SESSION THREE: EMBEDDING PRAYER INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
"God is creative, he is not closed and so he is never rigid. He welcomes us; he meets us; he understands us. To be faithful, to be creative; we need to be able to change and adapt to the situations in which we proclaim the Gospel."
(Pope Francis, Catholic Life. Dec 2013)
(Pope Francis, Catholic Life. Dec 2013)
Teach a child to pray and you have given him or her a most precious gift for life.
There is no time limit for this session. The aim is to explore this page at your leisure. Maybe try a different type of prayer each month.
What is Prayer?
Prayer connects us with God and with each other. It brings us together to express our faith in God who reveals to us the meaning of life’s mysteries and who shows us how to care for each other, to live in harmony and to care for the earth.
Prayer is an expression of a growing relationship with God both as an individual and as a member of the faith community.
For that relationship to develop fully and harmoniously, a person’s experience of prayer needs to be varied and meaningful.
Prayer is....
Where can we pray?
We can pray anywhere but to make it even more special it is good sometimes to create an environment for prayer using space and symbols. The church is a sacred space and we often pray together there. Remember though the whole world is God's place so you can choose anywhere to pray.
Prayer is an expression of a growing relationship with God both as an individual and as a member of the faith community.
For that relationship to develop fully and harmoniously, a person’s experience of prayer needs to be varied and meaningful.
Prayer is....
- Prayer is for all people regardless of their age, race, sex, class and social status.
- Prayer takes place in a wide variety of ways - there is no single 'right' way to pray.
- People prefer to pray in different ways according to their life experiences and their personality.
- Prayer needs to be learned and developed through practice and certain skills are required.
- Prayer engages the whole person - the head, heart and the hands.
- Prayer requires effort and perseverance. We need the Holy Spirit's help as it is not always easy to pray.
- Children often give the simple definition of prayer as “talking to God”.
- Prayer is revealed through the scriptures and is an essential component of spirituality.
- Prayer is at the heart of our Christian tradition. (Beth Nolen, 2014)
Where can we pray?
We can pray anywhere but to make it even more special it is good sometimes to create an environment for prayer using space and symbols. The church is a sacred space and we often pray together there. Remember though the whole world is God's place so you can choose anywhere to pray.
We can pray in different ways
As a Catholic and according to the Catholic Church's Catechism there are three main types of prayer: vocal communal prayer, meditation and contemplative prayer.
Within these categories there are many ways to pray:
As a Catholic and according to the Catholic Church's Catechism there are three main types of prayer: vocal communal prayer, meditation and contemplative prayer.
Within these categories there are many ways to pray:
- traditional prayers ( well known and learned by heart) e.g.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, the Rosary
- formal and spontaneous prayers - prayers of praise, thanksgiving, petition and sorrow
- meditation - using guided imagery, story, scripture, nature and art
- contemplative prayer - through silence, mantras and breath prayer
- various other types of prayer - through movement, journal writing and music. (Beth Nolen 2014)
Prayer exercises for you to explore and experience
Click on grey headings or black buttons to view prayer exercise.
Click on grey headings or black buttons to view prayer exercise.
Learning the Communal Prayers
These are all the prayers that the children will learn at school. Maybe you and your family can share a prayer together each day. Imaginative Contemplation How deeply do you enter into scripture? In his Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius described Imaginative Contemplation as a very active way of engaging your feelings, emotions, and senses to place yourself in the scene before you. Try an Imaginative Contemplation exercise |
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Christian Meditation
The original definition of prayer in the catechism is the rising of the heart and mind to God' is still relevant today and permeates all the aspects of spirituality that Hyde denotes (Catholic Church, 1995. #2559). Prayer is at the heart of Christian Spirituality and prayer can be the medium by which we can explicitly nurture children’s spirituality (Bretherton, 1999). It was found in the Townsville Diocese project where Christian meditation was introduced to all schools to build onto their children’s spiritual competence, that lives were changed as a result of meditation (Christie, 2008).
The need for simplicity, silence and stillness in our Western world increasingly characterized by noise, clamor, and complexity is essential. Ever-present distractions lure us into stressful living. Practical tips for achieving greater tranquility include: remembering that the human spirit needs quietness to thrive; getting away for a while; learning the art of silence; exploring meditation; and trying to live in a creative and meditative way.
Prayer in its many different forms is a way of providing this tranquility. Studies show that meditation permanently transforms people from the inside which contributes to their overall well-being (Christie, 2008). The effects of meditation are well documented:
Meditation lowers stress levels, helps to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, helps to decrease substance abuse, reduces blood pressure, leads to a healthier immune system, helps people pay attention and concentrate and increases our sense of well-being and harmony (Christie, 2008). In the Christian context meditation leads to increased self-knowledge and self-acceptance, increases our desire to build community with others and deepens our personal relationship with God (Christie, 2008). There are no downsides to this type of prayer.
Click the button below to learn more on the importance of meditation and to give you some ideas of how to embed it into your family life.
The original definition of prayer in the catechism is the rising of the heart and mind to God' is still relevant today and permeates all the aspects of spirituality that Hyde denotes (Catholic Church, 1995. #2559). Prayer is at the heart of Christian Spirituality and prayer can be the medium by which we can explicitly nurture children’s spirituality (Bretherton, 1999). It was found in the Townsville Diocese project where Christian meditation was introduced to all schools to build onto their children’s spiritual competence, that lives were changed as a result of meditation (Christie, 2008).
The need for simplicity, silence and stillness in our Western world increasingly characterized by noise, clamor, and complexity is essential. Ever-present distractions lure us into stressful living. Practical tips for achieving greater tranquility include: remembering that the human spirit needs quietness to thrive; getting away for a while; learning the art of silence; exploring meditation; and trying to live in a creative and meditative way.
Prayer in its many different forms is a way of providing this tranquility. Studies show that meditation permanently transforms people from the inside which contributes to their overall well-being (Christie, 2008). The effects of meditation are well documented:
Meditation lowers stress levels, helps to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, helps to decrease substance abuse, reduces blood pressure, leads to a healthier immune system, helps people pay attention and concentrate and increases our sense of well-being and harmony (Christie, 2008). In the Christian context meditation leads to increased self-knowledge and self-acceptance, increases our desire to build community with others and deepens our personal relationship with God (Christie, 2008). There are no downsides to this type of prayer.
Click the button below to learn more on the importance of meditation and to give you some ideas of how to embed it into your family life.
ACTION
After your prayer experiences reflect on how you are going to change your behaviour to make yourself the best
person you can be.
After your prayer experiences reflect on how you are going to change your behaviour to make yourself the best
person you can be.