls into ropes about 10 inches long. To make fish shapes, have the children make ovals with overlapping ends (these ends function as the fish tails). Put the fish shaped dough on a well greased baking sheet about an inch apart and let rise for 20 minutes. This would be a good time to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the 20 minutes of rising time, have the children take turns brushing the fish-shaped dough with a mixture of one egg yolk beaten lightly with one tablespoon of milk or cream, then sprinkle coarse salt, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds over them (it's also fine to leave them plain). Put a shallow pan of boiling water on the lowest oven shelf, and on a higher shelf bake the pretzels for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks and save for the Festal Meal -- or eat some as soon as they're cool enough to handle. 


While the children are working on their pretzels, you could remind them about how the angel Raphael stopped the fearsome fish from swallowing the boy Tobias, and about how he got to eat the fish instead! You could also talk about how angels took care of Jesus when he fasted for 40 days in the desert; it's nice to know that even Jesus himself was cared for by angels. As the dough rises, you might tell the story of the multiplication of loaves and fishes--as they watch their own fish-shaped "loaves" get bigger and bigger. 

Enjoy!