From Acting Religious Education Curriculum

Pastoral Care Class

The first thing we do in the morning at Lumen is to gather together in our Pastoral Care Class families and start the day with prayer- offering all our challenges and successes to God. Sometimes it can be a challenging process to settle twenty or so students for a minute of quiet reflection when all they have on their minds is the business of the day ahead, but that short period becomes an important time to connect with God and each other.

Pope Francis has declared the upcoming liturgical year, beginning in December, ‘The Year of Prayer’. In doing so he stated, “In a word, may it be an intense year of prayer in which hearts are opened to receive the outpouring of God’s grace and to make the ‘Our Father’ the prayer Jesus taught us, the life program of each of his disciples.” Jesus did a pretty good job of summarising his whole message in that prayer. One: we should give glory to God for he gave us everything that exists. Two: there is something to look forward to - a purpose. Three: God will provide for us and show us love, mercy and compassion no matter what our failings. The trade-off being that in return, we should do the same for others.

All good relationships require an element of constructive dialogue and engagement. For the most part, God’s contribution comes through revelation and the stories in the Bible but is also apparent in the loving actions of the people around us. Prayer invokes the work of the Holy Spirit in our world. By simply asking for God’s help or reflecting on the example of Jesus’ life, the decision of how to act in difficult situations can become clear and our actions become the hands of Christ in the world.

We try hard to emphasise to our students that there is no wrong way to pray. Yes, it can be in a formal prayer like the ‘Our Father’, but even a quick acknowledgement or request for strength invites God into our hearts. In return, God offers nothing to the conversation but love.

So, I wish you all a prayerful year ahead and in doing so I’ll end today’s RE team message with a sentence starter... Hey Jesus, it’s been a while…