God’s Mercy

Objective

I can analyze art to explain examples of God's mercy in the Gospel of Luke

Prayer

Reflect prayerfully on the Scripture reading as you listen.

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22

Lord Jesus, at your Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon you, and your Father proclaimed that you were His beloved Son with whom He was well pleased. Send your Spirit upon us, O Lord, so that we too might be pleasing to the Father and strengthened to share the Good News of salvation.

Our Father...

Warm Up

Activity 1: The Holy Spirit and Mercy Sacred Art Discussion Questions.

Take several minutes to quietly view the paintings before you say or ask anything. Then, in small groups, discuss the conversation questions. During this time, stay focused on the images and the discussion questions.

The Holy Spirit and Mercy Sacred Art Discussion Questions.pdf

The Annunciation and The Baptism of Christ

The Annunciation by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

The Baptism of Christ by Murillo and Guido Reni

Discussion Questions

What adjectives or phrases come to mind when you see these images?
What event is depicted in each image?
What do both images have in common?
What does the dove represent?
Why do you think a dove is used to represent the Holy Spirit?
Even though a dove is used in both images, how are the paintings different? In other words, what different aspects of the Holy Spirit are communicated in each image?

The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan by Bassano

The Good Samaritan by David Teniers

Discussion Questions

What adjective or phrases come to mind when you see these two images?
How are the two paintings similar? How are they different?
How does each of the images capture the concept of mercy?
Reflecting on all four images we’ve seen, what connections can you draw between mercy and the Holy Spirit?

Activity 2: God’s Mercy Writing

Write a five- to seven-sentence paragraph that responds to the following prompt:

If I were to explain God’s mercy so a person could really understand it, I would say...

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