MAKING CATHOLIC MEMORIES

WRITING ICONS WITH ST. LUKE

BY WAYNE & MARIANNE TOPP

Our youngest daughter, Agnes, loves books! Whenever she can, she will pick up a stack of picture books and take them to the couch. Then she’ll grab her blanket, climb on the couch, scooch in close to us and listen to story after story. St. Luke, whose feast day is Oct. 18, also loved stories. In fact, of the four gospel writers, he alone is known as “the storyteller.”

St. Luke lived in the 1st Century AD. He was likely a member of a wealthy family and because of that, he was well educated. In addition to being a writer, we know St. Luke was a physician. St. Luke was not a companion of Jesus, but was a Christian and knew Jesus’ apostles and travelled with St. Paul. He spent his time not only preaching the Good News of salvation brought by Jesus Christ, but also listening to the stories of those who knew Jesus. Throughout his Gospel and throughout the book of Acts, Luke portrays a number of very important ideas including:

1. Salvation is meant for everyone. 2. Jesus is the key to understanding the complete story of salvation that began in Genesis.

The final point that is clear in Luke’s writings is that he loved Mary and believed she was truly the first and primary disciple of Jesus. So strong was Luke’s devotion to Mary, that legend has it he even painted the first icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus. That is why he is known as the patron of artists, as well as of doctors and surgeons.

Luke was an incredibly smart man who used his knowledge and attention to detail to convey the life of Jesus in a way that is true and beautiful. But his desire for sharing the Good News that was brought through the Blessed Virgin Mary could not be contained in mere words, it had to be written into an image. This helped the stories come alive in a whole new way.

Sitting on the couch with Agnes, or any of our children, we get to witness what it was like to be those who heard the story of Jesus for the first time. We can easily imagine, through the eyes of our children, the way those first Christians must have been in awe of the Man who brought salvation to all the world. They would never want to leave the side of those first storytellers. St. Luke couldn’t keep these stories to himself. They changed him forever and he shared them by mouth, wrote them down and wrote them in paint. These stories continue to change us. May we, as parents, always share this news with our children and may our children all grow to do the same.

• St. Luke Icon Reverse template (download from thecatholictelegraph.com) • Picture of the original icon • Small paint brushes • Puffy paint • Tempura paint • Wax paper • Clear tape • 8x10 Canvas

• TIME COMMITMENT:

20 MINUTES • AGE LEVEL: 6+

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Print the St. Luke Icon

Reverse Template from thecatholictelegraph.com. 2. Tape a piece of wax paper to the printed paper. 3. With puffy paint, trace the icon onto the wax paper. 4. Once the tracing is complete, remove the wax paper from the image and gently place the wet paint onto the canvas. 5. Very gently, with your finger, trace over the puffy paint design to get it to transfer onto the canvas. 6. Slowly remove the wax paper from the canvas to reveal the traced icon image and allow the puffy paint to dry for several minutes. 7. Using tempura paint, complete the icon by filling in the blank space with as many details as you’d like from the original icon image. 8. NOTE: For families with younger children, simply print off this original template on

thecatholictelegraph.com

and use crayons, markers, or paints to color the image. • Interview your caregiver • Assistance with hygiene • Light housekeeping • Meal preparation • Errands/shopping • Respite care • 2-24 hour care

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