Sixth Class - 18th - 22nd of May

Take time for prayer.

This week a new prayer has been provided for each of you to read, appreciate and ultimately relate to your life and family. The prayer is one which offers thanks to God – thanking him for the wonder that is family, for the strength we each conjure up in times of difficulty and for the people in our lives who make our world a more meaningful place. A simple prayer but one which has a powerful undertone, possibly forcing us to ask ourselves if we take such utterly priceless things like family for granted, subsequently allowing us to be increasingly grateful. Read this prayer slowly and be mindful this week when talking and spending time with family. Be grateful for the love your family members offer you and in return offer them your own love.

Hugely beneficial insight and deeply sought hope can be conjured up through listening to a mass ceremony. For example, last week a priest during an online mass service spoke about everyone carrying a cross. The point the priest was passionately trying to make here was that each of us, at some stage in our lives, will have a burden, a problem, a difficulty, a trouble to carry and seek to overcome. Everyone will deal with that ‘cross’ differently. Some will speak openly about it and others will withdraw themselves from people and try to figure things out privately. What we then should remember is that we do not know if someone else is currently carrying a cross and so we should always be kind, offer our help and ask the all important question – is everything ok? Your challenge this week is to listen to a mass service and try to appreciate and absorb one key point that is personally moving, a point that makes you think deeper, possibly having an effect on your outlook.

https://www.churchservices.tv/ - Website Link.

Reflection work;

Let us continue with our already admirable momentum with regards to our reflective practice and try to approach a new set of questions with the same open-minded, personal and concentrated outlook. These questions should be forcing you to stop, think and analyse your own personal belief network, values and relationship with both the church and your faith. In times of uncertainty we can gather great comfort through checking in with our faith, allowing time for prayer, asking for hope and health for the world at large. Give these questions sufficient time and you might find yourself figuring out something new about yourself and your outlook that you may have previously overlooked;

1. When you pray do you feel a connection to God? If your answer is yes, what does this feel like and what impact, if any, does it have on you?

2. People often light a candle in the church and say a prayer. In your opinion, what is the connection between the light of the candle and prayer?

3. When we pray in the church we often kneel, do you think this is an offering of respect to God?

4. Prayer can offer hope in difficult times. Can you recall praying for someone when they were ill, lonely, anxious, or vulnerable? Why did you choose prayer when thinking about that person?

5. When you hear the bells of the church does that make you think of your faith, your beliefs etc.? If your answer is yes, why?

Finally, a task which will take thought, attention, emotion and responsibility – this week pick a day whereby you read this prayer aloud to someone you value dearly, expressing your love and closeness for the person through the simple yet utterly powerful words outlined in the piece. This action will make a family members day, uplift their spirits, recognise their importance in your life and make them feel massively valued. So, choose slowly and read kindly.