CTK – Communication – Prayer Resources – W/C 02/06/2025
Hello everyone, and welcome back to CTKPray. The prayer theme for this week is Communication.
Communication is our personal response to God’s love—a calling to speak, listen, and act in ways that reflect His truth and compassion. Over half term you might have done a lot of communication with family and friends. Communication can take place in different forms, whether this be in person or on social media, formal or informal but as Catholics, at its heart, communication means being present, honest, and open in ways that invite others into God’s love. Each of us is called to connect with others in ways that are meaningful and grace-filled.
During the Easter season, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus—a moment that transformed not only history but the way we relate to God and to each other. The early disciples, once fearful and uncertain, found their voice after encountering the risen Christ. Their renewed clarity and conviction empowered them to speak boldly, to listen deeply, and to share the Good News in every circumstance.
Likewise, we are called to communicate Christ in our daily lives—not just with our words, but also through empathy, integrity, and kindness. We may not always know what to say, and we may stumble in expressing our faith, but God works through even our imperfect efforts. True communication isn’t about having the right answers—it’s about making space for grace and truth to flow through us.
Let us pray this week for the grace to be Christ-centered communicators. May we listen with compassion, speak with sincerity, and build bridges with love. In doing so, we become living echoes of the resurrection—reminders that Christ is alive and speaking through every heart open to His presence.
Season of Eastertide
As we move through the Easter season, the Church invites us to notice how the resurrection shapes every part of our lives—including how we relate to others. One of the most important ways we do that is through how we communicate.
The risen Jesus didn’t just appear to His followers—He spoke to them. He called them by name, offered peace, asked questions, and shared meals. His words brought comfort, clarity, and new purpose. In response, the disciples began speaking differently too—with renewed confidence, deeper compassion, and bold hope. Their voices carried the joy of the resurrection into the world.
Today, we are invited to do the same. Communication isn’t just about talking—it’s about connection. Whether we’re having a conversation, sending a message, or responding in silence, how we choose to engage with others can either build up or tear down. In this season of new life, God calls us to speak with gentleness, to listen with care, and to express ourselves in ways that reflect His mercy.
Pope Leo XIV, once known as Robert Prevost, offers a living example of this kind of resurrection-centered communication. His ministry in Peru was marked not just by preaching, but by walking alongside communities, learning their stories, and responding with humility and kindness. His life reminds us that when we speak and act from a place of love, we participate in God’s ongoing work of renewal.
This Eastertide, let’s ask ourselves: Are my words bringing hope? Am I creating space for others to feel heard? In what ways can I communicate the joy of the resurrection in my relationships, my choices, and my everyday interactions?
Below you will find the weekly readings from Sunday’s mass and scriptures taken from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament on the theme of Communication.
If you would like to explore your own scriptures, the link below will take you to open bible which allows you to explore scripture on any theme.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/joy
First reading Acts 7:55–60
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Gospel Reading John 17:20-26
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.
26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Hebrew Bible Prov 15: 1-4
1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
New Testament Matt 15: 10-20
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:
11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.”
16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?
18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Visio Divina, meaning “Divine Seeing,” is a form of prayer in the Catholic Church that involves contemplating religious images or art to encounter God. It is similar to Lectio Divina (sacred reading), but instead of focusing on scripture, the participant meditates on visual representations, such as icons, paintings, or stained glass. The process usually involves several steps: gazing at the image, meditating on its meaning, praying in response to what is seen, and contemplating how the image speaks to one’s life. This practice deepens spiritual insight and fosters a connection with the divine through sacred imagery.
Here are some song suggestions that you could use in your Celebration of the word…
Your mission this week is to… Send a message to someone this week to tell them that they are loved.
To communicate as followers of the Risen Christ means letting our words, silences, and actions echo His peace and grace. God calls each of us to speak with integrity, to listen with compassion, and to be messengers of hope. Whether we’re comforting a friend, encouraging someone in doubt, or simply offering a patient response, every honest and loving interaction can reflect the presence of Jesus.
Let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, who gives us the wisdom and grace to speak with love and truth, especially in a world that deeply needs both.
Prayer
Lord, help me to communicate with Your heart.
Teach me to speak with kindness, to listen with understanding,
and to reflect Your truth in how I interact with others.
Even when it’s hard, guide my words and my silence,
so that I may build up, not tear down,
and be a voice of peace, hope, and love.May my communication reveal that You are risen, alive, and present in every conversation.
Through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.
Amen.
Use these planning sheets and resources to help you create your own celebration of the word, which can be used during form time to celebrate our prayer theme this week. This could be done as a whole class, in groups or pairs or as individuals.
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