Manchester Jesuit presents BBC Prayer for the Day

Fr Tim Byron SJ

Fr Tim Byron SJ, Jesuit Chaplain at Manchester Universities Catholic Chaplaincy, will be offering the Prayer for the Day on BBC Radio 4 from tomorrow morning 31 October to 6 November 2015. Fr Tim will be using the opportunity to reflect on various events and anniversaries over the next seven days and suggesting prayerful ways of relating to them.

Fr Tim's daily radio prayer reflections start on Halloween (31 October) when he will point out that the most important feasts in the Church's history were often marked by three days of prayer. The eve of All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day) on 1 November, he reflects, was preceded by a vigil, an evening of prayer - and succeeded on 2 November by All Souls Day when we remember our loved ones who have died. Recalling that many people used to believe that, on All Hallows evening, souls would be released from purgatory on their way to eternal life and would light lanterns for their journey, he notes that what was once a Christian celebration has for many people become something else. "We shouldn't be surprised," he says. "As Christianity built on what had gone before, now consumerism builds on Christianity." But he goes on to suggest that rather than glamorising Halloween with torture costumes and themes of horror, the day should be used to "remember those saints that have gone before us and rejoice in the light and the love that they shared".

Various social, political and scientific anniversaries also fall within the period of Fr Tim's contribution to Prayer for the Day. On Tuesday 3 November, for instance, he admits that he is a space enthusiast, as he uses the fact that it is 42 years since NASA launched the Mariner 10 space mission to Mercury. He describes human beings as having an "incessant curiosity" for discovery and exploration and suggests that we could pray today "to recover that curiosity we had as children," and be "delighted by unexpected discoveries" that may lead us closer to God.

Towards the end of Fr Tim's week of reflections falls 5 November - Bonfire Night. He will take as his theme for Thursday the healing and reconciliation that has taken place between people of different faiths and denominations since Guy Fawkes and events on 1605, before addressing a very contemporary topic next Friday - social media. He will contrast the exhibitionism of a culture promoted through selfies with the simple and refreshing humility of Pope Francis - the most retweeted user of Twitter in the world and conclude that "faith-filled words are always aimed beyond (oneself)".

Prayer for the Day is produced by the Religion and Ethics Department of the BBC in Media City, Salford and is broadcast daily (except Sunday) on BBC Radio 4 at 5.43am. To hear previous and current programmes go to: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qmpj