CTK – Listen – Prayer Resources – W/C 28/09/2026

Please choose one of these Grace prayer to say at the start of afternoon registration.

If your form has not sent us their ideas yet, please get them to us this week – this could be an email from your form tutor or your ideas written on a piece of paper…

• We give you thanks, Almighty God,
  for our food and all your gifts
  which we have received
  through Christ our Lord. Amen

• Lord our God, we thank you for the bread you give us. Help us to share what we have with those who are most in need. Bless us with generosity and justice. Amen.

• Father of mercy,
  we praise you and give you glory
  for the wonderful gifts you have given us:
  for life and health, for faith and love,
  and for this meal we have shared together. Amen

• Father, for our food
  we thank you, and for our joys:
  help us to love you more. Amen

The chapel is open most break and lunch times, we would love to see you!

Discipleship Team: Meeting Friday Period 4

Mission Team: Meeting Friday Period 5

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, light a candle or move a cross or religious object to the front. You might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Choose someone to lead your prayer time.

All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today, we reflect on our theme of Listen. Take a moment now to listen to the word of God.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Glory to you O Lord

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’, but afterwards he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir’, but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The two sons both listened to what their father said but they responded differently. One son heard his father but didn’t listen carefully enough to act on what he was asked to do. The other son changed his mind and listened by putting his father’s words into action.

Listening to God isn’t just about hearing words. Sometimes God speaks through Scripture, through other people, through our conscience, or through the situations we find ourselves in.

Take a moment of quiet to listen…challenge yourselves to stay quiet for one minute at the end of each reflection

1. Listen to what is happening inside you heart – what are you thinking about today?

2. Listen out for someone who might need you – is there someone you could encourage, include, forgive or simply notice?

3. Listen for what God might be asking of you – is there something you need to change, do or say?

Let us pray…
Lord,

Help us to listen,
not just with our ears,
but with our hearts.

Help us to listen to your voice
through Scripture, through others
and through the quiet moments in our day.

Help us to be ready to listen
and ready to put our faith into action.

Amen

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen.

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, light a candle or move a cross or religious object to the front. You might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Choose someone to lead your prayer time.

Leader: As we begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us take some time today to respond and reflect on our theme of Listen.

Listening is more than simply hearing someone speak. It means giving someone your attention, taking time to understand what they are saying and showing them that their words matter. As a Catholic school, we are called to listen to others with patience, respect and kindness, just as Jesus listened to the people around Him.

Today, you are going to put your listening skills to the test…

Get into pairs or groups of three.

One person will have one minute to talk about a topic chosen by your teacher. They could talk about:

• Something they enjoy doing
• A place they would love to visit
• Someone who inspires them
• Their favourite memory

While they are speaking, the other person or people must listen carefully. No interrupting, or planning what you are going to say next, as we are called to listen to understand, rather than listen to respond!

When the minute is up, the listener has to tell the speaker back what they remember. How many details can you remember?

If you are in a group of three, swap roles so that everyone gets a chance to speak and listen.

Extra challenge: Can you remember not just the main idea, but some of the details they shared?

Afterwards, take some time to reflect on the following questions:

• How did it feel to have someone really listen to you?
• Was it easy to listen without interrupting?
• What made it easier to remember what the other person said?
• Do we always listen properly when someone is talking to us?
• How can we show people that we are really listening?

Sometimes, simply listening can be one of the most important things we can do for another person.

Let us pray:

Loving God,

Help us to be people who really listen.

Help us to put aside distractions,
to be patient and to give others our full attention.

Help us to listen to those who are happy,
those who are struggling,
and those who sometimes feel that nobody hears them.

May everyone in our school
know that their voice matters
and that they are worth listening to.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help you to focus, you might dim the lights, light a candle or move a cross or religious object to the front. You might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Leader: As we begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Your mission this week is to think about how our CARE mission statement can be linked to our prayer theme of Listen.
For example –
C – CARE
This week, make time to properly listen to someone who might be struggling, lonely or having a difficult day. Don’t rush to give advice — just be there and listen.

A – ACHIEVE
Choose one conversation this week where you make a real effort not to interrupt. Ask a question to help you understand the other person’s point of view before giving your own.

R – RESPECT
Have a conversation with and listen to someone whose opinion is different from yours. Try to understand why they think that way, even if you still disagree.

E – ENCOUNTER
Spend five quiet minutes this week without your phone or other distractions. Ask God: “What are you calling me to do?” Then think about one small action you could take in response.

Your mission is to think of your own version of this (you can use the one above to help you) and to write this on your Form Time Mission poster. Display this on your form board so that everyone can see it. Try to follow these missions throughout the week.

Closing Prayer

We invite you to sit for a moment of silence.

Invite God to speak to you and take some time to listen….you may not hear God’s voice but know that he is listening and guiding you in all that you do.

You could start by simply saying to yourself the words that Samuel spoke in the Hebrew Bible

“Speak Lord, your servant is listening”.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Here are some song suggestions that you could use this week …

This week in school, our theme is Listen.

Listening is an important part of dialogue. It means paying attention to what others are saying and trying to understand their point of view. Listening is not just about hearing words; it is about hearing the heart. We are called to be good listeners and we should make sure to listen to those who are different from us. Above all we should listen to what God is calling us to do in our lives.

Conversation Starters

Use these questions to start a chat together:

• What makes you feel like someone is really listening to you?
• Is it easier to listen to someone you agree with? Why?
• What can make it difficult to listen to someone who sees things differently from you?
• Can you think of a time when someone really listened to you? How did it make you feel?
• Who do you think is a good listener in our family/friends? What makes them good at it?

Prayer

Lord,
Help me to be quick to listen to other people and not always be the one that wants other people to always listen to me.

Help me to listen in love, not only to their needs and hopes and fears but to listen to their advice and their opinions.

Amen

Mission

This week, put listening into action:

• Go for a short walk together without music or phones. Spend a few minutes noticing the sounds around you. Afterwards, talk about what you noticed that you normally wouldn’t hear.
• Choose a topic everyone has an opinion on. One person speaks for a minute while everyone else listens without interrupting. Then swap. Was it difficult not to interrupt?