2. Special Character Week 1 Term 3 2016

The importance of prayer:  Jesus taught us to pray. St Luke tells us that Jesus prayed always. Jesus prayed before his choice of the 12 Apostles. He prayed in the synagogue and temple. He prayed in the desert and the garden. He prayed for long periods of time and for short moment in time. The Gospels rarely describe what his prayer was like, simply noting that he prayed often.
Make time for personal prayer. Make time to pray with your family. Take a look at the website Pray as you go. You can download the app too! It’s great!

PRAYER is a very big part of what we do at St. Joseph's. We all start our day with PRAYER and finish our day with a PRAYER.
In the holidays I reread a book called 'Painting Rainbows with Broken Crayons' by Bernadette McCarver Snyder. It is a small book with prayers for teachers, parents and caregivers. I am going to share the first one with you.
Look at me! Look at me! See what I DID. See what I FOUND. See what I MADE. See what I INVENTED. See what I BROKE.
No, no - kids never call our attention to something they broke. But they DO want you to notice, to look at their every achievement and discovery. Well, I guess adults like that kind of attention too, Lord.
So remind us how important it is to stop, look and listen to those young voices. Help us exult and rejoice with them as they discover things we have already seen or already know. Help us to give them our undivided attention - as we often wish others to give to us.
And thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to look at the world again through the fresh, shiny, innocent eyes of youth. Forgive us if we ever think we are too busy to pass up such a generous gift, such a wondrous chance to start over and to really see all the things we missed the first time around.
It's often said that children are today's investment and tomorrow's dividend. Help us to invest wisely, Lord -- not selfishly, not begrudgingly, but generously and joyously.
It's also said that teachers are people who make the little things in life count! Once we've taught those sweet little things to count numbers, Lord, help us to teach them to recognise the things in life that really count!
Then we can shout to you and say.
Look, Lord, Look!
Look what I DID!
Look what I ACCOMPLISHED!
Look what I TAUGHT!