I have used this approach with grade 8-12 students. All of them
responded well to it.
Lesson Objectives:
The students will be invited to draw upon their personnal experiences
to enter into prayer.
Materials Needed:
Blank sheets of white paper.
Process:
2. Tell the
story: tell the story "The Prince and the
Precious Gem". If you absolutely cannot do otherwise, read
it - but the storyteller in me shudders at the thought! 3. Briefly explain
to the students that, for God, we are "precious stones". We
can give God anything that happens in our life, even things that
cause ugly scars in us. What we give to God in trust, God makes
even better than it was before. 4. Read the scripture
passages provided here or others that you find more appropriate. 5. Invite
the students to think of one thing that they would like to
entrust to God, one feeling they have, or one event that happened
to them, or one hope they have.
A new heart I will give you, and a new
spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit
within you... Ezechiel
11: 19-20
"Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and
he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew
7: 7-8
"...you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you...
Fear not, for I am with you..."
Isaiah 43:4-5
6. Ask the students
to draw a symbol that represents what they chose to give. Tell
them their drawing does not have to be fancy or very good and that no
one will see it unless they wish to show it. I usually draw something
on the board as an example to illustrate that even total lack of artistic
talent is acceptable in this activity! Ask them to be very quiet while
they are drawing to give a chance to others to reflect. Specify that
they will only have a few minutes to do this - some students would get
restless if it took too much time. 7. While they
are drawing, play a bit of gentle music. 8. Turn off the
music, dim the lights if possible, and ask the students to close their
eyes. Lead them into the following meditation:
"Close
your eyes and become aware of the gentle sound of your breathing.
Breathe in slowly......and slowly breathe out......You begin to
focus on the sounds outside and inside the classroom ........leave
them behind as you you imagine yourself coming to a door.... Open
the door.... The door leads into a beautiful field.......Walk through
tht field slowly........Notice all the little sounds and the louder
sounds....Notice all the colors you are aware of.......in the distance,
you see a large tree.......you walk towards that tree...you notice
that sitting under the tree is Jesus...he looks at you and smiles....When
you are ready, walk towards Jesus.... In your hand, you have the
drawing you just did...... If you want to, show it to Jesus......
explain to him why you drew it..... Jesus speaks to you... What
does he say.... Do you want to say something else to Jesus?....
When you are ready, become aware of returning to the door......
Open it and you are aware once more of the sounds of this room.
Breathe in slowly.....Slowly breathe out.......As soon as you feel
the time is right, open your eyes and begin to draw and then write
your vision of God, in silence."
(At this point,
some instrumental music may be suitable or you may feel that silence
is best) nb: I borrowed this meditation from another web site but
the link I had to it is now dead. If you can supply me with a new
link to it, please let me know.
9. Ask the students
to write what they said to Jesus and what Jesus said to them. They
can do this on the same sheet they used for the drawing. 10. Invite the students
to share. They may, if they wish, show the drawing, read out what
they wrote, explain how they felt during the meditation. Anything they
wish to share. They can share only one thing also - that encourages others
to open up. Let them know before the sharing starts, that they may also
"pass" if they wish.
The
Prince and the Precious Gem
There once was a prince
who had a very precious gem. This prized possession brought him much
joy and he would proudly show it to all the visitors that came to his
kingdom.
One day, quite by accident,
the gem was damaged. To the prince's dismay, it was deeply scratched.
The prince hurriedly summoned all of the jewellers in the kingdom in
the hope that one of them could repair it. They all refused to touch
it. The damage, they said, was much too severe and any attempt to tamper
with it could only result in further harm.
The prince had reluctantly
accepted the verdict of the experts and was deeply saddened by his great
loss. One day, however, he heard rumours that a new jeweller had come
to his kingdom from a distant land. This gem cutter had a reputation
for being not only very skilled, but very wise as well. This news revived
the prince's hope of recovering his precious possession. He immediately
sent for the wise gem cutter.
When the craftsman saw
the scarred gem, he fell silent for several minutes then turned to the
prince who was waiting impatiently for a response. Finally, the wise
man said: "Yes, I can give beauty back to this gem, but on one condition.
You must entrust it to me, let me take it out of your castle. Such work
requires quiet and solitude." The
prince was taken aback by this request. Even in its condition, the
stone was still very precious to him and he did not want to risk
loosing it forever. He hesitated for a long time all the while gazing
into the eyes of the old man who stood before him. Finally he handed
the gem over to the jeweller who took it and, without saying another
word, left the castle.
Three days later, when
the anxious prince heard that the jeweller had returned, he rushed to
meet him in the hall of audiences. The jeweller held out his hands,
slowly removed the silk cloth that he had wrapped around the stone and
gave it to the prince. The prince looked at it and was astonished at
what he saw. The scar was still there, but it was no longer ugly. The
gem cutter had left it there and made of it the stem of a beautiful
carved rose. The prince's gem was now more wonderful to behold than
it had ever been.
(This is my own rendition of a story found in Bernard
Bro's Faut-il encore pratiquer?
The
prince was taken aback by this request. Even in its condition, the
stone was still very precious to him and he did not want to risk
loosing it forever. He hesitated for a long time all the while gazing
into the eyes of the old man who stood before him. Finally he handed
the gem over to the jeweller who took it and, without saying another
word, left the castle.