26. And you… how do you do to pray?

WHERE AND HOW TO PRAY?

– Franck: Welcome to both of you. I am very happy to meet you today. I know that you have some interesting things to tell us and also some questions so let’s go. You want to start Lea? – Lea: Yes! I would like to know why Jesus said in the « Our father » that one must enter into his room to pray to God? I also pray elsewhere. – Franck: In fact, God sees you and he hears your prayer wether you are in your room, on the bus, by the water or elsewhere. The place is not what is most important; it is above all what is going on around you, in your head and in your heart. Jesus tells us to come into our room and to close the door because it is usually a quiet place where you can be alone but that maybe somewhere else where you won’t be distracted by what’s going on around you. You turn off your cell phone, your tablet, you are all alone with God and you can talk to him without being disturbed. Paul, have you ever seen people who close their eyes when they pray? – Paul: yes, I do it too. – Franck: When we close our eyes, we can concentrate better, and that helps us. – Paul: Sometimes I pray when I’m at school. I do not speak aloud but in my heart. I don’t close my eyes, if there are friends around me . They don’t realize that I ‘m praying – Franck: Praying out loud, it feels good, you can hear yourself talking to God but, sometimes, it’s t true, you can do in your heart, in your head and God hears us too. – Paul: If my friends saw that I was praying, they would laugh at me. There are many who don’t believe in God. – Franck: Mockery hurts a lot. We all know that. Jesus also knew mockery and a very great wickedness. He can understand us. Many children do not believe in God, maybe they don’t know him, they don’t know he exists but everyone has a right to be respected. – Léa: Once, I told my friends that I was praying and they laughed at me but that’s okay. There is one, she has a lot of problems, she cries often, so she comes to see me. We stand together in a corner and I ask God to help her. She is happy, she does not know Jesus very much but I tell her that he wants to help her, she begins to believe in him and, at home, I pray for her with my parents – Paul: I also sometimes pray with my parents, but I don’t always want to, I don’t know always know what to say. – Franck: We can tell God what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s bothering us, what’s making us feel bad what hurts us , what makes us cry or gives us joy, you say it with your words, maybe your prayer will not be long but what is important is that you say it in your words. And prayer is not only to ask, it is also to thank God for everything he made for nature, health, family, to tell him that we love him, that we believe in him, that we want to be agreeable to him, to obey him. – Léa: I don’t always have good grades in school, so I ask God to help me understand and it gets better, I also pray for my big brother and sometimes, I cry while praying, my mom too, my daddy, I don’t know! – Paul: Do we have to pray every day? I sometimes forget to pray at night before I go sleep. – Franck: Before going to bed, you can thank God for the day. You see what went well and what didn’t go well and you tell him about it. You can also ask him to watch over you, over your thoughts, your dreams. It is good to fall asleep in peace, many children are afraid at night. In the morning you can bring him the day ahead, you don’t know what’s going to happen, what might happen, He knows it. Quite simply, you can pray whenever and wherever you want. YOU are the one who decides to speak to your Father who is in heaven. You don’t see him, but you know he’s there, that he loves you and wants your good. – Léa: Yes, I believe that. I have another question. – Franck: We’re listening to you, Léa, go ahead! – Lea: Does he always answer, God? – Franck: Yes, God answers but not always as we think and when we would like. He knows what is best for us; and sometimes he gives way more than he was asked and he even sometimes gives when he has not been asked and other times he seems not to answer. – Paul: ah! Really? – Franck: God is the master of all things, he loves us and he also wants to teach us some things, he wants us to know him better, and our confidence in him to grow. So he can answer « Yes », sometimes « No » and at other times « Hold on». – Paul: So what do we do? – Franck: We think about it: is what I ask God good for me? Is it what he wants? You read the Gospel and you see how Jesus answered prayers, it encourages you and helps you understand better. You can also talk about it with your parents or someone who can help and pray with you. And maybe it’s much later that you’ll understand God’s plan for you. – Léa: Often, I would like him to answer me right away! – Franck: Yes, I understand but I will tell you again, God knows what he is doing and he does the best even if we do not understand, do not forget He is Our Father who loves us. For today it is our last word. Lea and Paul, a big thank you to both of you for participating today in our program, our exchange will help the children who listen to us. See you soon! 1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! Well done and thank you to Léa, Paul and Franck, I find that everything they have just said answers many of our questions and it encourages me to keep praying. And you? Do you have moments when, alone or with your parents, friends, you pray to Jesus? If you’ve never done it, I encourage you to do so, today for example, when you want you can talk to God and if you have more questions, you will certainly have the answer in our next broadcasts. 4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! Praying with our children … is a time of sharing, of communion. Children learn the respect for God, his greatness, his love. It’s a calm moment when you sit down but which isn’t always easy to set up because our children live all day in turmoil, zapping, movement, and now we ask them to stay put. So how do you do it? What is the right measure to maintain these moments? Is there a unique formula that is suitable for all families? It’s up to each of us to think about it. Good habits are learned when you are little. So let’s start from birth by praying out loud with baby. When he starts to speak, let’s encourage him to repeat our words, to say thank you for the food, the family. In the evening, turn off all the screens and enjoy the moment of bedtime to listen to our children, their joys of the day, their worries, their questions and pray with them and for them. We can enrich these moments by suggesting things to pray for. But also give thanks. Let’s sing together. Let’s Also encourage them to have their moments all alone with God.