After years of instructing children in the faith, I have learned that in order to fully engage in a beautiful, trust-filled relationship with God, it is so important for children to understand the four types of prayer: praise, contrition, thanksgiving, and petition.
Drawing children into the following discussion helps them incorporate the full range of meaningful conversations they can share with Jesus, their Divine Friend:
Let us think about two friends that have known each other for their whole lives. We’ll call them John and Evan.
John notices and compliments Evan for so many things: when Evan uses his talents, when Evan does something neat, when Evan looks great, and even when Evan is trying to learn something new. If John hurts Evan by not acting with care, he says sorry right away. John gives Evan wonderful gifts, answers his questions, and does many, many nice things for him.
On the other hand, Evan never compliments John. Evan very, very rarely says sorry when his actions hurt John. In fact, Evan just pretends that John’s hurt never happened. Evan almost never says thank you for all those gifts John gives, the questions John answers, or for all the nice things John does for him. Many times, Evan doesn’t even seem to notice all the things John devotedly does and gives him. It seems that all Evan does is ask, ask, and ask John for more things and favors.
Now let us think about these questions:
- Does this friendship show love and care to both people?
- Would you like a friend like John or Evan? Why?
- How would this type of relationship make you feel?
- What would make this a better friendship?
Consider this truth: Jesus is your loving amazing friend. Jesus loves spending time with you! He waits for you to spend time with Him. Jesus is incredibly happy to help you always and gives you the most amazing gifts. He answers all your questions regardless of when you ask. In fact, He wants to share eternity with you. Jesus thinks you are special and unique. He loves you so much that He made you in His image and likeness. Jesus is your Divine friend, the absolutely best friend you could ever have!
Consider for a moment, are you like John or Evan towards Jesus?
- Do you compliment Jesus often for all the wonderful things about Him? Do you tell Him that He is extraordinary? Think of WOW words. Wow, Jesus you are, _____! These are Praise Prayers to Jesus!!
- Do you tell Jesus you are sorry every time you hurt His precious Heart by the things you do, think, and say? These are Contrition Prayers to Jesus!!
- Do you thank Jesus often for helping you? For all His gifts? For answering your questions and prayers even in the middle of the night? These are Thanksgiving Prayers to Jesus!!
- Do you ask Jesus for help when you are sad, frustrated, mad, upset, don’t know what to do, or need help with something? These are Petition Prayers to Jesus!!
- Do you tend to say one kind of prayer to Jesus a lot more than another?
- How can you be a better friend in the ways you speak to Jesus?
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Let’s take a prayerful moment to speak to Jesus in each of these ways.
Praise Prayer to Jesus //
Jesus, You are my God I adore You!
Jesus, You are my Savior. I adore You!
Jesus, You are my King. I adore You!
Jesus, You are my Creator. I adore You!
Jesus, You are my nourishment. I adore You!
Jesus, You are my everything. I adore You!
Contrition Prayer to Jesus //
As you slowly and thoughtfully pray this prayer, think about any sins you may have committed:
“Oh Lord, forgive me my sins. I love You and I wish to love You for all eternity!
Let this sacrament wipe out all the sins I have ever committed by my eyes, my ears, my lips and my feet: may my soul and body be made holy by the merits of Your Sacred Passion.” // Saint Dominic Savio
Tell Jesus any sins you committed with your eyes, your ears, your lips, and your feet.
If needed, ask Jesus for forgiveness and ask your parents to help you find a time to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Thanksgiving Prayers to Jesus //
Name specific people or things in each category
that you are thankful for. Tell Jesus thank you for
each person or item one by one.
Petition Prayers to Jesus //
Ponder how warm and cozy you feel when you are wrapped up in a soft blanket.
Now think of people who might be feeling sad, sick, or in need of a little extra love.
Using each person’s name, ask Jesus to wrap up that person in His love like a blanket.
These resources and others are available in Melissa Kirking’s new book, Jesus and Me: Talking with My Greatest Friend. A free prayer activity can be downloaded from the book page.
Author Bio: Melissa Kirking, the author of Jesus and Me: Talking with My Greatest Friend, is a passionate children’s Eucharistic Adoration expert with over two decades of experience bringing children to meet and know Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It is her heart’s work to bring as many children as possible to spend time with our Eucharistic Lord in Adoration. She enjoys creating a wide variety of crafts in her free time and lives of outside Austin, Texas, with her husband, youngest son and has recently been blessed with her first grandchild.
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