For Parents to Teach to Their Children
Hello Families. We begin the week, Monday, June 29, with Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. These apostles were early followers of Jesus and were instrumental in the building of the faith and Church.
“Peter was the most impetuous of Jesus’ apostles and also in many ways their undoubted leader. Jesus, meeting him when he was a fisherman of Galilee, promised to make him a ‘fisher of men.’ He was a married man, with a brother named Andrew, who was also a fisherman and, like Peter, called to follow Jesus.”
“Jesus told Peter, ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death will not prevail against it.’ He added: ‘I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'”
Source: USCCB. org “Matthew, chapter 16:18-19”
Source: A Calendar of Saints The Lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year, By James Bentley, Page 112
The Lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year
“St. Paul was an early follower of Jesus, but he didn’t start out that way. When Paul first heard people teaching about Jesus, he did not believe them, and he even tried to put them in jail! On his way to arrest the followers of Jesus, he was struck blind by God. When his sight was restored three days later, Paul really believed in Jesus and became a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. St. Paul became an apostle and a missionary, spreading the Good News of God’s love all over the land, writing many letters about God. He even wrote some of the Bible!”
Source: Sitting Like a Saint Catholic Mindfulness for Kids By Dr. Gregory & Barbara Bottaro, Illustrated by Michael Corsini, Page 27 “Saint Paul the Apostle”
One of Paul’s most beloved messages was about love:
“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
The art projects for this week are the symbols for Peter and Paul. A symbol is a picture that represents a person or thing, like a logo. We all know the Nike Swoosh which indicates motion and speed, perfect for a company that makes running shoes. Saint Peter’s symbol is the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, given to Peter by Jesus. St. Paul’s symbols are the sword and the book:
“A book and sword are the common attributes of Saint Paul.
The book carried by Saint Paul represents his epistles in the New Testament of the Bible.
The sword is a reminder of the means of his martyrdom – he was beheaded in Rome in 67 AD.”
Source: NationalGallery.org/UK
Our Art Gallery
Symbols for Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles
Enjoy drawing or painting the symbols of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, using whatever art supplies you have on hand. I used both markers and liquid watercolors on “Mixed Media” paper, which is strong enough to absorb watercolors without falling apart. I hope you and your children have fun with this simple project. Encourage your children to draw what they imagine the keys and the sword might have looked like in Jesus’ time.
In this illustration, we can see that Paul is a saint since he is depicted having a halo over his head. The halo is a way artists showed that a person was divine or holy. Saint Paul is drawn holding the sword and book, under his arm. He was a warrior for Christ who was a martyr -a person who died for their faith at a time Christians were being persecuted. The book he is carrying represents the New Testament and his own writings, called epistles.
