Jesus Youth Prayer: Some thoughts on its format (BJRE017)


Jesus Youth Prayer: Some thoughts on its format

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2019)

We were about to begin a conference, and my friend came with a problem. The Indian group was asked to organize the first day’s prayer session and determine what format would appeal to all. Theologians, bishops, and other church leaders from several countries attended this five-day gathering in Thailand, organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences.  After some discussion, we decided to use the Jesus Youth Prayer format. The prayer went very well, with some good singing and a joyful animation, and everyone relished it. Eventually, throughout the conference, we used only this format, with immense appreciation from all the leaders. 

Most Jesus Youth are familiar with this seven-step prayer format. It starts with an initial leader-group response part, a Psalm followed by praise and worship, a time of Bible reflection and response, a period of praying for others, and a conclusion. Usually, Jesus Youth groups follow the spontaneous charismatic praise and worship style, but Jesus Youth prayer mode becomes another option for group prayer and personal reflection.

Sometimes, reports come from unexpected quarters on how they use JY prayer. Many university groups find it convenient to use this style. A lady came across this format at a conference and started using it daily for noon prayer in a hospital. She gets a good group of hospital visitors and patient bystanders to attend. She finds it quite suitable for helping people have a good time before the Lord. 

Every prayer style has a distinct approach. In this connection, a question arises: what is at the heart of Jesus Youth Prayer format? Understanding that will surely enhance its effectiveness.  

At one point in the movement’s journey, many of its leaders started using the Divine Office, the official prayer format of the Church. It consists of Psalms, responses to Bible passages, and antiphons. This came from a desire to explore the Church's rich prayer heritage. Some challenges some Jesus Youth faced when using the traditional Divine Office in the groups were that it was sometimes too long and there was no room for spontaneity. 

Combining the old and the new

JY prayer style, in some ways, combines the old and the new. The comparatively new charismatic prayer format has many possibilities for freedom and creativity. At the same time, there is a regular pattern in the traditional style, and people enter it without much effort. While the new has a lot of dynamism, the old has much depth. The new spontaneity connects us with the language and styles of today; the traditional prayers in the Church help us to go to the deep roots of faith. In Jesus Youth Prayer format, there is an attempt to combine the richness of “what is new and what is old” (Mt 13:52) as Jesus would have us as the style of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Jesus Youth Prayer format begins with an introductory part consisting of one or two songs and a series of simple prayers, helping us enter the Lord's presence. The final part is a sending forth with the Lord’s blessing. Four key elements stand out in the whole format: 

i. Praise and worship: The introductory part is followed by the recitation of a psalm. Then, there is a time of participative singing and shared prayers of praise. 

ii. Listening to the Word: A Bible passage is read, followed by a time of silent reflection. After that, many from the group shared their insights with the wider group.

iii. Saint’s prayer: A responsory using a saint's reflections and prayers helps us attune ourselves to the inner sentiments of some heroic person in faith.

iv. Intercession: Finally, there is a time to discuss our needs with the Lord. Again, this is done spontaneously and in a shared manner. 

Some help to grow in prayer

When a person has an encounter, he or she experiences a newfound joy and freedom. Spontaneous prayer and free praise become beautiful expressions of this freedom and joy. But after a while, there can be a problem of people building their inner lives on feelings and experiences alone. Jesus Youth Prayer can be a call to maturity in the inner life of a person, as ‘deep calls to deep’ (Ps.42:7). Asking the Lord to ‘teach us to pray,’ reciting a psalm, a word from the scripture, a beautiful prayer of a saint, other short prayers, all become this call to a deeper walk of interiority.

When this seven-step prayer structure was designed, I thought Jesus Youth leaders should design their own JY prayer, taking one Psalm, a scripture passage, and a suitable saint’s prayer when planning a prayer session. Then, there was a suggestion that a few model prayers should be prepared and circulated, and the booklet with 31 prayers was the outcome. However, I still think that groups should prepare their own Jesus Youth prayer on this 7-step pattern and use creative inspiration from the Holy Spirit to make it a journey to inner depth. Chanting or singing this Jesus Youth prayer, using it as a format for Biblical input, and preparing a group work around it are all ways of creatively using the prayer format.

I believe the Jesus Youth movement is a little pathway offering a challenge to today’s youngsters to have a taste of the immense riches of the Church and to help them take one step after another into its awesome heritage. The Jesus Youth Prayer format and meaningful use will help them relish this a little more.

= Pointers for Reflection =
1. What is the importance of a format in group prayer?
2. In Jesus Youth Prayer format, which aspects do you find useful and which are not helpful?
3. Your proposals for using the prayer format more effectively.
4. If you were given a choice, what changes or additions would you make to Jesus Youth prayer format?
 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Story of the Name ‘Jesus Youth’ (BJRE013)

Image
The Story of the Name ‘Jesus Youth’  (Published in Kairos Magazine in 2018) This movement, ‘Jesus Youth,’ has grown and spread. It is present in almost three dozen countries and on all continents. The movement has given rise to several fascinating and youth-friendly initiatives. For numerous people, ‘Jesus Youth’ is a label they proudly apply to themselves, saying, ‘I am a Jesus Youth!’ So naturally, people ask, ‘How did this name come about?’ or ‘Who gave the movement this name?’ I tell them, initially, the name was that of a conference, and we never thought of it as the name of a movement. However, after the 1985 conference, those who had participated in the gathering began identifying themselves as Jesus Youth, and gradually, other people associated with the network also adopted this name. To discuss its background, the steps to bring together the youth in the Charismatic Renewal in Kerala started in earnest in 1978. For this purpose, a team was formed, and after a few gathering...
Read more

What is Jesus Youth Mission? Building witnessing communities (BJRE071)

Image
  What is Jesus Youth Mission? Building witnessing communities (By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2023)   These days, I regularly attend two weekly prayer groups. The Wednesday group is my old one, which now meets online. It goes very well.  The local group gathers on Sunday afternoons, but its attendance is not very consistent. Occasionally, they cancel the meeting because other commitments arise, and they often choose to skip it for study sessions or outside events. Participation in a community is a habit, and a good habit must be carefully nurtured. However, many people gradually disconnect from Jesus Youth as the group becomes inconsistent. Perhaps this was what the writer of the book of Hebrews observed: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (10:24,25) Even in the early Church...
Read more

Can Spirituality be so much fun - (BJRE001)

Image
Can spirituality be so much fun? (By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2016) “I just wanted to discover why these people are so interested in Jesus Youth. Won’t they get bored with prayer and these talks on Spirituality?”  I was taking my 17-year-old son to the Joy Conference, which Jesus Youth Teens Ministry had organized. Earlier, some youth came home and mentioned the program to him, and to my surprise, he willingly gave his name. As we drove to the program, he told me he was going there out of curiosity. His idea is that anything to do with spirituality is so dull; if so, why are so many smart teenagers and youth so crazy about Jesus Youth? And he was going there to unravel the mystery. After four days, as I was taking him back home from the Joy Conference, I asked him how the whole thing had been. “Not bad,” he said. Knowing him, I heard it as ‘Excellent”. Little by little, he spoke to me about the friendly ones he had met there, how they had fun during the...
Read more