Can I Have the Rubber Band? (A Lesson on How Art Brings Us Closer to God)
I don't think I have to say it anymore because everyone already knows that I love middle schoolers. I love the way they think, the way they are so open to adventure, and I love to teach them.
Yesterday, I was so excited to teach them about how art is important to the church and how it can make us think about God. I started the lesson by showing them photos of pieces of art like The Last Supper, the frescoes in the Basilica of St. Prassede and Christ Redeemer. I asked them to give me a thumbs up if these things were art and a thumbs down if they were not. I even showed them this photo:
I was so sad when some of them said it's not art. Another kid said, "It might be art, but it's not my kind of art." They all changed their mind and said it's art when I told them I painted it. Kids are funny.
I later went on to reference Elizabeth Lev's book, "How Catholic Art Saved the Faith" and her statements about how art is uplifting (its beauty delights the faithful), can bring clarity (it can be used to explain the story of salvation) and is useful in evangelization (art helps to bring people to know Jesus). We had some really interesting discussion about how art can point people to God and what qualifies as "art." When I asked them what makes art art, some of the things they said were:
It's creative.
It has to be a physical object.
It is a way of expression
We referenced our lesson from a couple of weeks ago when we talked about church architecture, and I had such a great time introducing these kids to Archbishop Robert Barron's new evangelization and the Catholicism series.
Towards the end of our session, I asked them the following question:
They answered with things like:
"Yes! He made us...and the whole world."
and
"God is creative."
But their questions were even better:
"How did God make angels?" "Why did God make the devil?"
"What did he make everything out of?"
"Did God make angels because he was lonely?"
And so many others. Later that evening, I was trying to remember their questions because they also asked "Can Fr. Dan talk to us about these things?" (Thanks...what am I? Chopped liver?) and I wanted to give him a list of these questions as a guide for his next class with them. I thought that a good night's sleep would jog my memory and I would remember their questions today, but as I went through my day, I still couldn't remember them.
Naturally, my solution was to go to the Chapel to see if God remembered them. I sat in front of the Tabernacle and begged God to remind me what their questions were, and the face of one of my students came to mind. And I remembered her question:
"Can I have the rubber band?"
You see, I have these Advent devotionals that I give the kids every year. I hold them together with a rubber band. Towards the end of class, I was handing the devotionals out, and this sweet little girl asked, "Can I have the rubber band."
Of course, I laughed..."Really, God? That's the question you want me to think about?"
But instead of laughing back at me, He pointed me to Scripture in Matthew 7:7-11.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives, and the one who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him?"
God gives us every good thing we ask for. He is more generous that we expect. We just need to be bold enough to ask for the big things and the little things.
I stared back at this 7th grader as she waited for me to either hand her the rubber band or say I'm sorry. You can't have it. I did what I imagine God does for those He loves...I gave her two rubber bands. I realized that God can and DOES use anything to bring us closer to Him. It was the first time I ever thought of a rubber band as a work of art.