a) What is the afternoon prayer?
Like the morning prayer, it is a conversation with God and our family in heaven, in which we renew our desire to be with them after our life on earth. For an Altar Server who lives a life of prayer, who converts his ordinary activities into prayer, heaven really begins here on earth. Heaven and earth meet in the heart of a person united with God.
The afternoon prayer is a time to give thanks to God for all that he has given us during the day, to pray for those who love us and those who maybe do not, to renew our desire to do God’s will, to examine ourselves and ask pardon for our faults and shortcomings this day, and to make concrete resolutions to do more for God from now on.
b) How do we do the afternoon prayer?
Afternoon prayer is very similar to morning prayer. Begin and end with a short prayer (See Appendix), slowly read the Bible or another book for meditation, and pray in the church or chapel if possible. One should try to do this prayer at the same time and for the same number of minutes every afternoon.
An Altar Server should be ready to say “yes” if God calls him to the priesthood. To be a priest is to serve continuously by administering the sacraments, preaching God’s Word, and guiding his people to live their life on earth with God in their hearts, just like in heaven. It is a life of hard work and study, and of forgetting oneself. It is a life full of happiness and joy in bringing souls closer to God.