God says, “It’s OK, I’ve got this!”

A challenge for JPC students while in lockdown:

 Take charge of your family’s health and wellbeing through

PRAYER, REFLECTION and MEDITATION

We are increasingly seeing and hearing from families and students who are finding that the extended lockdown is negatively impacting their mental health.

How might prayer benefit your family’s health and wellbeing?

The following ideas explain how prayer helps improve health:

• Healing Presence- prayer can bring your awareness of a spiritual or loving presence and alignment with God, a sense of peace.
• The Relaxation Response- lowers blood pressure and other stress factors.
• Secondary Control- release control to something greater than oneself - you don’t need to be in charge – God says -  “It’s OK, I’ve got this!”.
• The Placebo Response- enhance hope and expectations
• Positive Feelings- elicit feelings of gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, and hope, all of which are associated with healing and wellness.
• Mind-body-spirit Connection- when prayer uplifts or calms, it inhibits the release of cortisol and other hormones, thus reducing the negative impact of stress on the immune system and promoting healing.

GET SET UP

• Before you start, please set up a simple quiet, prayerful place, free from distractions.
• You might like to ask your family to join you to pray together, or just sit quietly together.
• Light a candle, or have a cross or flower as a prayer focus – something simple.
• Ask everyone to be seated in a comfortable position, and take 3 deep breaths.
• If distracting thoughts enter your minds, acknowledge them, then let them float away.
• When you’re ready, start by playing this song and sit quietly, listen to this (or other music) to place yourself in the presence of God.

MUSIC

Play this music and focus on the song – sing along, play the airdrums – just get into it! 

Oceans by Hillsong   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GGFb6LcX3U (wait for the ads to finish!)
When the music finishes:

PRAY FOR OTHERS and YOURSELVES

Leader: (The sign of the Cross) Does anyone have any special intentions?
Respondents: I would like us to pray for………..…
                       Lord hear us.
All: Lord hear our prayer

(Repeat as many times as you need)

Leader:

May I be at peace
May my heart remain open
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature
May I be healed
May I be a source of healing for others.

Loving Father,

Thank you for all the blessings in our lives.

You know us better than anyone else.

Help us to use the mind you have given us to work, live and learn effectively.

Help my family to be together in this time with kindness, patience and love.

May we learn with humility and grace.

May we grow in wisdom as well as knowledge.

Let us live a life of integrity in everything we do.

May we grow in our faith, and in the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ who loves us unconditionally.

We ask this in Jesus’ name,

All: Amen.

(Take a minute to sit in silence – pray, meditate or be still. Thank God for the many blessings He has given you.)

Leader: St John Paul II

All: Pray for us.     (The sign of the Cross)

Don’t forget to blow out the candle!

Mrs Jennifer Tually
Leader of Learning and Wellbeing – Mission and Ministry