Engaging Faith

Materials needed: cardstock, colored pencils or markers Instructions: 1. Distribute art materials to students. 2. Read the following quote by J.R.R. Tolkien to your students: "Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . . There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death." This exercise will allow students to meditate on this quote through sketching. 3. At the bottom of the cardstock, have students draw an image of darkness (e.g. a stormy sea) and write down any darkness and frustration that they are currently facing in their lives. 4. Next, have students draw a monstrance in the center of the page, above the darkness. Read the following words, one at a time: romance; glory; honor; fidelity; death to life; healing; surrender. Pause between reading each word to have the students write the word on the rays of the monstrance. Before going on, ask he corresponding question for general class discussion, partner discussion, or journal writing: Romance: How is the Eucharist a romance? Glory: What is the glory Jesus destines you for? Honor: How can you honor Jesus in the Eucharist? How does Jesus honor you in the Eucharist? Fidelity: How is Jesus faithful to you in the Eucharist? How does he teach you fidelity? Death to life: How is Jesus in the Eucharist calling you to die to sin and selfishness? Is your faith in the Eucharist more alive or more dead? Healing: When you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, what healing do you need to ask for him to give you? Surrender: What is one situation in your life that Jesus is inviting you to completely surrender to him, trusting that he will take care of everything? 5. On the stem of the monstrance, have the students write True Love. Beneath the monstrance, have them write down the people who they love and who they want to surrender to Jesus, as well as ways that Christ is calling them to love these people. Display the finished artwork in the classroom.

Speak this exercise aloud. Please sit in your seats with both of your feet on the ground and your hands in your lap. I invite you to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths with me. Inhale through your nose (wait 5 seconds). Exhale through your mouth (wait 7 seconds). Repeat as many times as you would like. Now, focus on your feet. Tense the muscles in your toes and your feet as tight as you can (wait 5 seconds) Now relax. Let us pray. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God, thank you for our feet, which allow us to walk and run. May our feet always follow you. Teach us to walk by faith and to trust in wherever you may lead us. Tense the muscles in your legs as tight as you can (wait 5 seconds). Now relax. God, thank you for our legs, which allow us to stand. Teach us to always stand up for what is right and to stand by You in the good times and in the bad. Tense the muscles in your abdomen and your back as tight as you can (wait 5 seconds). Now relax. God, thank you for our stomachs, which allow us to eat, and for our backs, which allow us to lie down. Please teach us the importance of nourishing our bodies and help us to make time to rest in our daily lives. Tense the muscles in your arms and hands (wait 5 seconds). Now relax. God, thank you for our arms and our hands, which allow us to embrace the poor and needy and hold those who are hurting. Grant us the grace to always have open arms to our brothers and sisters in Christ, remembering that your arms are always open to us and your hands – pierced for our sake – are holding us tenderly. Tense the muscles in your shoulders and neck (wait 5 seconds). Now relax. God, thank you for our shoulders and necks, which carry the crosses that we have been given. Help us to take up our crosses courageously, trusting that You are with us on our journeys to heaven. Tense the muscles in your face, such as your forehead, ears, eyes, nose, and mouth (wait 5 seconds). Now relax. God, thank you for our faces, which allow us to smile, laugh, cry, see, hear, and taste. May we always reflect Your face through every action and encounter, remembering to always see ourselves and others through a lens of love. Lord, you have told us that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. May we always honor our bodies and uphold the dignity of ourselves and our brothers and sisters, recognizing that we are your sacred creation. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Megan Neuman is an Editorial Curriculum intern at Ave Maria Press. She is a senior English major at Franciscan University.

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