Draw images to depict all the different ways that you communicate with others.
Formal prayers and meditation nurtures the spiritual life of believers
People of all ages, across many religious traditions, throughout history have prayed for various reasons: to praise and give thanks, to ask for intercession, to seek forgiveness. Prayer can be individual or communal with varying levels of formality. In the Christian Tradition, Jesus is the role model for prayer - many times in Scripture we read of him finding a quiet place to pray and participating in traditionally Jewish prayer and worship rituals.
OUR FATHER Matthew 6:9-13 Luke 11:1-4 One of St Paul's earliest letters, written to the Galatians around 53AD, refers to God directly as "Abba"/"Father", a change from Hebrew texts which described God as being like a father. This intimate title calls us into a deeper relationship with Jesus, into greater communion with God. The tradition of reciting this prayer before the Eucharist began in the very early Church communities. How might you break the Our Father prayer into sections to examine different reasons for praying?
HAIL MARY Luke 1:28 Luke 1:42 The first passage comes from the account of the Annunciation where the angel revealed to Mary she was to conceive a son and the second from the Visitation where Mary's cousin Elizabeth exclaims with joy when Mary comes to visit her during her pregnancy with John (the Baptist). Both the Annunciation and the Visitation (along with Jesus' birth, presentation in the Temple and finding him in the Temple as a 12 year old) are part of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. The name Mary may mean “bitter tears” (Hebrew) or “beloved (Egyptian) and Joseph means “let him increase”. Mary, a “virgin” becomes pregnant in a similarly miraculous way that her cousin Elizabeth, Abraham’s wife Sarah, Isaac’s wife Rebekah, Jacob’s wife Rachel and Samson’s mother, who all struggled with infertility. The Hebrew word “almah” meaning “young woman of childbearing age” or “maiden” has different connotations to the Greek translation that the Gospel writers used in the late 1st century BC - “parthenos” which means “virgin”. There is a pattern to Mary’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel which is also seen in Joseph’s encounter. The later reference to Mary being “overshadowed” by the power of the Most High reminds us of the Tent of Meeting in the desert (eventually the Tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was stored) where Moses would speak with the Lord in the tent covered by a pillar of cloud. Catholic teachings about the Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s conception rather than Jesus’, a common misconception. Only twice in the Old Testament are women greeted with “Blessed are you among women” - Judith and Jael, both Jewish heroines who saved the Israelites by violently defeating the leader of their oppressive enemies. To what extent is the tradition of praying the Rosary, which is structured around Mysteries that focus on Jesus' life, death and resurrection, relevant to contemporary Catholic communities?