Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Prayer for health


Gracious God, we are your handiwork and your creation. Not a moment goes by without your care and grace in our lives. We pray for good health and quality of living. May every day we spend on earth be done for your glory and in happiness and truth. Touch us and assure us of your presence and your healing. We pray O God, for our near and dear ones who are in pain and sickness. Look at them with compassion and make them whole. May your gaze and your voice make them happy and on to the way of recovery and contentment. May we together get many opportunities to pray to you and be satisfied in your care and mercy. We pray for us and everyone we know, that pain and suffering may be replaced by love and happiness. You Lord Jesus have suffered for us on the cross that we may live life in its fullness and in spirit. Bless us O Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Prayer for work


Work is prayer. Finding work, doing work, creating work and sustaining work is working for God for the kingdom of God. May God offer you strength to overcome any difficulty regarding your work, may the Holy Spirit bless your efforts to gain or offer work and may Christ Jesus give you ideas and inspiration to stay ahead of your demanding schedules and deadlines. Dream big and visualize what God intends to do with you. No work is beyond us when God is with us because God makes the impossible possible. May all glory and honor be to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Prayer to send someone


Praying that God holds you in his hands, guides you with creative thoughts and protects you with the presence of the Holy Spirit. May the intercession of St. Mary give you peace and hope and may the intercession and blessing of St. Ignatius Elias III give you strength and good health. May the prayers of all the saints bring good cheer to you. We pray and glorify you Christ O son, Father God and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Teacher's day.....more than a brick in the wall



Teacher- Why don’t you do anything like I tell you to?
Student- But sir, I thought of acting out my presentation.
Teacher- Acting. Do you think you have come to an acting school? Do you think what we do here is a joke?
Student- No sir. Don’t get me wrong. I have come here to become a pastor. I want to be the best pastor there is.
Teacher- Ha ha. Do you think you can do that? Look at your grades! You have to be cut out to become a pastor. It is not an easy job.
Student- But my grades are okay. They are not great. But I feel I don’t get the grades I deserve.
Teacher- That is true. I think the low grades you have are much higher than they should have been.
Student- Don’t make fun of me sir. I try my best. My point is that you can grade me in a different way.
Teacher- Different way? And what way is that? Not grade you at all? Or giving you the freedom to put your own grades?
Student- No. But I also have something to contribute. I have something to say. Why don’t you listen to that?
Teacher- All that you can say is rubbish. And then do a bit of acting. Rubbish. This is a theological college. We make pastors not actors. If you want to act, you can go to an acting institute.
Student- I heard that you used to act well sir. You were a talented person.
Teacher- Who told you that?
Student- I have my sources. Why are you trying to hide it?
Teacher- Why? Because I was always told to hide it. I loved acting, expressing myself and learning about others while doing it. It was the most liberative thing to do.
Student- Why did you stop then?
Teacher- I had to move on. Acting didn’t get me grades. It only got me reprimands in the end. Acting is just extracurricular. What is outside the curriculum is outside. People will come and appreciate you while your fellow students use that time to study their notes and write exams. While we internalize our dialogues and let our heart speak, they will mug up their notes and write treatises during the exam.
Student- Can’t you change all this? Isn’t there someone who understands?
Teacher- Many may understand. There is an actor inside everyone you know. But no one will come out with it and support it and give grades for it.
Student- Can’t you use it in your classes then?
Teacher- I can I guess. But then I will have to handle the drama that follows.
Student- I feel relieved having talked to you. I never knew teachers would understand students like me.
Teacher- We are all actors. Small and big, but all actors.
Student- Can you allow me to act out what I feel in your class? Just like an exam by showing you what I have learnt and how I feel?
Teacher- I guess you can. But I still can’t give you grades for it!
Student- I don’t want the grades. I just want to act. I want to express myself. I want to show what I have learnt. I want to break all the walls that have prevented me from speaking to those around me.
Teacher- Well, let us act between ourselves. You can be the teacher and I the student.
(The student gets into the character.)
Student- Don’t make noise. Sit down I say.
Teacher- Yes sir. Can I say something?
Student- You can say whatever in your room. Not here. This is my space.
Teacher- But sir. I thought you were someone who would share your space with me.
(Both look into each other’s eyes.)
Student- I will share the space and my role with you. Speak, act, express yourself. That is why you are here.
Teacher- Thank you teacher.
Student- You are welcome. Now act out what you learnt today.
Teacher- (Grabs the student by his hand.) I learnt that there is no difference between us. We are all humans. You have something to say just as I have something to say. Let’s….
Student- Let’s break down these walls. Let’s break them down.