Learning How To Pray
Each month, I spend two Sunday mornings praying with 9-12 year olds at College Church. They\’re a quieter bunch, yet very much full of energy. Using the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach to religious formation, we gather for an hour and a half to read and talk about how we see God in the world. We reflect on stories from the New and Old Testament and explore the meaning behind each sacrament. At the end of our time together, before we return to Mass for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we pray communal prayer. Usually a group of three or four children come together and select opening and closing songs, a scripture passage, and a psalm. In our atrium (classroom), it is typical for children to write petitions to read during prayer. Sometimes they consult the large group when writing their petitions. Other times, a smaller group composes them.
The petitions prayed at our last gathering have had a deep impact on me. Each week I am humbled to be in the presence of children who teach me how to pray. So I asked the four 10 year-old girls who wrote them if I could share them with you. Thus, I offer you (copied just as they wrote them) prayers of wisdom and insight that is great beyond their years.
- For all who have suffered starvation, thirst, coldness, or loss of loved ones. We pray…
- That anyone who is in Iraq, they will be safe. We pray…
- For all who are poor, sick, shelterless, or unloved, that they shall have all their needs. We pray…
- For world peace, that we come to the parousia soon. We pray…
AMEN.