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Guided Reflection: The Our Father

Our Father Prayer

Theme
General
Age Range
7-18
Type
Prayers
Number of Participants
10+
Timescale
10-15 minutes

This is a prayer reflection based around the words of the Our Father. It incorporates the use of rosary beads by using them as a kinetic and visual way to reflect on each line of the Our Father. 

Ensure that your young people each have a pair of rosary’s, preferably the decade rosary as it works better for this activity. You can find a selection of these here >

Instructions for the young people

We are all going to pray a prayer together now. We are going to pray the Our Father. Jesus once asked his disciples how to pray, and he gave them this very prayer.

We are going to break down the words of the Our Father into eleven parts. Start with your finger on the first isolated bead (*some decade rosary beads do not have the our father bead, if they do net then start by touching the cross*). I will say the first line “Our Father” and you will repeat “Our Father”. Then, move your finger and touch the first small bead. I will say “who art in heaven” and you will repeat “who art in heaven” … and so on…

*** Example below ****

Listen carefully to the reflection that is read out after each line. This is a great chance for you to take in these words that we are so used to saying and think more deeply about them.

Beginning the activity

*** The following can be lead by one person but it is most useful to have two so one can read the words of the Our Father and another can read out the reflection following it ***

Leader 1 – Our Father  – Young people repeat “Our Father”

  • Leader 2 – God is our father
  • Leader 2 – We are part of his family

Leader 1 – Who art in heaven – Young people repeat “who art in heaven”

  • Leader 2 – Heaven is our home
  • Leader 2 – The Father intercedes for us here

Continue in this manner all the way through

Hallowed be thy name

  • The Father is holy and He is perfect
  • We wish to be holy too, just like The Father

Thy kingdom come

  • We wait for The Fathers kingdom
  • We wait in hope for when he comes again
  • The fathers kingdom is of peace, and true happiness

Thy will be done

  • Whose will are we seeking?
  • We do not follow our own will but the will of The Father
  • The Father wills us to be with him in paradise

On earth as it is in heaven

  • Our lives on earth are a taste of what awaits us in our heavenly home

Give us this day our daily bread

  • He gives us our daily portion. Just what we need.
  • We ask of him like a child asks his father
  • We hunger for God

Forgive us our trespasses

  • The father is always willing to forgive
  • We realise that we are in need of forgiveness
  • The father will run to us

As we forgive those who trespass against us

  • The Father has forgiven us, so we too must forgive each other
  • The Father is full of mercy, so we too must show mercy
  • When we forgive someone we show the love of The Father to that person.

Lead us not into temptation

  • The Father leads us in the right direction
  • He leads us away from the things that will not make us happy

Deliver us from evil

  • Father, deliver us form all evil, and lead us to our true home

** You might like to finish off with your own thanksgiving prayer, thanking Jesus for teaching us this prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire our hearts to help us call God our father ***