Types of prayer This is for Portrait Study #4 Rachel No need to open with prayer because the majority of the class will be prayer Start with the guided Meditation (see below) Then go into the lesson: Go through the worksheet together or break the students into partners. ith the right intention every moment of the day all our hopes, works, joys, and sufferings can become our prayer. Many years ago a group of seminarians were gathered and their Novice Master instructed them, Now remember, you are not allowed to chew gum while you are praying. One of the seminarians asked, But, Father is it okay to pray while we re chewing gum? Of course, the Novice Master replied, leaving them wondering just how to follow these contradictory instructions. The Morning Offering O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. What is prayer? Simply put, it is a conversation with God. How should we pray? One way to think about how to pray is to use the acronym ACTS. All of them together help to build that personal relationship with God in prayer. Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (Requests)
Types of prayer There are three types or prayer: vocal prayer, meditative or quiet prayer and contemplative prayer. Vocal prayer This type is the easiest to understand and practice. It is the first kind of prayer that we teach our children. This normally includes the Sign of the cross a mealtime or bedtime prayer. Vocal prayer is giving voice to what is stirring in our hearts and in our souls. It can be as simple and uplifting as Thank you, God for this beautiful morning. Over time people may learn other prayers, like the Memorare, a prayer asking Mary, the mother of God to pray for us in our time of need. Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known That any one who fled to your* protection, implored your help Or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, But in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen. It can be as formal as a Mass celebrating a very special occasion. It can be as intense and immediate as the prayer Jesus uttered in the Garden of Gethsemane, Not my will, but yours be done. Catholics often pray in groups. In the Bible it says; For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matt 18 :20) Examples of communal prayer are the devotional prayers including novenas and litanies, classroom prayers and most importantly, the Mass. Standing together at Mass reciting the Creed (I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth ) At Mass, the priest invites each one of us to Lift up your hearts. When we honestly say, We lift them up to the Lord, we know we are truly praying, for that is what prayer is lifting our hearts to God. When the apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus taught them the Our Father. When we say vocal prayers we should not just recite the words without thought or reflection. We should be concentrating on the meaning of the words. Let s look at the Our Father, break it down and look at some of the meanings behind the prayer. Our Father Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen
In Matthew 6:9-13 which is referred to as part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching people how to pray and He gives them the Lord s Prayer. This prayer is also referred to as the perfect prayer. He teaches us the order in which we should pray. 1. We should pray to the Father and so our respect and love for Him. 2. Then we should pray for the world. We should put the needs of others ahead of our own. 3. We should pray for our needs, not our wants. 4. We should pray for forgiveness. 5. Ask the Father to protect us from temptation and evil. Breaking it down: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. He says Our Father not My Father because we are all a family in Christ. When we refer to the Lord as father we are showing the filial relationship we have with God. (Filial means Family) The rest of this section shows honor and respect and prays that even his name is holy and should be used with reference and not in a negative or angry way. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. This is not a statement it is a prayer request that we pray so that the will of God is done here on earth as it already in heaven. God s will is that all His children be saved and join Him in heaven. That any of His children that do His will on earth will be saved. Give us this day our daily bread, As our father, He already knows what we need before we do. Not only is this a prayer for nourishment for our body but also for our spiritual nourishment. Have you eve heard the phrase; Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you. That even after you are done working you should still thank God for what you have. and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, Jesus died so that our sins MAY be forgiven. But there is a requirement and that is that the second part of this is connected to the first part by an AS. That means that if we do not forgive others we can not be open to the forgiveness of God. So how we forgive others is how we will be forgiven. How forgiving are you? How forgiving do you want God to be to you? and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. How do we sin? We sin because we give into temptation. When we pray, He helps us avoid temptation which can lead to sin and death. There is a different between trials and temptations. Trials make us stronger in our faith and temptation can lead us away from God. The last petition is that Our Father protects us from the evils of this world. *Although there are many more meanings behind each of the sections of the Lord s prayer but this is just a look at some of them. Hopefully this will help make the prayer have more meaning when you pray it again.
Quiet Prayer This type of prayer needs to be practiced; simply put, Quiet prayer is just what it sounds like. You sitting quietly with God and listening. You are resting in God. This is not always easy, that s why it takes practice! What will you get from this type of prayer? A feeling of refreshment in your daily life It s a way to cultivate God s friendship A path of transformation to a deeper understanding An exercise in deepening faith, hope and self-less love When we meditate, a variety of things can help us to concentrate and to spark our imaginations. We may use Scripture, particularly the Gospels; traditional prayers; writings of the spiritual fathers; or religious images. Basic guild lines for practicing quiet prayer are: Get in a comfortable position, but don t lie down. Although it is OK if you fall asleep it is not something that we want to encourage by lying down. It is recommended to work up to at least 20 min. of quiet prayer. But in the beginning start small and just try to get 5 min, then 10 min and work your way up. Most of the fruits that you receive from this type of prayer are not experienced during the prayer time; they are usually not until later in your daily life. So you may feel that nothing is happening, just sit quietly and let God do His work. To understand how meditation occurs, we can compare it with thinking on a beautiful sunset and enjoying or realizing God s majesty and glory in it. During this prayer many various unwanted or distracting thoughts may arise. If that happens ever-so-gently just try and release the thought and go back to quiet. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father; who sees in secret, will repay you. (Matt 6:6) Contemplative Prayer This is similar to Quiet or meditative prayer in that we are quiet with God, but the difference is that in contemplative prayer, God takes over the prayer time. God is leading you in your prayer time, He either shows or tells you something that He wants you to know or understand. This type of prayer is a fruit of (or comes from) quiet prayer. When we rest quietly in God s presence, we engage in contemplation with Him. In contemplation we spend time with God in wordless silence, aware that He is with us. We are conscious of its impact, but our reaction is wordless. When we experience God personally, we feel His love and wait for Him to speak to us in His own way. The key is to make time to relax and listen in God s presence, to seek union with the God who loves us. -Taken from www.findinggod.com
End with the Info on the St.Nichael Prayer, have two children volunteer to read the two parts. The History of the St. Michael Prayer The Vision Of Pope Leo XIII October 13, 1884 Exactly 33 years to the day prior to the great Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, that is, on October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a remarkable vision. When the aged Pontiff had finished celebrating Mass in his private Vatican Chapel, attended by a few Cardinals and members of the Vatican staff, he suddenly stopped at the foot of the altar. He stood there for about 10 minutes, as if in a trance, his face ashen white. Then, going immediately from the Chapel to his office, he composed the prayer to St. Michael, with instructions it be said after all Low Masses everywhere. When asked what had happened, he explained that, as he was about to leave the foot of the altar, he suddenly heard voices - two voices, one kind and gentle, the other guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As he listened, he heard the following conversation: Ask two volunteers to read the following: The guttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasted to Our Lord: "I can destroy your Church." The gentle voice of Our Lord: "You can? Then go ahead and do so." Satan: "To do so, I need more time and more power." Our Lord: "How much time? How much power? Satan: "75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service." Our Lord: "You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will." After he heard this he went and wrote this prayer: Read as a class: Prayer to St. Michael St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
Guided Meditation Sea of Galilee Set up: Students bring cushions to sit on, put them where they will be sitting during the meditation. This meditation will take about 20min depending on how many kids there are and how fast you read the meditation. Next to their cushion place the journals and a pencil. Place a candle and Holy water on a cloth in the center of group. Try and find a cloth that represents the color for the liturgical year you are currently in. (If this is during advent, you could use an advent wreath.) Have some meditative music ready to go when you start the meditation. Could also use sounds of the ocean. Ask the students to come and stand in a circle around the candle. Make sure it is a comfortable circle. Everyone is included and there aren t any large gaps. But also far enough away from the table to walk between the candle and students. Briefly explain to the class what will be happening so they have an idea of what to expect and ask them to be open to this style of prayer. First we will start with a short prayer Then we will pass a rain stick around the circle. Take it from the person next to you, slowly tip it and hold it, then pass it to the next person. As the rain stick is being passed, I will come around and bless each of you. After you have been blessed, quietly walk over to your cushion, quietly get comfortable and get ready for the meditation. It is best if you sit in a comfortable position (not lying down). That way you won t fall asleep. After the meditation is over we will take some time to write in our journals what we experienced. Begin: Sign of the cross Jesus, we ask that you send the Holy Spirit down to be with us during our prayer. To help us quiet ourselves and learn how to come closer to you through prayer. We need you Jesus; we need you in every part of our life. We need you when things are going good, but we also need you when things aren t going so good. We look at this candle with the light burning bright. We ask that you come into our hearts so that like this candle we can burn bright through our life. Now pick up the rain stick, ask the students to think about a rainy day. Think about how rain washes away all the dirt and filth in the world and makes things clean. (Pass the rain stick) As you hold the rain stick, listen; imagine all of your problems, struggles, hardships, pains and sufferings being washed away. Everything that is holding you back from being the person you are meant to be. You are free from the pain, the burdens, and any embarrassment, whatever hurts inside, let it go, let it be washed away.
While the rain stick is being passed, take the Holy Water and start to bless each student. After that student is blessed they can go and sit on their cushion and get comfortable. You can use the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! After the last student, start the music, if possible dim the lights. You might need to remind them to be quiet so they don t disturb the others. When reading the meditation, pause at all the Start Meditation: Take a deep breath Let it out. (Repeat x3) Keep breathing Tighten all your muscles Now relax Again tighten all your muscles Starting at your head, slowly relax your muscles, feel your face relaxing your neck your shoulders move down your arms Keep breathing slowly in and out Moving down your body, relax your chest your stomach your back Now down your legs relax your feet. Keep breathing slowly in and out Picture yourself on a beach There is a breeze sea gulls are flying over head behind you are some large rocks in the sand look around you, what else do you see You hear men talking you look down the shore and you see men in their fishing boats they are talking to someone on the shore You start to walk closer You hear Him say to the men, Come, and be fishers of men. Come, follow me. Now the man turns to you, as He looks at you, his face seems to be filled with joy when He sees you He walks over to you, His arms open to welcome you Jesus calls you by your name Take this time to just be with Him you can walk along the shore, or you might go over to one of the rocks and sit with Him You might even rest your head on His shoulder while He embraces you You can talk with Him; tell Him whatever you want to, your hopes, your fears, your joys, your sufferings. Or you can just sit quietly and just be with Him, because He already knows what is in your heart
Jesus turns to you to tell you something What does He say to you, listen to Him Does He comfort you, does He encourage you It s time for you to go now, you tell Jesus you have to leave He reaches out His hand, He opens His hand to give you something it s something to remember this time you spent with Him You take it Look at it What is it You put it in your pocket Jesus tells you to come to Him anytime you need Him. Any time you want Him. He ll be waiting for you He tells you; Do not be afraid, I will save you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God, who saves you. Because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor. Do not be afraid I am with you ( taken from Isaiah 43:1-5) As you turn to leave and walk down the shore, you feel His love in your heart Now have the students write in their journals what they experienced, what did He say to you? What did He give you?
Portrait #4 Worksheet Rachel Name Read Genesis 29:31-35, 30:22-24, & 35:9-20 and answer the questions below. 1. Why did God make Leah fruitful? 2. What does the name Joseph mean? 3. What did God change Jacob s name to? 4. What kind of stone did Jacob set up, why? 5. What did God give to Jacob/Israel that He gave to Abraham and Isaac? See back~
6. How did Rachel die? 7. What did she name her second son? 8. What did Israel name him? 9. Where is Rachel buried? 10. How is it marked?