The Key of the Kingdom

I hope to get a photo of this wooden key, but for now I will try to explain what it was like. 

It was about 3 feet high, made of beautifully crafted wood. On the top part of the key there was a shamrock shape representing the Trinity. Inside that part there was a small statue of Jesus - Sacred Heart. On the 3 parts of the shamrock there were little bumps representing the beads of a Rosary. 

The bottom part had 6 grooves on each side. These represented the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. 

Fr. David said that he also had a kind of door that he would set up for the children’s Mass.

He would then open the door with the key and  lead the children through the door and into the kingdom of God. He would explain how they were leaving the world in order to become part of God’s Kingdom. Once inside he would explain to them what kingdom living was supposed to be like. 

At the proper time, he would tell them that it was time to leave and re enter the world. Once back in the world, they were to remember what they had learned and how they were supposed to live as part of God’s Kingdom. 

I thought the illustration was brilliant. It would work  in a Protestant setting as well. 

Fr. David said that in one Mass where he used this key the children did not want to leave the kingdom and go back into the world! 

Of course, that is the idea of the Mass. One enters Heaven for a time, and then is sent back out into the world to live the lessons learned.