Quote from Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (no. 21):
"The Church has always held the divine scriptures in reverence
no less than it accords to the Lord's body itself,
never ceasing--especially in the sacred liturgy--to receive the bread of life
from the one table of God's word and Christ's body,
and to offer it to the faithful."

Following are ideas for art or craft projects to enhance enjoyment of the Readings.
Using their hands to work with the Scriptures in art projects
prepares children to "work" with the Scriptures in their hearts as they mature.
Displayed art keeps the Scripture in view and in mind.

Included, too, are additional comments and thoughts about the Readings.

     My sister-in-law, Sally, died July 4 after a long battle with cancer.  Sally was a convert to          Catholicism.  A family member wrote:
"Yesterday while I was there, Msgr. Jagodsinski came for a visit.  I tried to leave so she could have some time with him alone, but they both wanted me to stay.  He gave us Communion and gave Sally the Rite of the Sick.  Then Sally wanted to say something.  It was very hard to understand her as her voice was weak and she was  crying, but the Msgr. and I met afterwards and this is what we think she said and I roughly quote: 'When I was about 9, I was in the Episcopal Church in Doylestown sitting in a row in the middle on the right hand side.  The sun was shining through the window and I heard the priest, who was usually very boring, say something that jumped out at me and has been with me all these years.  I have tried to live my life this way and feel it is what has made me who I am.  I want people to know this is what I feel and how I have tried to live.  It is not that I am just nice; it is that I have tried to follow this way of living since then.'"
     The priest had quoted: Matthew 22:37-39 … Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest  Commandment.  And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as  yourself."

Open Wednesday … Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

1.  Make a treasure chest.  Hinged plastic fruit containers have the basic look of a treasure chest.  Paper maché it or just cover it with brown paper.  Write on it, "For where  your treasure is,

there also will your heart be" (Mt 6:21).  A shoe box would be easier to cover and decorate.  On an index card write a favorite Scripture verse; on the reverse side, write book, chapter and verse where the passage is found.  Use the treasure chest to store Bible verses to memorize.  The index cards work as flash cards; look at one side and say what is on the back.  If you forget, just flip the card.
     Romans 8:28 from the Second Reading definitely goes into the treasure box: "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."  --What a wonderful promise!

2.  Purchase a packet of large pearls with holes at a craft store.  With a needle, run thread through the hole and tie on a card write the following parable, "'Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it' (Mt 13:45-46)."  Tell youth to put

the parable where they will see it daily. Click for interesting reading on pears.

3.  In the First Reading Solomon asks for wisdom.  An example of Solomon's
wisdom is the story of Solomon determining which woman is the mother of a child (1 K 3:16-28); for children, read the story from a Bible storybook and not from the Bible.  Read other stories of  Solomon.
     Here is an artist's rendering of Solomon's Temple based on 1 Kings 5-8.

4.  Cut a big heart from construction paper, and let the youth write on it wise
ideas and sayings.

5.  The Psalm is from Psalm 119.  Read this Psalm during the week; it is a long
psalm but a beautiful litany extolling God's Word and Law.  Into the treasure box can go verse 127: "For I love Your command more than gold, however fine."

Picture: Collegeville Atlas of the Bible, pp. 53

6.  Use one of the following to create your own modern-day parable:

  • The Kingdom of God is like buying a winning lottery ticket ….
  • The reign of God is like discovering rare baseball cards in your attic ….
  • The Kingdom of God is like going on your dream vacation …..

For me, I think of the Kingdom-of-God-on-earth as being content, restful and at peace, feeling safe, and with a sense of satisfaction; all of which results in a quiet joy.
These feelings occur when I do something nice for someone; not something BIG, but always a small kindness.   My description of the Kingdom is, "The Kingdom of God is 'at hand' when I serve others with my hands."  Turn the description into a parable.

7.  Here are two prints by John Everett Millais (1829 - 1896) ...

The Hidden Treasure

The Pearl of Great Price

  Note the treasure in the lower left-hand corner.  Millais pictures the man in the parable as a farmer who discovered the treasure when his plow unearthed it.                  Can you think of another scenario for how a man came across this treasure?
  This week look for "treasure" hidden in someone's smile, or in the busyness of an insect, in the intricateness of a leaf.

  Note the pearl held between the fingers by the man on the right.  The turbaned man has sold everything and now brings his money--so much he needed a donkey--to buy the pearl.
  The parable asks us if we would sacrifice everything to attain the Kingdom of Heaven.

*   *   *   *   *
E-mail me your ideas!   
Please use the "Back" button to return to the Open Wednesday Home Page.
(The link I used to have here does not work unless I manipulate the code under this page every time I upload.)