1. Prayers for the week 8 - 11 May 2018
On Thursday this week we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, also known as Holy Thursday, Ascension Day, or Ascension Thursday. This feast day commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the great feasts for all Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, of Easter, and Pentecost. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, on the fortieth day of Easter. Accounts given of the Ascension can be found in the Gospels of Mark and Luke and in the book known as The Acts of the Apostles. In some churches the celebration of the feast is moved to the following Sunday.

2. Tuesday 8 May
At the School Assembly last week we were asked to reflect on what it is that makes us unique. During their term of office, the new Head Girl and her team will have as one of their focal points the phrase “Proud to be me”. Let us pray together this morning:
Lord
Let us pause to be conscious of that which makes each of us unique: The colour of our eyes and hair and skin. Our height and build. The face that is ours alone. The inner self that no-one else knows. The abilities and disabilities that give us our potential to create and grow as no-one else can. Our interests and hobbies; our taste in music, books or fashion; our likes and dislikes - all the things that add up to who we are. Let us give thanks for who we are: as individuals, each one unique in all humankind - as humankind, where our individuality contributes to the whole. Let us respect and celebrate our own uniqueness, and each other’s too.
Amen

3. Madonna in the Church by Jan Van Eyck 1440
Wednesday 9 May
The month of May is the time of year when the church celebrates the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary has been worshipped since early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the most important saint of the religion. She has miraculously appeared to believers many times over the centuries. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God (Greek: Θεοτόκος, Theotokos, meaning 'God-bearer'). In the Catholic Church we hold distinctive Marian beliefs, namely her status as the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity, and her Assumption into heaven. Mary also has a revered position in the Islamic faith, where one of the longer chapters of the Quran is devoted to her. Our morning prayer today is a prayer to Mary known as the Memorare.
Madonna in the Church by Jan Van Eyck 1440
Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that it is a thing unheard of, that anyone had recourse to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession and was left forsaken. Filled therefore with confidence in your goodness, I fly unto you, O Mother, Virgin of virgins, To you I come, before you I stand a sorrowful sinner. Despise not my poor words O Mother of the Word of God but graciously hear and grant my prayer. Amen.

4. Thursday 10 May The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
While at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. 'It is', he had said, 'what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but, not many days from now, you are going to be baptised with the Holy Spirit.‘ Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come for you to restore the kingdom to Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria,
Lord
The Ascension of Our Lord
by Giotto di Bondone 1305
and indeed to earth's remotest end.' As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky as he went, when suddenly two men in white were standing beside them, and they said, 'Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven.‘
A prayer for Ascension Day
O God, you have glorified our victorious Saviour with a triumphant resurrection from the dead, and ascension into heaven, where he sits at your right hand. Grant, we ask you, that his triumphs and glories may ever shine in our eyes to make us see more clearly through his sufferings, and more courageously endure our own. May we be guided by his example, knowing that if we try to live like him in love, you will raise our bodies again and give us a place in your everlasting kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

5. Friday 11 May
Many people speak of wanting to ‘do God’s will’ in their lives, but how do we find what that is? St Ignatius of Loyola discovered that God’s will for each of us is not something pre-ordained and external. He learnt in the context of living out his faith and reflecting on the graces he received, that God’s will is revealed through our honest responses to what we really believe is right in the ups and downs of daily life. The prayer of awareness or ‘examen’ of the Ignatian spiritual tradition helps us to become sensitive to how God speaks to us day by day. This daily examen was important to Marie Madeleine, and remains so to the FCJ sisters today. Leave a comfortable pause in between each section and enjoy the silence.
Examen
Be silent and place yourself in God’s loving presence. Think about the good things that have happened this week and give thanks.​
Who have you left a good memory with this week?
Look back over your week. Where have you felt joy and what has been difficult and challenged you? In the quiet of your heart, tell God about your experiences.​ Give thanks for who you are.
As you look ahead, with what spirit will you enter next week? Ask God to help you.

6. Afternoon Prayer and Reflection
Lord
Thank you for the morning, for watching over me and walking with me. May I find joy and understanding this afternoon, in all I do. Grant me the zest and the strength I need to work for you until nightfall. Amen
Let us pause for a few moments in silence and remember those family members and friends who need our prayers and support today…………
Let us ask Mary, our Mother, to join us in our prayers as we say:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen
We end our reflection with a prayer inspired by our foundress followed by the school prayer:
Loving Father, life-giving spirit – Marie Madeleine believed in your power, hoped in your promises and lived for your glory. We ask her to pray for us and be with us as we carry the FCJ spirit into the 21st century. Protect and guide the pupils and staff at Upton and at all FCJ schools in this country and around the world. Amen
May the Lord bless us and keep us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen