Castlerigg Manor | The Well

Not so long ago we had the idea of creating for the Castlerigg Staff, a collection of prayers, reflections, stories and other useful items which could be used for liturgy, prayer or personal reflection... We called this THE WELL... As the website became more and more popular, we came up with the idea of putting this resource on line so that others could access and contribute to it.
prayers	reflections	coming to faith
confirmation	music	useful links	other stuff
If you would like to contribute anything then please E-mail us using THE WELL as the subject line. We have made every effort to acknowledge sources and copyrights, however in some cases they are simply not known. If anybody would like to let us know of any corrections or additions to our citations then we would be grateful.

PRAYERS

A Prayer for Reconciliation
Lord, you see in me...
I thank thee, Lord...
Prayer for guidance of St. Francis of Assissi
Prayer for serenity of St. Francis of Assissi
Salve Regina
The Memorare
Prayer to St. Joseph (Pope John XXIII)
The way of peace
Vocations Prayer
Another Traditional Irish Celtic blessing
Traditional Irish Celtic blessing
Traditional Irish Night Prayer
Smooring the Fire

Prayer for conversion (St. Augustine)
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Jesu Dulcis Memoria
Prayer of St. Catherine of Sienna
O God of loveliness
Prayer after Communion (Mother Theresa)
The Litany of Humility (Cardial del Val)
Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great
Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All (Faber)
I shall be love
The Soul before God
A Native American Prayer
Prayer for the Sa\cred Community

REFLECTIONS

God is inviting us...
Destiny (Cardinal Ratzinger)
In the silance of the heart (Mother Theresa)
Powerless before God
Open my eyes (David Adam)
Broken Dreams
The Optimistic Creed
Childhood doesn't wait
Slow Dance
Stress Busters
Man, Unique in the Universe (Pope John Paul II)
Advent in the womb of Mary
I am only one
Just look up
Shelter
A gleam of light
One Man

Trust in infinite mercy
God the creator of all things
Humility
The gift of freedom (Thomas Merton)
With all my weakness
Meditation on Human Redemption (St. Anselm)
The Bible in 50 Words
The Bible Lives
When I say, 'I am a Christian'
A man of simple faith (Ronald Reagan)
The Grandfather's Tale (The perceptiveness of Children)
Lunch with God
All
The Pebble
The Legend of the Starfish
Why go to Church?
Let me give

COMING TO FAITH
As part of the Well Project we thought that it would be a nice idea to have a short section explaining the basic points of the Catholic Christian faith. This is not meant to be a detailed Catechism, but rather a short set of quesitons and answers for those who may be new to the faith or who have questions or doubts...

Any questions people have not tackled here, can be addressed to us via E-mail and we will try to add them on...

All of the Answers given to questions below also cite a section of the Catechism and relevant passages of scripture

Why believe in a God?

If there is a God then why do bad things happen?

Why did Jesus come?

Why did Jesus die?

The Resurrection and Ascension... what!?

What is the second coming all about?

What was Pentecost?

What makes the Catholic Church special? What is Apostolic Succession?

What is special about the Pope?

How are we supposed to live as Christians?

What does it mean to belong to the Church?

What is a Sacrament?

Why Believe in God?
As Christians we believe that the world was not made by accident but by God. We believe that God made the world and all the people in it and that he has a plan for each of our lives. Many people doubt the existence of God because they cannot see or touch him, but look at it this way... if there is no God then how can anything be explained or make any sense? If you think about it, the fact that we are aware means that there must be something worth being aware of; the fact that we feel a sense of good means that there must be untimate good.

There is quite a lot of 'philosophical' evidence of God's existence and many people even claim that there are scientific proofs as well, but as Christians the best proof we have is the fact that he has revealed himself to us, in different ways as human history has developed; first to the prophets and the Jewish people and then finally by sending his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God and yet also became human; the second person of the trinity.

Many people doubt the existence of God because they have not seen him... Obviously as Christians we believe that some people have, but we live in a world which demands reports, formulas, pictures, provable information... This is why Jesus said to Thomas, 'how happy are those who have not seen and yet still believe!'

Catechism: 27 onwards Scripture: Genesis, John 1, John 20:29, Various

If God exists then why do bad things happen?
This is a questions which is often levelled at those who believe in God and while it is not a simple matter, there is an answer... You see God wanted us to be free... He wanted us to have free will and independence so that we could make our own choices and experience things for ourselves. It is certainly true that God could have created us in Heaven, where everything is perfect, but God wanted us to choose the good things for ourselves. He wanted us to use our free will to find him and to adopt the good things in life over the bad. The point is this: if everything in the world was good, then free will would be meaningless. It is quite hard explaining that to somebody who has just been on the receiving end of a great tragedy or injustice, but it is true nonetheless. If you sit an exam or a test and know all the answers beforehand, then there is no test, no freedom and no achievement. God wanted us to be truly free and to be truly free there has to be something to be free for and free from.

Catechism: 396-412 Scripture: Genesis (the fall) and others

Why did Jesus come?
When the world was ready for it God came to earth in the form of a man; Jesus Christ; the second person of the trinity. Jesus came to teach, to heal and to show the world who God was and what He really wanted of them. In short, Jesus Christ is the love of God in human form.

Catechism: 422-483 Scripture: John 10, John 3:16, John 1 and many others

Why did Jesus die?
When he was around 33 years old Jesus was put to death by crucufixion. He was killed by the Roman authorities, largely encouraged to do so by the Jewish leaders, who saw Jesus as a threat, but were not allowed under their own law to kill him themselves. Aside from the historical facts of Jesus' death though, it was an event that had been foretold for many years and was part of God's plan when he created the world.

By Jesus' death on the cross he paid the price for the sins of everybody in the world; past, present and future and gave them a way back to God... The world had turned away from God, using human free will in the wrong way and in the Jewish tradition a price, such as a sacrifice had to be paid for every sin. By dying though, Jesus made the sacrifice for all of us, so that if we believe in him, turn to God through him and try to follow him every day of our lives we might 'have life' as he put it (John 10:10). We believe that by following Jesus we will become who we are meant to be, more fulfilled in this life and living for ever with God in Heaven in the next.

Catechism: 595-637 Scripture: John 3: 16, and many others

The Resurrection & Ascension
Jesus' death gave us a way back to God through himself. After his death Jesus rose again. This had also been foretold and it gave his followers of the time a great hope and a great happiness after the sadness of his death. The Ascension is when Jesus left earth and returned to Heaven. Nobody is sure how long passed between the Resurrection and the Ascension, but the bible records it as being 40 days.

Catechism: 638-667 Scripture: End of the Gospels and the start of Acts

What is the Second Coming all about?
As Christians we believe that Jesus will one day return. When he returns he will return 'in glory,' in other words not as a man but obviously as God. This will signal the end of the world and the start of eternity in Heaven for those who are in God's grace and favour.

Many people claim to know when the second coming will happen, but Jesus made it very clear that we do not know... We are meant to live our lives thinking about the here and now, not thinking about events we cannot predict!

Catechism: 668-682 Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 25 (parable of the sheep & goats), Revelation (but bear in mind that this is an apocalyptic writing, which can be confusing and scary if not properly understood)

What was Pentecost?
After Jesus' Ascension, he knew that the new young Church would need help. He, therefore, sent the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles. This event is now widely seen as the birth of the Church and the Holy Spirit still guides us today. It is there to help us as individuals in our prayers and our daily lives and it guides and protects the teaching office of the Church.

Catechism: 1076 Scripture: Acts 2

What makes the Catholic Church special? What is Apostolic Succession?
The Catholic Church was born at Pentecost and was the original Christian community founded by Christ; all other Christian organisations came from this original one. The foundation of the Church was Jesus' commissioning of the original Apostles and his commissioning of Peter as their leader (see below).

The Apostles were appointed as leaders of the Church and in time they appointed successors to continue their work, those successors appointed their own successors and this is what is known as Apostolic Succession. The lines of succession continue to this day and as the Church grew the number of apostles also grew. Today we call them Bishops rather than apostles, but every Catholic Bishop comes from a line going right back to the original Apostles commissioned by Jesus.

Jesus gave his Church authority to lead his people and authority teach and to safeguard scripture. As time has passed the wisdom and understanding in the Church has grown and grown and this is why the Church is always seen as a living tradition... The body of Christ on earth always develops and moves forward together.

Other Christian bodies share much in common with the Catholic Church, but they are not in full communion, as we say. The process of trying to bring the various Christian organisations closer together is known as Ecumenism.

Catechism: 748 onwards Scripture: Matthew 16, 18, 28, Acts 1

What is special about the Pope?
As well as commissioning Apostles to lead the Church Jesus also commissioned one person to be the leader among the Apostles. Even in the New Testament there are examples of Apostles refering to a central authority in times of difficulty, such as when Paul went to Jerusalem to seek guidance on certain questions regarding Jewish practices.

The Gospel according to St. Matthew records Jesus commissioning Peter as the first leader of the Apostles when he said ...and I say unto you that you are Peter, which means rock, and upon this rock I will build my Church... In the same way that the line of Apostles has always continued, there has always been a leader among them. Today we call this person the Pope, a word which simply means Father. Peter was the first Pope and the current Pope is Benedict XVI.

Catechism: 880 onwards Scripture: Matthew 16, also St.Paul's letter to the Galatians and Acts of the Apostles describe the first time that the Magesterium of the Church was recorded as being consulted. (Chapter 15)

How are we supposed to live as Christians?
As Christians we are called to live a life or service to God and to those around us. We are called to live out our faith in Jesus Christ in every we can. We are called to take part in the life of the Church and also to take part in the life of the world, trying to bring the love of God to it.

Catechism: Part 3 Scripture: various parts of the New Testament including the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7), letters of St. Paul

What does it mean to belong to the Church?
One of the most basic human instincts is the instinct to form and take part in communities. As Christians there is a community centered around Christ and founded by him. We call this the Church, a word which is defined as the Assembly of those who have been called. To be Christian without a Church is virtually impossible as Christianity inevitably means that we will come closer to God and to those around us through him. As Christians, therefore, we take part in the life of the Church so that we can worship together, pray together, reach out together and nourish one another. It is also through the Church that our faith is informed, through the Church's teaching authority and it is through the Church that the Sacraments are communicated to us...

Catechism: 2030 onwards Scripture: Acts of the Apostles, letters of St. Paul

What is a Sacrament?
A Sacrament is defined these days as a Meeting with Christ. There are 7 Sacraments and they were all given to us to sustain or help us on a part of our Christian Journey. The first Sacrament is Baptism, by which we are cleansed of Sin, through the death of Jesus and initiated into the Christian Church. Then there are the Sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, Marriage, Confirmation and the Sacrement of the Sick.

Catechism: Part 2 Scripture: Matthew 28, John 20, Matthew 16, 1 Corinthians 11

CONFIRMATION
We are working to develop a Confirmation programme for catechists and youth workers, which should appear on the site here soon. Any suggestiongs or areas which people feel should be tackled in this are... well... we are open to suggestions.

MUSIC
To start off with, here is a little something to work with... Castlerigg staff have made a short list of some of the modern songs they find useful when leading prayers or liturgies with young people - songs which carry messages or make interesting points. So, in no particular order:

(Miracles) when you believe - Mariah Carey [from the Prince of Egypt]
True Colours - Phil Collins/ Cyndi Lauper
Circle of Life - Elton John [from the Lion king]
We Are One - [from the Lion King]
Flying Without Wings - Westlife
No Matter What - Boyzone
When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating/ Alison Krauss & Union Station
(love lifts us) Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker
Something Inside So Strong - Labi Safri
I Can See Clearly Now - Jimmy Cliff
Search For the Hero (inside yourself) - M People
Hero - Enrique Ingelsias
One Moment in Time - Whitney Houston
One - U2
Bring It All Back - S Club 7
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Silence - Delerium
Sand in My Shoes - Dido
Thank You - Dido
Angels - Robbie Williams
The Living Years - Mike & the Mechanics
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John
Half a World Away - Oasis
Days - Kirsty MacColl
Reach for the Stars - S Club 7
I'll Be There For You - Rembrandts [theme from Friends]
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
A Whole New World - [from Alladin]
Fields of Gold - Sting/ Van Morrison/ Eva Cassidy (I prefer the Eva Cassidy version)
Beautiful Day - U2
Where is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas
Pride (in the name of love) - U2
Everything I Do (I do it for you) - Bryan Adams
I Believe - Stephen Gately [from Billy Elliot]

We would like to put some more music resources on this site, to include:

Good sources of liturgical music for Mass & liturgy
Tips for using music with young people

OTHER STUFF