Saintly Love Quotes & Valentines for Jesus

"Love Him totally who gave himself totally for your love." ~St. Clare of Assisi~

I wanted to post some of my favorite quotes about love, from the saints, as we near St. Valentine's Day. These heroes of our faith always inspire me. This also serves as my "record keeping" to have them all compiled in one place!  I picked out a few of my favorite scriptures about love and posted them here.  

I am also posting a few more pictures of our St. Valentine decorating for the Domestic Church!  We just used heart shaped doilies from the Dollar Tree and taped google images of St. Valentine (center), The Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  These made nice Valentines for Jesus and a festive St. Valentine collage for our entry way.

"All my desires turned to seek all my pleasure and all my comfort in the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.  He asked for my heart...and placed it in his adorable one, in which he showed it to me as a tiny speck consumed in this burning furnace.  Then, taking it out as a burning flame shaped like a heart, he replaced it in the place from which he had taken it." ~St. Margaret Mary Alacoque~


"We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more."~St. Joseph Cafasso~


"Give me a heart as big as the universe."~St. Frances Cabrini~


"Don't be afraid to call Our Lord by his name, Jesus, and to tell him that you love him."~St. Josemaria Escriva~


"You shall not hate any man; but some you shall admonish, and pray for others, and still others you shall love more than your own life." ~Teachings of the Twelve Apostles~


"I [God] can love you more than you can love yourself and I watch over you a thousand times more carefully than you can watch over yourself."~St. Catherine of Sienna~

"Love, and He will draw near; love, and He will dwell within you." ~St. Augustine~

"Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls." ~Mother Teresa~
More from Mother Teresa:
"It is impossible to love two people totally.  But you can love all persons in a total way if you love Jesus in them."

"Being unwanted is the worst plight that can befall a person.  The only cure is hands that are willing and ready to serve, and hearts that never stop loving."

"Love each other as Jesus loved us.  He has given nothing less than his life for us.  Therefore, we must give what is most precious in us."

"Love each other...If we are not able to accept this commandment, the entire Church of Christ will fall in on itself."

"The more one is close to God, the more one loves one's neighbor."

"When we love each other--bringing into our homes the peace, the joy and the presence of the Lord--we can conquer every evil in the world."

"Love is a ripe fruit in all seasons, and it is within everyone's reach."

"Love cannot stay buried in the heart.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel basket; instead we put it on a lamp stand so that it can illuminate the whole house."

"If we truly want to love, we must give until it hurts."

"We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear."~St. Francis de Sales~

"The proof of love is in the works.  Where love exists, it works great things.  But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.~Pope St. Gregory the Great~

"To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility."~St. John of the Cross~

"The more lofty the degree of loving union to which God destines the soul, so much more profound and persistent must be its purification."~St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross~

Don't forget to see the Catholic Icing St. Valentine Link-Up for more great ideas!

 

St. Valentine Dessert

I thought I'd share this St. Valentine Dessert idea...Also adaptable for the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

I made these for a World Youth Day (Bunco) Fundraiser at our Parish this weekend...

They were really easy and very inexpensive!

ALL ITEMS: The foil pans, Duncan Hines Brownie mix, clear basket wrap, stencil, and ribbon came from the Dollar Tree!  Each pan of brownies cost approximately $2.00!

These would also make nice St. Valentine gifts for grandparents, other family, friends, teachers, etc.

I just baked the brownies in the disposable pans and used powdered sugar and a stencil for the heart design.  {I use a powdered sugar shaker that makes it a bit easier to control the sprinkling} Also, be careful when lifting the stencil from the pan once you've sprinkled the sugar!

I wrapped each pan in clear plastic basket wrap and tied it with red and white ribbon.  Then I added a crucifix or plastic rosary to each wrapped brownie pan.   

(You may also add a Saint Medal or another sacramental embellishment to bring the "Saint" back to St. Valentine's Day!)

I also think these would be lovely for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or Immaculate Heart of Mary.  You could use a stencil for an Immaculate Heart image like this one!

I draped a red plastic rosary through the top of this wrapped brownie pan and also added a crucifix.
Happy St. Valentine's Day Baking!

St. Valentine Scripture Wreath

Spreading the Love of God is the spirit of St. Valentine's Day!

Here is a Christian craft to decorate your home, classroom or home altar.

I originally got the idea for this wreath from Kaboose.  They called theirs a Paper Conversation Heart Wreath.  For the most part, I followed their instructions at this link, with the exception of the scripture verses.  My tutorial is listed below.

St. Valentine Scripture Heart Wreath:

I began with a sturdy paper plate...

And cut out the middle

These were my other materials...

I looked up scripture on LOVE, using my New American version of the Holy Bible.

I ended up with 8 verses on love.

Did you know that the word love is mentioned approximately 180 times in the New Testament alone?

These were the verses I chose:

1. "Let Us Love One Another"~1 John 4:7  Full Verse reads:  "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
2. "Love Never Ends."~ 1 Corinthians 13 Full Verse reads: "Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing."
3. "We Love Because He First Loved Us." ~1 John 4:19 Full Verse reads: "We love because he first loved us." (Oops, accidentally wrote 1 John 4:7 on the wreath)
4. "Love The Lord Your God."~Mark 12:30  Full Verse reads: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
5. "Find Your Delight In The Lord."~Psalm 37:4  Full Verse reads: "Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire."
6. "I Have Hidden Your Word In My Heart."~Psalm 119:11  Full Verse reads:"In my heart I treasure your promise, that I may not sin against you."
7. "Love Your Neighbor As Yourself."~Leviticus 19:18  Full Verse reads:"Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
8. "Let Love Be Genuine."~Romans 12:9  Full Verse reads:"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good."

Once I wrote scripture verses on paper hearts, I glued them on paper doilies to make a pretty background.  I used hot glue to connect the finished heart to the paper plate.

All hearts are now connected!  The final touch was a heart in the middle containing an image of the Holy Family since February is dedicated to the Holy Family.  After all, they are the ultimate expression of LOVE!

~The finished product hanging over our Home Altar/Prayer Table~

I just used heart ribbon that I found at the Dollar Tree to hang the wreath!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

"At the end of our life, we shall be judged by love."
~St. John of the Cross~


I will be linking up to Catholic Icing's
St. Valentine Party...
Be sure to stop over and see all of the fun ideas!

Feast of the Presentation

Happy Candlemas!

I love the significance of the Feast of the Presentation, also called Candlemas, symbolizing Christ as the Light of the World.  This Joyful Mystery of Simeon recognizing The Lord, who has come in the flesh to redeem the world, is so full of hope.  It lands at the perfect time in the dead of the winter.  We begin longing for the light through the storms of the season...How fitting that our beautiful faith sends out this beacon of hope, just when we need it the most.

"For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

~Luke 2:27-29~

We look forward to had to cancel attending Mass this feast day, since little ones woke up in the night with a fever! Our church does not have a Candle-Mass procession so I have never seen this take place...But it sounds de"light"ful.  We will still try to have our candles blessed.

These little Crafty Paper Candles were fun and easy to make, though not original!

{The children will place them on shelves in their rooms or on their school desks to remind them of Jesus, Light of the World}

We got this idea from the BIg Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions.

Paper Candle Instructions:
Toilet paper roll
Aluminum foil or colored paper
Christ child image (We used recycled Christmas cards)
Red paper flame
Prayer copied for back
Cover toilet tissue tubes with aluminum foil or colored paper.  Glue paper flame to the top of the tube.  Cut out picture of baby Jesus from a used Christmas card picture( or use a sticker) and glue to center of the candle.  Attach this little prayer to the back:
"Jesus, you are the light of the World.
We know that you are the Good News of love and hope in our lives.
We know that your light and love will get us through any difficult and dark times.
Be with us.
In your name we pray.
Amen."

I couldn't resist making these "Edible Candles" that were posted over at Catholic Cuisine. I thought they looked so easy, cute, and yummy!
This was my practice attempt before revealing them to the kiddos:

How can you go wrong with Pepperidge Farms Pirouettes, Mini Donuts, and frosting?

We will close out our Feast Day by candlelight, reading Luke 2:22-40.  You can find all of Luke Chapter 2 here.  And scriptural rosary meditations on the Presentation in the Temple here.

Some other great resources:
Catholic Icing

Candlemas Prayers

Presentation in the Temple video

All-powerful Father,
Christ your Son became man for us
and was presented in the temple.
May he free our hearts from sin
and bring us into your presence.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen
The Liturgy of the Hours

Hope Floats

"In the moment of temptation think of the Love that awaits you in heaven:  Foster the virtue of Hope."

~St. Jose Maria Escriva~

Ever since the Virtues Decided To Study US, things have just "fallen into place" in quite an amazing way.  

Our Virtue Study is now official!  

Starting with the Three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, we are studying one virtue over the course of a week (or two)!  The first virtue that found us was CHARITY.  We will continue talking about this virtue as we approach St. Valentine's Day!


Last week, we turned our focus to the virtue of HOPE.

I am embarrassed to admit that this lovely book has been on our bookshelf for at least 2 years now and never been used.  It has suddenly revealed itself to us!  ~What a gem!~
You can click here for purchase.

It is perfect for my Grades 1, 3 & 6!
If you are interested in studying the virtues and saints at the same time, this is  the book for you.  The Table of Contents list the virtue and approximately 5 saint stories for those that exemplify that particular virtue.  
The book covers the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, as well as the Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice.


The Feast of St. Paul fell during our study and he is listed as one of the stories of HOPE.  We had fun with a few activities to go along with our virtue.

I found a really great coloring book about St. Paul's conversion story here,
from Our Sunday Visitor.  They also had several links from the 2008 Year of St. Paul with some great ideas and prayers.

Superboy(age 6) and Princess (age 8) enjoyed the coloring!

We also had some fun with the word HOPE.

These stencils from the Dollar Tree came in handy...We traced the word and glued colored tissue paper to fill in the letters.
It made a beautiful addition to our prayer shelf in our school room!

More fun with Hope...

Finished!

This sweet reading book was a lovely addition to our HOPE study!

We didn't have time for any snacks to go with our study this time but think of all the things you could do!?


I just bought these cute alphabet letter trays online so we made ice to see if HOPE floats!  Lots of other great ideas lie in store with these fun trays...!
I posted the black and white photo so you can see the ice a little more clearly...
Yep, Hope does float!

"We shall steer safely through every storm, as long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God."
~St. Francis de Sales~