Apostleship of Prayer

CHILDREN'S REFLECTIONS on the
PRAYER REQUESTS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
May 2008

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Main Prayer Request

Pray that Christians may make music, art, movies, plays, and books that teach all people how to care about others.

This month Pope Benedict XVI asks us to pray for those who make art of all kinds. Stories and pictures are everywhere because of TV, movie theatres, radio, magazines, and books. Sometimes those shows make people mean, ugly, and worthless. We pray that the people who make the shows will tell us how good and beautiful people are.

The truth is that we are all made in God's likeness. The Bible says so. The Church says so. Every creature was made by God, but we human beings are special because we have some of the powers that God has. A dog can't make up a song. A monkey can't write a book. People can make art. People can love. People are free to choose to be good or bad. God asked us to take care of the earth and each other. That's a job the other creatures cannot do.

When artists create beauty, they reflect the beauty of God. When writers tell a good story, they reflect the truth about God and people. Christians like us need to make art and movies and books and music that tell others about the goodness of God. We have a chance to show people today how Jesus loves us and how he is still close to us, giving us forgiveness of sins and new life as children of God.

We need to tell people that Heaven is a real place, and because of Jesus we can choose to go there and live forever in perfect love and happiness. We need to use TV and radio to bring faith, hope, and love to a world that is afraid, sad, and lonely. Let's pray for Christians and ourselves, that we can help others become friends with Jesus Christ.

For Reflection:
When you make pictures or write stories or make videos, how do you show that people are beautiful and important?

scripture:
1 John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."

Mission Prayer Request

Pray that the Blessed Virgin Mary will guide missionaries with her motherly love.

After Jesus rose from the dead and was lifted up into the sky to heaven, Mary prayed with his friends, the Apostles, for nine days. She was like a mother to the friends of Jesus. Mary was in the room with them when the Holy Spirit fell on them. They received the power Jesus promised them to go out and tell the Good News to the ends of the earth.

The Pope asks us to pray that Mary may still go with missionaries. We pray that Mary will give them her goodness, her wisdom, and her love.

For us, Mary is an example of how important it is to pray for missionaries.

We pray with Mary that missionaries will have the power of the Holy Spirit when they talk about the love of Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit, people will not come to Jesus to have their sins forgiven, to be baptized, and to receive eternal life. We pray hard that the Holy Spirit will move between those who tell about Jesus and those who hear about Jesus. We want what God wants. Like God, we want everyone to know the wonderful love of Jesus.

We can also pray an offering prayer for others. An offering prayer makes everything we do that day a prayer. Here's one offering prayer you can say:

Heavenly Father,
I offer you this day
All that I think and do and say
Uniting it with what was done
By Jesus Christ, your only Son.
Amen.

When we pray that way, we join in prayer with Mary, our Mother, and the Mother of the Church. We are helping to spread the Kingdom of God.

Reflection:
Jesus offered himself to God for us every day of his life, including the day he gave himself on the cross. When you offer yourself in prayer, you are living as Jesus did. How does offering yourself change the way you pray?

scripture:
Acts 1:4,8,14 Jesus asked his friends to wait for "the promise of the Father. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth." All his friends met to pray, including some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus.

Daily Offering Prayer for Children

Heavenly Father,
I offer you this day
All that I think and do and say,
Uniting it with what was done
By Jesus Christ, your only Son.
Amen.

Prayer of the Month

Mary, Star of the New Evangelization

O Mary, Star of the New Evangelization,
make us the light of the world.
We receive Christ in the Eucharist;
help us to build His Kingdom in the world.

Teach us to do whatever He tells us.
May our study of His life lead us to love Him
and our love for Him lead us to imitate Him.

If we are what we should be, we will set the world ablaze.
We ask your intercession to make this so,
through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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