Before the session…
Watch this video, with Fr Stephen, talking about the value of asking questions about God
Look at the many pictures in these three picture collages and decide which image most strikes you
Using these pictures to get you thinking, here’s the key question:
“Where do I see God?”
Key Message From Today’s Session
God knows and loves us personally
In today’s session we discovered that:
God loves me personally (not in a vague or distant way).
God’s love is personal, proven, merciful and offered
God’s love is secure and does not waiver
We can love God back in a personal way; relating to him as a friend
After the session…
In Session One, we thought about God’s love for us
Sometimes, it involves trust to draw closer to God and truly appreciate the depth of his love.
But it also involves us choosing and committing to taking a step towards God.
Remember God is searching for us, but we must respond by searching for God too. He wants a relationship with you.
We will be encouraging you to use the year ahead, as you prepare for Confirmation,
to make changes to the way you do things, so as to give a little bit more space for God in your life.
There are a number of things we can do to grow our faith in God. Prayer is one of them.
It is one which we will be encouraging you to develop in the months ahead.
Use what’s on offer here to help you to reflect on what we covered in Session One
and to help you start a new habit: Prayer!
Lectio Divina is a form of prayer which helps us listen to what God is saying to us through sacred scripture
Read again Jeremiah 29:11 and then re-read the passage a second time.
Take time to reflect on this Bible passage:
- What words stand out?
- What does this passage reveal to us about God?
- What might God be saying to you personally?
- Finally, what do you need from God? Ask him for it…
Worship Songs to aid prayer
Christian Music can inspire us and help us to focus or calm us in prayer
Here are two songs which you might like to listen to:
God is…
(by Danielle Rose)
Good, Good Father
(by Chris Tomlin)
Challenge of the Week:
Choose one way to relate to God as someone who is personally present in your life
Mass on Sundays is vital to us remaining connected to God, but regular prayer during the week can also help to nurture a relationship with God and help us to invite him into our daily life.
Be honest and ask yourself: Do I pray? If the answer is no, well there’s no better time to start than now! If you already pray regularly, why not use this opportunity to try a new way of praying? There’s no one right way to do it. Use the music and video above to get you started.
- Turn off all media and distractions for at least five minutes to create a quiet and calm space
- Use music or a passage in the Bible to help you focus
- Light a candle or look at a holy picture
- Spend some time journaling and writing down what is on your mind, then bring it to prayer
- Use some of the set prayers of the church which you know well, like the our Father or Hail Mary, if you struggle finding the right words
- Sit in silence and let God speak to you
- Go on a walk and take in the beauty of the created world
