BASKET OF STORIES Prayer remains at the heart of the Church. It is our life-blood. In its various forms, prayer is at once praise and thanksgiving, an appeal for mercy and our hope in time of need. Prayer is a doorway to personal and community renewal and also to the tranquillity challenged by the world. - Prayer in the Busyness of Life (2008), NZ Catholic Bishops Conference. We asked our contributors and other people in the diocese to speak to the question, “How do you pray? What is something you use to help you pray?”
ANNA TUFFERY - PARISH OF ST PIUS X, MELVILLE A great way to catch up with a friend is to have a coffee together. Each morning I have my “coffee with Jesus” while reading the daily Mass readings from my missal. The missal is a great way to get a sense of movement through the liturgical seasons while holding the Word of God in your hands. Sometimes when I am struggling for a sense of connection with God (this is often), I try and just sit with my hands on the open pages of my missal and think, “I’m touching the Word of God.” What a great privilege! I do try and meditate on the daily Gospel reading and try to receive what God is offering me for the day. The missal has really helped me to grow in love of God’s Word and to know Jesus better. I read somewhere that Christianity is not a set of rules to be followed, but rather a person to be loved. This is so true, and to love someone, we need to get to know them. The missal is a great place to start.
TERRY VICKERS - ST JOSEPH’S, TE PUNA, IN THE PARISH OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS Each morning about 5.30am I pray a devotional prayer to Our Lady, a version of St Louis de Montfort’s Prayer to Mary, followed by a prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is followed by Lauds, or Morning Prayer, from the Liturgy of the Hours, which I get from the Universalis website. Later
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ANNA’S MISSAL AND COFFEE TERRY - AN IMAGE OF JESUS GIVEN TO US BY A YOUNG MAN WE BILLETED DURING WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008 ONE OF BERNADETTE’S FAVOURITE PLACES TO PRAY: THE SACRED HEART ALTAR AT TYBURN MONASTERY
