The way in which the Lord led St. Ignatius in his experience of faith should remind us of the closeness of a school teacher with a child. This image can help us reflect upon the intention of this month.

In the context of the Way of the Heart, the artistic experience can open a new horizon, deepening our relationship with the Lord on a personal and community level.

An artistic experience can become a platform where young people can connect with God, with themselves, and their feelings and life experiences. It can help them to externalize their feelings through artistic expression: painting freely, capturing their inner life, through the use of color, symbols and abstract forms that are charged with meaning. Young people can then unify their experience with a personal encounter with the Lord, especially with his Word in the Bible.

When we explore this path together with children and young people, accompanying them from an attitude of listening, respect and welcome, we affirm the work that the Lord is developing in their lives. They can use artistic expression as a journey of self-knowledge, discovering and unfolding the ability to look at life positively, even in the most complex situations.

Such an artistic experience integrates spirituality and art as a pathway to God that touches the lives of children and young people, transforming their daily attitudes, their way of relating to their family, friends, and community.

It is up to us to prepare the land and sow the seeds of the Kingdom in the hearts of children and young people, giving them the tools they need to pursue a life of holiness. We can help them cultivate and grow their talents, using them in the service of Jesus.

Sr. Lidia Carlota Carbajal Díaz ODN
(National Director EYM Paraguay)