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Art Markman. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/200910/your-actions-affect-what-others-do-even-when-those-others-are-infants
Haylix Hosting. (2015). Retrieved from http://au.reachout.com/what-is-spirituality

Rebecca Barlow Jordan. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/prayers/a-prayer-for-strength.html

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The liturgy that I evaluated early on in this term was the opening liturgy. The beginning of the liturgy consisted of introductory rights; this includes the acknowledgment of the Country where a candle is lit. Following on from this is the priests’ greeting. This represents or signifies the beginning of the liturgy. Not long after the candles are lit, signifies that God is among us. The opportunity is then given to sit in silence and be still; this is a time where I am able to simply gather my own personal thoughts and say my own personal prayers. We are then all cleansed through the sprinkling of water. During this time the priest walks around the audience and blesses us with holy water by sprinkling it on us as a symbol of being pure. At this stage the mass has only just started when the opening prayer has been shared.

The next step is “the liturgy of the word,” which is the first part of the scripture reading. The scripture readings are about learning about the goodness of God and everything he has done for us. Following this, a reading from the book of psalms is read and this is where we worship God. The gospel is then announced and read to the audience. The priest then says the homily; this is when the audience listens intensely to what the priest says and how the bible is still relevant in today’s society. The prayers of the faithful are then read. This is the part of the mass when some of the audience gets involved by reading individual prayers that specifically target things such as ill, families etc.

The “liturgy of the Eucharist” follows the “liturgy of the word.” The liturgy begins with the offering of the gifts. Throughout this time, the priests’ helpers carry the bread and wine up to the alter in preparation. Next is the breaking of the bread. This is when the priest breaks the bread and pours the wine. This symbolises how Christ gave his body and blood to keep us human’s alive. Following this, the priest invites the audience to join in prayer, symbolising unity. After this is the Sanctus. This is a time when a chant or song is voiced. The memorial acclamation follows and this is similar to the Sanctus, although the acclamation is sung or chanted by the people of the institution. The “Our Father” is then said by the audience and everybody shakes hands and says “peace be with you.” The rite of peace is then said and everybody responds with “peace be with you.” Immediately after this is the fraction rite. This is the ceremonial act of breaking the sanctified bread throughout the Eucharistic rite. The following part of the liturgy is when the whole liturgy of the Eucharistic comes together and the audience joins in communion. Whilst this is happening, people form two lines and have a sip of the wine and a piece of the bread. The reflection and prayer ends the communion. This is when we reflect on the mass and what it means to us.

The “concluding rite” completes the mass. This is the end of the mass when the priest blesses the audience to go and share the word of God. To dismiss the congregation, the priest ends the mass and walks out to a song or chant.

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Renew my strength, Lord.

Fill me with your supernatural power to overcome each obstacle in my path.

With my eyes on you, Lord,

With you walking beside me,

Working through me,

I can make it.

Thank you, Lord!

I do believe in God which is why I chose this prayer as it’s about connecting with him and asking him to renew my strength. My interpretation of the line ‘with you walking beside me’ indicates I believe God will always be with me, walking beside me when I need him during the rough times.

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A spiritual practice that I find really helpful, calming and relaxing is meditation. I find that meditation helps me let go of stress and brings my attention to the present moment. Meditation relieves stress and helps me contemplate life. It makes me think about what’s important such as, family and friends who care and is another way for me to explore my spirituality. At a time when people are enlightened with religion, meditation offers us a method to enter our own inner world, and experience spirituality directly. Meditation also promotes good health with recognising the beneficial effects of it, especially in areas of stress relief and relaxation.

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Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This scripture passage relates to my spirituality because it is talking about strength and for me strength is what makes me who I am today. You need strength to get through the difficult times in your life and also need strength to lift yourself up when things seem too much.  Strength is used to get us back on track by focusing on being grateful and what’s important in the present moment.

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“The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through” (Pollock, n.d.). I chose this artwork by Jackson Pollock as it impacts my spirituality by the different contrasts of colour. The colour blue represents intelligence, so the ability to apply knowledge and skills. The colour yellow represents my positivity and happiness, how having a positive attitude can really help you through the hard times and focus on being happy. However, the black represents negativity. This shows that you don’t always have to be positive and happy and that there is always going to be dull moments throughout your life. So overall my spirituality is impacted by my attitude, either being positive or negative.

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The song ‘Fight Song’ by Rachel Platten reminds us that the voices we hear in our heads that are saying we aren’t good enough and that we can’t do it…. they aren’t real. It tells us to keep going and to never give up on ourselves. It empowers us to keep fighting for what we believe in and to not listen to the voices inside our heads. The line “wrecking balls inside my brain” is indicating that the voices in our heads are like wrecking balls inside our brain making everything seem like the end of the world and it’s not going to get better. This song makes me feel like I’m not alone and that there are other people experiencing the same thing as I am. The thought of knowing others are experiencing the same things makes me feel more comfortable and more connected towards others.

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Rachel Platten - Fight Song (Official Video)

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To me, being spiritual means connectedness. We are all connected as humans and what one person does can have an effect on anything and anyone. This means that sometimes you do need to think about not only yourself, but also the people around you who will be affected by your decision. So, when I make a decision, I think about each person that will be impacted or affected and imagine how they would feel. It is being aware that if I make one wrong decision there are consequences that will result from that decision.