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A little theology
We dont usually associate religious faith with risk-taking.
After all, what could be less risky thanconforming our lives to an
established faith thathas been around for over two thousand
years?Theres nothing especially daring or radical aboutthat or is
there?
Actually taking risks in the sense of letting go ofunhelpful
beliefs and practices is at the very heartof authentic religious
faith. You have heard how itis said [in the Torah] but I say to you
are notthe words of someone who thought that religion
was about unthinking conformity. If we are to growspiritually,
as people who have a capacity toexperience and know that great
other we callGod, we must keep letting go of some things
andactively embracing others. This is the ongoingchallenge of a
faith that invites us to become fullyhuman.
Letting go (some suggestions)
If we want to make sense of prayer we have to letgo of the idea
that God is an incredibly powerfulsuperperson somewhere in the
universe that we
would like to be on good terms with. Some of ourimages of God
are very helpful God isenlightenment, Father, love, a rock, a
shepherd -all these give us insights into what God is like. Butnone
of these ideas, even the best of them, tell uswho God is.
Unfortunately for many God hasbecome equated with a particular set
of humanpictures, including being powerful (like amonarch), being
condemnatory (like a judge),being male and being in control. Many
people(understandably) have difficulties with such aGod. Praying
seems to be a matter of persuadingGod to do things which would
otherwise not be
done. Needless to say, this is not theunderstanding of prayer
thatwe would want to promote at St Annes (oranywhere else).
Without abandoning images altogether (whichwould be silly) we
need to embrace the insightthat God is the truly realin life
(without turningthatinto just another image). This truly
real,according to many of the ancient world faiths andcertainly
according to Christianity, is to be foundat the heart of our lives
as persons. God, in a waythat we struggle to say in words, is the
Mystery atthe centre of my life, and your life and everyoneslife.
To pray, then, is the most liberating thing wecan do. Prayer
connects us to the creative Centrethat our lives are always trying
to express.
Incarnation and salvation
Johns gospel tells us in a poetic way that what istruly realis,
amazingly, completely wedded to thehuman condition. The Word (God)
became fleshmeans that, again in a mysterious sense, humanand
divine are not two separate realities but one.For Christians Jesus
exemplified this truth in avery concrete and outstanding way. But
it wouldbe a mistake to see him as a one-off. The wholepoint of the
incarnation (the en-fleshment of God)is that allpeople should
experience their divinecentre and destiny. Indeed, the Church is
the
community that witnesses to this through theirexperience of
Jesus as the Godsend.
During the last 1000 years of Christianity we havebecome used to
the idea that salvation is a kind ofrescue operation of God led by
Jesus resulting in(eventually) a right relationship
betweenhumankind and God. Interestingly many of theearlier (Greek)
Christians thought of salvationdifferently. Salvation for them was
apotheosiswhich means being raised up to be like God. Thisearlier
understanding of salvation complementsthe idea that God is fully
involved in the reality we
call human. Through prayer we become moreconnected with our
deepest selves, with othersand with the total mystery of life. This
is what itmeans for us to be fully human/God-like. Thismarvellous
destiny is the pearl of great price thatanyone who is fully awake
would want to possess.
Prayer at St Annes
Praying in school has a rationale. Given a faithperspective on
life and an acceptance of thepoints outlined, it should be clear
that praying (farfrom being a waste of time) is one of the main
ways in which we affirm our human identity.Prayer is the
necessary condition for the completelife which is also the life of
faith. The challenge is
Praying in school: why do we bother?
St Annes Catholic SchoolSouthampton
September 2006
8/14/2019 A Little Bit of Theology
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to help ourselves and our students experienceprayer in this
way.
Praying or saying prayers?
Acts of worship, usually involving prayer, takeplace every day
in school either during whole-yearassemblies or in classrooms.
If prayer in these contexts is to be meaningfulcertain
conditions must be created by theteacherto ensure that the right
kind of prayingtakes place.
There is a distinction between time andprayer time. Prayer time
is holy groundthat should be approached in a respectfulway. Prayer
time does not have to belonger than business time. What makesprayer
time special is the way it isprepared and handled.
The teachers role in establishing the right
conditions is decisive. If she/he regardsthe time as special so
(eventually) will thestudents. It may be hard to quieten thegroup
down or to put aside activities thatseem important, but the
teacherswillingness to do this day after day willensure that the
right messages are sentout. Praying is a habit and habits need tobe
established.
Minimally, there must be no noise,chatting or any distractions
during prayertime. Actually the experience ofsilence/quiet for a
couple of minutes isvery liberating for students and manyappreciate
the efforts to achieve this.
One good way to mark off the time asspecial is to light a candle
and place it in aprominent position for the class.
Sometimes playing quiet music ordisplaying suitable posters can
be just aseffective.
Dont think you have to highly creative
every time the class has prayer time. Infact I would urge you to
use formats that
will be presented on the weekly reflectionsheet for at least two
of the four weeklyclass assemblies:
Day Format
1
Each week there will be a phrase fromthe weeks Gospel on the
reflectionsheet. Get someone to read this out tothe class (or read
it yourself sometimes).Then read the short reflections on
theGospel. They are meant to help thestudents apply the gospel to
their lives.
End with the short prayer provided.
2
Use the bidding prayers/prayers of thefaithful on the reflection
sheet. Thesecould be read by an individual or a smallgroup.
Everyone should say theresponse (written on the whiteboard).
3Prayers and reflections relevant to theweek, often related to
the (liturgical)calendar, are included. Use at least oneof these if
possible.
Dont be afraid to spend a minute insilence. Everyone has people
and thingson their mind. Leave these thoughts withGod and enjoy the
stillness.
You will know your form better than most.Some classes will want
the opportunity tosay their own thoughts and prayers to theclass:
create a secure environment inwhich this can continue. Some groups
willprefer quiet (and music) to words: usethese means to give them
the supportthey need.
We want to avoid the two extremes ofeverybody doing the same
thing (iereading from the reflection sheet) andeverybody doing
their own thing(which can mean nothing at all). Weare praying as a
Christian communityand it is right for us all during the weekto
reflect on the same gospel and toexpress our common needs.
Equallywe have needs that are specific to ourclasses and we will
need to work outour own way of expressing them.
