Preparation For Prayer

I stop from my daily routine and become aware of God’s presence in my life and around me. I think about what I am about to do, reflect on the dead and what I have done and failed to do for them.

Initial Prayer

I pray for God’s light that I gain a deeper understanding of what I have done and what I have failed to do for the dead.

Context Of Prayer

i. Genesis 47: 27-31.

ii. The above episode from Jacob’s life highlights the importance people put in remembering the dead, in knowing where their loved ones are buried and in knowing that the remains of their loved ones are close by. In modern times this is especially highlighted by efforts made to bring home the bodies of soldiers who die in far away places in time of war. Sometimes considerable resources and energy are devoted to locating the burial place of dead soldiers in battlefields, and families often only make some form of closure when the body of their loved one is returned to them for burial; at times many long years after his death.

iii. Such stories may seem remote to me, and burying the dead is a given here. It is the law.  I know where my dead loved ones are buried, in readily accessible cemeteries. So how have I buried my dead or failed to do so?

iv. The most obvious way I bury my dead is every time I pray for them. I stop and reflect on how often do I really remember my dead loved ones in prayer.

v. The text I have reflected on emphasises Jacob’s desire to be buried in his homeland and not in Egypt where he had ended up as a guest of his son Joseph. Possibly Jacob wanted to be buried in his homeland because he was afraid that his family would otherwise forget him if his body was left behind in Egypt. Maybe I prefer to remember my dead as they were in life and do not associate them with the cemetery where their remains have been buried. For many people, however, visiting the burial place of a loved one brings comfort. Even if this is not important for me, maybe one way of burying my dead could be taking an aged relative to the cemetery, allowing them to grieve and to find comfort.

vi. Maybe for me burying the dead can mean burying dead issues or dead conflicts, letting bygones be bygones. I reflect on when I did this and on those times when I would not let a conflict die, and instead of burying it, kept flagging it on.

vii. I continue reflecting on how I have buried the dead in my life. For these times I thank God. I think of the times when I did not bury the dead, and for these times I ask for God’s forgiveness. I think about what I can do in the future to bury the dead.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:
– The Benefits Of Prayer On The Physical And Psychological Well-Being
– Top Popes’ Prayer Quotes

Watch:

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Preparation For Prayer

If possible I go outside, preferably in a quiet place in the countryside and enjoy my surroundings as I revel in my freedom. I can come and go as I please, and for this I thank God, as I think of those who do not have such freedom.

Initial Prayer

I pray that I gain a deeper awareness of those people in my life who do not have freedom, who are imprisoned. I pray for light that I may see what I have done for them, what I can do for them and what I have failed to do for them.

Context Of Prayer

i. “Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, of the ill-treated as yourselves, for you also are in the body (Hebrews 13:3)

ii. I may not have any contact at all with anyone who is in prison, and access to prisoners is limited, so this work of mercy may seem distant to me. I can at least remember them and their victims in my prayers.

iii. Prisons aren’t the only place where prisoners live. I reflect on who else is a prisoner around me. I think of the few asylum seekers who remain in detention centres. Is there anything I have ever done for them or could do for them? Maybe I have some time to volunteer and visit them and accompany them as they try to make sense of their stalled lives. If I do not have the time, perhaps I can donate phone cards, clothes, reading material…… the list is endless.

iv. What about the other prisoners in my life? The housebound old woman who lives on her own, too frail to venture out except once on a while. Her son and daughter are too busy to take her out or to visit regularly to keep her company, to make her feel valued. Could the prisoner in my life be my own relative, at home or in an institution, waiting for someone to remember him, to drop by and say hello? Or the young mother of a severely disabled son, who badly needs a break, even if just for a couple of hours, from the constant caring and drudgery that mark her days.

v. I continue to reflect on who the prisoners in my life are, on what I have done for them, what I failed to do for them. Is there someone I have myself turned into a prisoner by limiting their freedom in any way? I pray for forgiveness for all those instances when I failed to visit the prisoners in my life, for whenever I limited the freedom of others. I resolve to be more sensitive to the needs of the prisoners in my life.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:
– Top Pope Francis’ Global & Local Human Solidarity Quotes
– Good Education Quotes By Catholic Headteacher

Watch:

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Preparation For Prayer

I sit or walk and become aware of God’s loving gaze upon me. I become aware of my own body and of my state of health. I thank God for the gift of health. Even though my health may not be perfect, at least I can go about my daily business whilst so many cannot. I think of what I am about to do, reflect on how I have served the sick and how I have not done so.

Initial Prayer

I pray to God that I gain a deeper understanding of how much those who are sick depend on those who are healthy. I pray God to show me what I have done for those whose health has failed them, what I have failed to do for them and what I could do for them.

Context Of Prayer

i. Jesus spent a big part of his ministry amongst those who are sick, healing them and giving them courage. He broke social taboos in order to help the sick. I choose and read slowly one text of such a meeting between Jesus and a sick person e.g. Lk 8:43-48 or Mk 8:22-25.

ii. The most obvious way to start is by remembering those times when I visited a relative or a friend in hospital, or when they were unwell in their homes. At times this might not be convenient for me and I may postpone visiting someone who would welcome my company, perhaps because I do not like the environment, or perhaps because I find the stigmata of disease too painful or disturbing to witness, or perhaps simply because my life is too full of other things for me to go out of my way to accompany those who need my presence.

iii. Maybe there are other ways how I can visit the sick, perhaps by supporting cancer research, or research into another disease or by volunteering and offering my services to an NGO or in hospital. Or perhaps I can support a family plagued by the illness of a loved one, maybe by cooking a meal for a family with a sick mother. Maybe I could lobby for better promotion of a healthy lifestyle, or for better health education in schools or on the media. The possibilities are endless and I think of those instances where I have visited the sick in this way and of those times when I did not do so.

iv. I also think of the time when I did not only fail to visit the sick, but when I actually risked the health of others. Perhaps I risked my life and that of others by drinking and driving. Perhaps I neglected my friend’s symptoms and did not urge her to seek medical attention until it was too late. Maybe, less dramatically, I do not bother to give my family healthy food because the less healthy options are simply too convenient.

v. I continue to reflect on the sick in my life. For all those times that I did visit them I thank God. I ask for forgiveness for all those times when I failed to serve the sick around me, and for all those times when I promoted sickness around me. I resolve to serve the sick in new ways and ask for the love and strength to accomplish what I have resolved.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:

– My Psychosis Recovery: Love, Medicine and Faith
– “I’m A Doctor On a Spiritual Journey” – The Role Of Spirituality In Health Care

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Preparation For Prayer 

As far as possible I try to pray at my home. I sit down in my favourite room and stop for a while to appreciate the good points about my home. I have worked hard to buy and furnish this house and I have spent a lot of energy turning it into a home. Maybe I have even made my house the centre of my existence, devoting all my means and energy to it. Whichever way I relate to my house, I recognise that I am one of the lucky ones and that there are many people who do not have anywhere they can call a home.

Initial Prayer

I become aware of God’s presence, here now, in my home. I thank God for my home, for all the comfort I live in. I pray that I gain a deeper awareness that not everyone is as lucky as I am and that there are homeless people even in our country. I ask God to show me who these people are and what I have done or not done for them and what I can do for them.

Context

i. Jesus was no stranger to homelessness. He was born whilst his parents were travelling, away from home and became a refugee when his family fled to Egypt soon afterwards (Mt 2: 13-18). Later in his life, while on a journey he was approached by someone who said, “I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head (Luke 9:57-58), indicating that during his ministry he had no fixed home.

ii. Although we live in an affluent society, there are those amongst us who are homeless, some our countrymen, many more are refugees and asylum seekers from other countries. I pause to think whether I have ever had any contact with them or whether I have ever gone out of my way to meet them, to make them feel welcome, to give them a degree of comfort or to help them in any way.

iii. Many young couples and families are finding themselves in financial difficulties and unable to cope, perhaps because they took out home loans and made other financial commitments that they couldn’t afford. If I know of such a family, have I ever done anything to help them in their plight? Have I ever wondered what the root causes of this problem are? Perhaps in our educational system, in the way we are bringing up our children who end up having unrealistic expectations. Is there anything I can do about all this?

iv. I think of the world around me, a world that is becoming more harsh and unforgiving to the vulnerable. In 2015 an estimated 65.3 million people were forced from their home. Of these 21.3 million persons were refugees, 40.8 million internally displaced and 3.2 million asylum seekers. (http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/unhcrstats/576408cd7/unhcr-global-trends-2015.html). In Syria the situation is catastrophic, and an estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. The majority are internally displaced or have fled to neighbouring countries. Can I contribute financially or otherwise them?

v. I consider all these situations and others that I have been thinking about. I see what I have done for these people and about these situation, what I have not done and think about what I can do. For all those times I did something for these homeless I thank God. I ask for forgiveness for the times when I did not.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:
– Top Popes’ Quotes About Catholic Social Justice
– Why Are People Refugees?

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Preparation For Prayer

I sit down comfortably and concentrate on my breathing, breathing slowly and deeply. With each life-giving breath I take in I feel God’s life-giving presence within me, sustaining me and giving me strength. I think of water, life-giving water, without which we cannot live and I think about what I am to do, reflect on those who are thirsty.

Initial Prayer

I ask God to grant me what I wish, that I see who the thirsty are. I pray that I see all who thirst lovingly, with God’s eyes. I pray that God shows me what I have done and not done for the thirsty and what I can do for them.

Context Of Prayer

i. ‘After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst .’  (Jn 19:28).

I think about Jesus on the cross, needing water. I try to feel his thirst, the longing for relief. I pray that I see Jesus thirsting in the thirst of others.

ii. Experts predict that the wars of the future will be fought over water as peoples compete with dwindling sources of water. Water will become scarcer in the future because of climate change, because of man-made blockage, siphoning off and destruction of waterways and of sources of water and because of pollution. Fresh water will become a very precious resource.

iii. Water shortage seems a thing of the past for us in Malta. We take the water in our taps for granted. Yet it comes at great cost. Enemalta is the Water Services Corporation’s biggest customer because of the amount of energy the reverse osmosis plants require. Do I try to conserve water so as to try to keep the environmental and financial cost of its production to the minimum possible for the benefit of all?

iv. Many villages in sub-Saharan Africa do not have a close or reliable water supply and people, usually women, have to walk great distances to fetch water. Perhaps I can contribute financially or otherwise to their thirst. Or perhaps I can campaign against pollution which compromises the supply of fresh water to whole peoples.

v. Or perhaps the thirst I see around me is not thirst for water but for a more just, humane society. I think of how I have helped to bring justice to some and how I have contributed to injustice in other situations. I think of how I have slacked this thirst in some people but not in others.

vi. Psalm 63 speaks of a thirst for God. Perhaps this is the thirst I see around me. I think of the times I helped to satisfy this thirst in others and of the times when I aggravated it.

vii. I think about other situations when I satisfied other people’s thirst and thank God for them. I ask for forgiveness for the times when I did not do so.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:
– Preserving The Dignity Of The Elderly – An Example From The Little Sisters Of The Poor
– “I Work With Prostitutes” – The Negative Effects Of Prostitution

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Preparation For Prayer

I pause from my daily routine and sit comfortably whilst I focus on the sounds I hear around me…. children playing in the distance, a dog barking, the neighbour’s radio blasting out music in the background. I listen passively to all these sounds and slowly shift my focus inwards, contrasting all this noise to the silence within me. I rest in this silence and, when ready, I think about what I am to do…. reflect on the hungry in our midst and what I am doing or not doing for them.

Initial Prayer

I pray to God to give me His light and understanding so that I recognise who the hungry in my life are and so that I look at them lovingly. I pray that I gain new insight on how I deal with those who are hungry and on what I could do for them if I were to see them anew with God’s eyes.

Context Of Prayer

i. Luke 16:19-31

ii. After reading the above text a couple of times, I start focusing on the figure of Lazarus and reflect on who is Lazarus in my life today. I probably do not know anyone who lives in such deep misery as the Lazarus of the parable did. After all we live in an affluent society. We do not have people dying of hunger in our streets, starving with no-one to take care of them.

But how abject does my neighbour’s poverty have to be before I lift a finger to help him? Perhaps I know of a single mother, always buying the cheapest stuff, grabbing all supermarket offers for cheap, unhealthy food, trying to make ends meet by giving her children suboptimal food because that is what she can afford. Meanwhile, I regularly clean out my fridge, throwing out expensive food items because they expired before I found the time to cook them; because I couldn’t be bothered to plan properly. So I throw food away and Lazarus dreams of what is in my fridge, and of the treats he would like to give his children but cannot.

iii. Or perhaps the hunger I see around me isn’t physical. Perhaps for me Lazarus is the old woman who lives across the street from me. The nosey one, who is always on her doorstep, always asking what I am up to as I try to hurry by because I am too busy to stop and chat with her and anyway, what I am up to is none of her business. Until one day she corners me, taking me by surprise before I have the time to invent an excuse why I have to rush off. And as we talk I realise that her problem isn’t nosiness but a hunger for companionship. And I see how much I am being the rich man to her Lazarus.

iv. Lazarus is also the victim of structural sin, a victim of the increasing inequality gap between the rich and the poor. I see Lazarus in the poor who are getting poorer, in our country, but more so in the victims of famine, mismanagement and graft in sub Saharan Africa; their regular plight made worse by man-made climate change and by escalating food prices. And I think of the time I waste on my own selfish pursuits rather than lobbying against the inequalities of this world and trying to understand the complex underlying causes. I think about what I spend my excess income on rather than donating at least a portion of it to help those who do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Or perhaps for me Lazarus is someone else. I look at my life and think about who Lazarus is for me.

v. I remember those times when I did do something for the Lazarus in my life, when I felt God’s grace working through me, however imperfectly. For these moments I thank God. I also remember the times when I turned my back, when I refused to see Lazarus and feel his hunger, when my life was too full of the things Lazarus was hungering for, but I refused to see. I pray for forgiveness and ask God to help me to see more, to be more open to Lazarus’ needs in the future.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:

– Spiritual Thirst – A Reflection On The Samaritan Woman
– Top Pope Francis’ Heart And Mind Rest Quotes

The post Act of Mercy Prayer "Feed the Hungry" appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Preparation For Prayer

I pause from my daily routine and walk about or sit as I think about the clothes I am wearing. I appreciate how they keep me warm in cold weather and how they make me feel good about myself. I turn my thoughts to God and feel his loving gaze upon me. I thank him for all that I have, including the fact that I have the means to clothe myself when so many do not.

Initial Prayer

I pray for what I want, to see how I have helped to clothe the naked and to recognise the times when I have not done so. I pray that I recognise who the naked are in my life and ask God to show me what I can do for them.

Context Of Prayer

i. ‘What should we do then?  the crowd asked.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same .’ (Lk 3:10-11).

I reflect on what John the Baptist taught his followers. This teaching was further elaborated and radicalised by Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) who goes out of his way to clothe and help the man who was attacked and left to die by the roadside.

ii. The most obvious place to start reflecting on how I have clothed the naked is my wardrobe. I try to remember when was the last time I cleared out the clothes I didn’t need and donated them to charity. But should I only clothe the naked in this way? By giving away what is extra, what I want to get rid of anyway, perhaps to make space for even more, newer, more fashionable clothes?

iii. I reflect a bit more deeply on the contents of my wardrobe. Perhaps I can spend a little bit less on clothes and give the money I thus save to those institutions that need to clothe people so that they can buy what they really need instead of having to make do with other people’s cast-offs.

iv. I think of the labels on my clothes. Have I ever considered whether the people who make my clothes are being adequately compensated for their work? Do I make the effort to research the companies whose labels I buy, to make sure that my clothes haven’t been produced in sweatshops? Have I ever refused to buy something I really liked because it was not produced ethically? Or perhaps bought simpler, plainer clothes because they are fair trade items?

v. I continue reflecting on how I have clothed the naked, and thank God for those times when I consented to let His grace work through me. I also think about the times when I was blind to the naked around me, when I bought clothes I didn’t need or clothes that I knew were produced at the expense of others, for these times I ask God for forgiveness.

Colloquy

I speak to Jesus directly, as to a friend who is sitting next to me, sharing with Him all that I have thought about and about what I felt as I was reflecting. I pause and listen.

End Of Prayer

I finish by saying slowly and prayerfully the Our Father.

Read more:

– The Benefits Of Prayer On The Physical And Psychological Well-Being
– Top Popes’ Prayer Quotes

Watch:

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