Optional Resources:

“If you’re sick of “thoughts and prayers,” you don’t understand Christianity.” – Christian Mom Thoughts Blog
“Recognize the Power of Prayer” – Catholic Exchange

Answer Key:

1. Keeping someone in your thoughts simply means you are thinking about that person. It may bring comfort to someone to know they are being thought about, but simply thinking about another person does him or her no real good. Praying for someone means you are
2. asking God to help him or her. This is the essence of intercessory prayer. Unlike thinking about someone, praying for a person does do a real good, even if the prayer is not answered the way we hope it will be.
3. Because we love them. Loving means wanting and working for the good of another. Taking our requests for other people to God is one way we show care and concern for others.
4. It is easy to pray for only those who love us. Jesus taught us to love even our enemies. Some people may not have anyone else in the world who pray for them. Our prayers, even anonymously made for someone else, may make all the difference in their lives.
   Absolutely not. Praying for someone is good, and we should pray for our friends, family, loved ones, as well as enemies. But prayer does not mean we are “done” and should therefore take no further action. Prayer is meaningful in and of itself, but praying is one among many things we can do to be Christ in the world to our neighbors.
5. First humble ourselves, then pray, then seek God, and finally turn from our evil ways. The last step will not work without the first three. Though we may turn from our evil ways, this turn will be partial and temporary at best without the first three steps. Without
6. God we can do nothing; we cannot free ourselves from sin. We need the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
   Christ gave us the examples of prayer, performing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, adopting the dispositions of the Beatitudes; accept additional reasoned answers.
7. Accept reasoned answers.
8. Accept reasoned answers.
9. Accept reasoned answers.
10. Help students understand that no law has ever succeeded in preventing all crime because evil comes from our own hearts. More than laws, we need repentance and conversion, and ultimately to restore our hearts to God’s law and the mercy of Jesus Christ.