Say a Prayer for Me Trivia Quiz

Answer: Grace

Saying 'grace' is a thank you to God for allowing humans to use the animals and plants of the earth for their food. Some people believe that it makes the meal itself holy. One of the graces I remember from my schooldays is 'for what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly grateful'.

Answer: Kneeling

All of these positions could be, and are, used for prayer, but in the west kneeling is used as a form of respect to the Lord. Many churches have special stools, called kneelers, for worshippers to use. In the Bible, Jesus himself is described as kneeling to pray.

As well as kneeling, many people put the palms of their hands together, with the fingers pointing upwards, in prayer and close their eyes.

Answer: Winnie-the-Pooh

The poem is called 'Vespers' and describes Christopher Robin kneeling by his bed to say his prayers before going to bed. He asks God to bless Mummy, Daddy and Nanny, before remembering to ask 'God bless me' too. Winnie-the-Pooh was Christopher Robin's teddy bear, and his other friends included Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo.

The stories were written by A.A. Milne. The other bears listed are all from well known books.

Answer: Our Father

The words of the Lord's Prayer are taken from the Bible, and are quoted in two of the Gospels, written by Matthew and Luke. In them, Jesus is teaching his disciples how they should pray to God, not to him, so 'Gentle Jesus' doesn't fit. There is a hymn which starts with those words, though, and one which starts with 'Dear Lord'. I hope you wouldn't be rude enough to speak to anyone with the words 'Hey You'.

Answer: Rosary

The name of the rosary comes from Latin, and means 'crown or garland of roses'. It is used particularly when praying the Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the beads are counted so that the person praying knows how many of the prayers they have covered. A necklace is not a holy item, and the bracelet and bangle are worn around the wrist for decoration.

Answer: Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket had been made Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II, but their original friendship had turned to ill will when Becket refused to follow the king's wishes. Four knights heard the king complaining about Becket, and thought that he wanted the Archbishop to be killed, so attacked and murdered him in the cathedral.

Answer: Take

The first version of this prayer dates from 1711, with slightly different words. The words that I've quoted come from an American publication called 'The New England Primer'. There are several other variations, but they all ask God to take care of the person praying during their sleep, and for God to take their soul if they happen to die.

Answer: Common Prayer

The reign of the previous English king, Henry VIII, had seen the establishment of England's own church, the Church of England. 'The Book of Common Prayer' was the first time the prayers had been written down in English, as previously worship had used Latin.

The work of creating the prayers in English was done by Thomas Cranmer, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. He had started the work during the reign of Henry VIII, but was it not completed or made available until Henry's son, Edward VI, came to the throne.

Answer: William Shakespeare

Hamlet's reasons for not killing Claudius are not those of guilt, but because he believes that Claudius's soul will go to heaven if he dies while he is praying. Hamlet doesn't believe Claudius deserves that, as he killed Hamlet's own father, so decides to wait for another opportunity when Claudius is being sinful. Shakespeare wrote nearly forty different plays, and over one hundred and fifty poems.

Answer: Amen

The traditional ending to a prayer is to say 'amen', which means 'so be it' and is said to emphasise the importance of the words of the prayer. The word is found in many places in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. It can also be used at the end of a hymn. You could say 'thank you' to God, and 'goodbye' but 'amen' is the usual way to finish.