Teaching Real Love: A Valentine’s Day Scripture Activity
Early February offers a natural moment to invite Catholics to reflect on what genuine love means, drawing on Scripture for Valentine’s Day. This activity helps make that reflection concrete by exploring how the Bible describes love. It’s easy to use in classrooms, youth groups, or at home and encourages meaningful conversation that connects Valentine’s Day with faith, purpose, and authentic Christian love.
Preparation
Purchase or make a poster board heart, about 6 inches wide, for every four or five young people. Write on each heart a different scriptural verse that pertains to love. Include the citation. Here are some options:
- Deut. 6:5
- John 15:12
- Ps. 130:7
- Rom. 8:35
- Jer. 31:3
- 1 Cor. 13:4-5
- Matt. 22:39
- Col. 3:14
- John 13:35
- 1 John 4:11
Cut each heart into four or five pieces, and mix up the pieces from all the hearts. Give each participant one of the heart pieces that you have created. Direct the young teens to find the other people whose pieces complete their heart. Make Bibles available to them in case they need to check the wording of a citation. Tell them to tape together their heart when their small group is complete.
Acknowledgements
(This activity is taken from Holiday and Seasonal Ideas for Ministry with Young Teens, a manual in the HELP series, by Carole Goodwin and Marilyn Kielbasa [Winona, MN: Saint Mary’s Press, 2000], page 29. Copyright © 2000 by Saint Mary’s Press. Permission is granted for this activity to be used for classroom or campus ministry purposes. This activity may not be republished in any form without written permission from Saint Mary’s Press. To order this book, contact Saint Mary’s Press at 800-533-8095, or visit us online at www.smp.org.
Published January 6, 2004.
