Using Art to Help Kids Pray Through Holy Week

I'm honored to be contributing to the Heart of the Revival, the newsletter for the National Eucharistic Revival. Previous articles include Pope Benedict XVI's Legacy of the Love for the Eucharist (with quote coloring pages for kids) and tools to help share The Gift of One Holy Mass (including Mass offering cards).

This month's article is about helping kids pray through Holy Week using art. I love using Visio Divina, a companion of Lectio Divina, to help kids (and adults, myself included!) study and pray deeply with a beautiful piece of sacred art.

To make that easy, I have a guide to Visio Divina and a selection of public domain art ready for you to use during Holy Week. You can read all about it and see the rest of the resources here.

Along with the Visio Divina steps, here are some general discussion questions that work for most pieces of sacred art:

• What do you notice as you observe this piece of art? What sticks out to you?

• Who is present in this image? What is taking place?

• Can you connect this art to a story from the Bible? What details did the artist include?

• Where is the focal point of the art? Are there any details happening in the background?

• Which colors stand out to you? Do you think they symbolize anything important?

• What do you notice about the expression of the people? What can you guess about their emotions, thoughts, or actions?

• How does this piece of art make you feel? What questions does this art make you want to ask?

• What can we talk to Jesus about as we reflect on this artwork?

Click here for the set of printable art in at 11x17" size or 8.5x11" size:

(PS, you can print full color pages like this for around 50 cents each at a local office store. It is an inexpensive way to bring art into your home to use for prayer, study, and projects! You also can look up these titles on your computer or smart tv and view them digitally.)

Click here for the Visio Divina Guide in English:

And click here for the Visio Divina Guide in Spanish:

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