CTK – Encounter – Prayer Resources – W/C 8/09/2025
Hello everyone, and welcome back to CTKPray and a new school year! The prayer theme for this week is Encounter.
Chaplaincy Notices:
- Welcome back! The chapel is open at break and lunch times, we would love to see you.
- Please keep Fr Richard in your prayers as he is unwell at the moment
Week 23 in the Season of Ordinary Time – Year C
Here are some ways to introduce this week’s theme of Encounter –
Extra-Ordo-Nary flip book
Read the theme and talk about what this word means to you in your pairs.
As a form, think about how you can help others to encounter Christ in school this week.
Watch this video
Prayer
Prayer
Loving God,
You come to meet us in the ordinary moments of our lives.
Help us to open our hearts to encounter You in our friends,
our teachers, and those who may feel alone.Teach us to listen with care,
to speak with kindness,
and to see Your face in everyone we meet.May each encounter this week bring us closer to You,
and help us to build a community of welcome, respect, and love.We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Take a quiet moment now to reflect on the word encounter and what is means to you.
Below you will find this week’s Gospel reading from Sunday’s mass and your weekly scripture on the prayer theme, that can also be found in your planner.
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. Please use the English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK) translation –
https://www.openbible.info/topics/joy
Choose somebody in your form to read one of the scriptures below – you may also want to read this from the bible in your form room.
Gospel Reading Luke 14:25-33
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Glory to you O Lord
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Weekly Scripture Luke 19:5-6
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Glory to you O Lord
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
If your reading is from a Gospel, we invite you to say/ sing the Alleluia beforehand.
Let us take some time today to respond and reflect on our theme of Encounter.
On Sunday we celebrated the Canonisation of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio. The canonisation of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio show us that faith is about a real, living encounter with Jesus, not just rules or traditions. Their lives remind us that holiness is possible today through friendship with Christ and by bringing faith into everyday life.
Saint Carlo Acutis made a website, you might like to take a look with your form – https://www.carloacutis.com/en/association
Please pick one of the below sections to help you to respond to this week’s theme.
Read more about Saint Carlo Acutis
Carlo Acutis: A Modern Example of Encounter
Carlo Acutis was just 15 when he died in 2006, but his faith has inspired people all over the world. Later this year, he will be canonised — officially recognised as a saint — making him the first millennial saint.
Carlo loved football, video games, and technology. But most of all, he loved the Eucharist, which he called his “highway to heaven.” He used his computer skills to create a website that helped people encounter Jesus by learning about Eucharistic miracles.
What made Carlo special wasn’t just his talents, but the way he encountered others. He defended classmates who were bullied, cared for the poor, and made time for anyone who needed a friend. For Carlo, every encounter was a chance to show God’s love.
How can Carlo inspire us?
With God: by remembering to meet Him in prayer and in the Eucharist
In school: by looking out for those who feel left out.
Online: by using social media and technology in positive ways.
In the comment section below… tell us one way that you can use social media in a positive way.
Watch this video
After you have watched the video, in the comment section below write something about this video that really stood out to you.
Reflection
Take some time to reflect and listen to the music as you think about the following questions
- How did Carlo Acutis encounter Jesus?
- How does he inspire us today?
- Can you think of a time you have encountered Jesus?
Pick one of the songs in the music tab to listen to as you reflect on these questions.
In the comment section below… answer one of these questions as a form.
Visio Divina
Another way to encounter Christ is through Visio Divina. Take time to watch this video as we guide you through this reflection.
Your mission this week is to…
Make time this week to look at where you might encounter Jesus in those around you.
For example: You could… Write a thank-you note to someone or visit/call a family member or neighbour.
You might want to create your own prayer on the theme of Encounter, which you have been reflecting on throughout the week, or you could use the prayer below.
Prayer:
Loving God,
As we begin this new term, we thank You for the gift of fresh starts
and the chance to learn, grow, and share life together.You call us to encounter You in every person we meet —
in friends and classmates, in teachers and staff,
and especially in those who may feel alone or overlooked.Give us open eyes to notice others,
open ears to listen with care,
and open hearts to bring kindness and respect into our school community.May each encounter this term draw us closer to You,
and help us to be signs of Your love in all we do.Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Here are some song suggestions that you could use this week …
This week in school, our theme is Encounter.
Encounter means more than just meeting someone — it’s about noticing them, listening, and treating them with dignity and kindness.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager soon to be canonised as a saint, reminds us that even in ordinary, everyday life, every encounter is a chance to share God’s love.
Conversation Starters
Use these questions to start a chat together:
- Who did you encounter today that made you smile?
- Was there someone today who might have needed a kind word or a friend?
- How can we encounter God in our everyday lives — at home, school, or online?
- Carlo Acutis used technology for good. How can we use our phones, games, or the internet to encourage and lift others up?
Prayer
Loving God,
Help us to see You in the people we meet each day.
Give us patience to listen, kindness to share,
and courage to reach out to those who need a friend.
May our community be a place of welcome and encounter.
Amen.
Mission
Together, choose one simple act of encounter to do together:
- Write a thank-you note to someone.
- Visit or call a family member or neighbour.
- Make time to listen to each other without distractions.
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