Heart Activity for St. Valentine’s Day

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by Sandi Belleque

Many people don’t realize how frequently the heart is mentioned in the Bible and the ways in which God teaches us about faith using that human organ. As catechists, we can experience deep and meaningful prayer in many of these references to the heart found in Scripture.

For the following prayer experience with catechists, you will need a Bible and a large construction-paper heart for each catechist, instrumental music, pens, markers, other craft objects as desired, and Scripture passages.

Give each catechist a construction-paper heart (or a card -stock heart found at the dollar store) and the list of Scripture passages. Then give catechists the following directions:

1. Look up the passages in your Bible. (Allow plenty of time; see list below.)

2. Select one of the passages that strikes you in a significant way.

3. Slowly read the passage several times and “sit” with it for several minutes. (Play instrumental music during this time.)

4. Ask God to touch your heart with that Scripture passage. (Continue to play instrumental music; allow plenty of time for this prayer.)

5. Write on (and decorate) the construction-paper heart based on what you hear in the passage and the way God touched your heart with it.

If time allows, invite catechists who are comfortable sharing to speak about what they wrote on their hearts.

 

Heart Activity Scripture Quotes

Psalm 22:15 (My heart melts away within me.)

Ezekiel 36:26 (The Lord will give me a new heart.)

Ephesians 1:18 (May the eyes of my heart be enlightened.)

John 7:38 (Believing in Jesus will bring rivers of living water from my heart.)

Luke 6:45 (I produce good from the store of goodness in my heart.)

Proverbs 17:22 (My joyful heart is the health of my body.)

Psalm 119:11 (I treasure God’s promise in my heart.)

Ephesians 5:19 (I sing to the Lord in my heart.)

Ezekiel 3:10 (I take the words of the Lord into my heart.)

Sandi Belleque has been the DRE at Sacred Heart-St. Louis Parish in Gervais, OR, for over 15 years. She is the Northwest Representative for the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors (NPCD) and the winner of the 2008-2009 NPCD Religious Education Excellence Aware. She has been married for 28 years, and she and her husband have four children.


Copyright 2013, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc.

This article was written by the Catechist Staff and appeared in Catechist magazine, May 2013.

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