Coming home and looking it up on the internet, I found that there are (at least) three Greek words for love (eros, philia, and agape). Agape refers especially to selfless love or God's love for humanity.
Also on the internet, I learned that Agape feasts were common during the early period of Christianity, often centering around the bread and wine of the Eucharist.
The 2nd graders spent the whole school day in a retreat for their First Holy Communion. One of the things they did was bake bread with some of the third grade parents. They made a loaf of bread with a cross on the top. When they got to the Agape Dinner, their bread had been baked and was waiting at their place at the table.
The evening started with some scriptural readings and a toast to the children. They were instructed to open the little present that was on the table. It contained a small glass Blessing Cup, engraved with their own name. What a wonderful gesture! I was not aware of this tradition at the school, and was impressed. The toast to the children included a moment for the parents to speak to their child.
We ate a wonderful dinner, which was pot luck. Katie ate her entire loaf of bread during the proceedings (the two boys at our table did not eat even a bite of theirs).
Then the children sang a song for us, complete with choreography! Katie sang out loud and strong.
Each child was called up to tell us about the banner they had made. Some children had written out a little speech, which they then read for us, but most just spoke off-the-cuff. Katie went the figure-it-out-when-I-get-up-there route and told us about her family, her house, the wine and the bread.
When it was over, we carefully brought the wine glass home to enjoy for years and years. Including today!
We are very happy that the big day is finally here, less than 15 hours away!
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