Prayer is a conversation with God. It is a way of opening our hearts to him and sharing our thoughts and feelings with him. Prayer can be done in many different ways, such as through words, music, or silence. During Lent, we can use prayer to reflect on our relationship with God, and to ask for his guidance and strength.
Day 1 – Head
On the first day of our prayer we will be reflecting on The Word of God to help us to understand our theme.
We begin our prayer this morning with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
In this scripture, Jesus emphasizes that prayer is not about showing off or seeking the approval of others. He warns against being like the hypocrites who pray in public just to be seen. Instead, Jesus encourages a personal and intimate relationship with God, urging individuals to pray in secret, where they can connect with their Father without distractions. This teaches us that prayer is a private conversation with God, where you can express your personal thoughts, feelings, and needs openly and honestly.
- When was the last time that you prayed privately?
- Do you only pray for your own needs?
- Do you pray for others?
Lets us Pray:
Dear God,
Thank You for teaching me how to pray with sincerity and humility. Help me to come before You with a heart that seeks only You, not the approval of others. Let my prayers be genuine, flowing from faith and trust in Your goodness.
May I always seek Your presence in the quiet places, knowing that You see and hear me. Teach me to forgive as You have forgiven me, and guide me in living a life that reflects Your love.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Day 2 – Heart
On the second day of the week we focus on our hearts. How can the scripture that we looked at previously impact our lives, and the lives of others? What themes can we draw from the scripture?
We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Prayer is the first of the Three Pillars of Lent.
The scripture we heard earlier this week (Matthew 6:5-15) invites us to embrace prayer as a personal and transformative experience. It encourages us to seek a genuine relationship with God, practice forgiveness, and understand the importance of aligning our lives with His will. By doing so, we can grow in faith and become instruments of God’s love in our communities
The passage also introduces the Lord’s Prayer, which serves as a model for how to pray. It begins with acknowledging God’s holiness and His kingdom, reminding us that prayer is not just about asking for things but about recognizing who God is and aligning their hearts with His will. The prayer includes requests for daily needs, forgiveness, and guidance away from temptation, highlighting the importance of humility and dependence on God
When we pray deeply for others, our hearts and emotions connect on a personal level with the heart and emotions of the Father. It is a gateway to sharing his heart and therefore knowing him deeper—which should always be our goal. I believe praying for others is a way to fellowship in Jesus’ sufferings.
Reflection:
Am I praying to connect with God or to impress others?
Is my heart trusting God’s provision, or am I holding onto worry?
Is there anyone I need to forgive, just as God forgives me?
We invite you now to stand and prayer the prayer Our Lord gave us:
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.
We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Day 3 – Hands
On the final day of the week we try to put into action the things we have learnt and reflected on previously in the week, hence the hands link!
We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
We reflect on the Lords prayer and how powerful it helps us refocus our time for God.
Each of you will now be given a paper handprint. On each finger, please write someone or something to pray for.
For example:
Thumb: Family
Index finger: Teachers & Friends
Middle finger: Leaders & Community
Ring finger: Those who are sick
Little finger: Themselves
On the Palm of the hand please can you write a prayer for one of your chosen people. This prayer needs to consider their needs and how God can support you to support them.
If you would like to share your prayer with the rest of the class, now is the time to do so.
If you would like to share it with the school, feel free to add it into the comments.
Please feel no pressure to share your prayer, as it is ultimately between you and God.
We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
One member of our form said that they pray for their family . Another member of our form prays for the people left behind suffering in war. A quarter of the form said they pray everyday.
Half of the form said that they pray once a week.
Some people in our form pray for themselves and to connect to God. Most people thought that praying to impress wasn’t part of what they do as prayer is often very private. In our form, some people ask for forgiveness only when they do something wrong, but others ask for forgiveness on a daily basis as it is part of the prayer they are praying. An example of a request for forgiveness was when someone forgot to pray and wanted forgiveness for that.
Prayer is talking with God so we should pray more.
you should focus your time for praying instead of doing stuff that your not suppose to be doing.
We should pray for others and ourselves because we don’t know what is happening in other people lives