Ask and you shall receive…
Today’s Lenten Lesson: Prayers of the Faithful
“Ask and you shall receive.” That’s what Jesus said, and that’s just what we do at Mass.
After the Homily and the Creed come the Prayers of the Faithful. As Pope Benedict XVI observed, we are “at our most attentive in prayer when we are asking God for something or thanking Him.”
The “Prayers of the Faithful” are not mandatory at every Mass, but why miss an opportunity to get something from God for yourself or for others?
The priest introduces and closes the Prayers of the Faithful, while the reader announces the various intentions and invites the congregation to pray by saying, “We pray to the Lord,” and the people respond, “Lord, hear our prayer.”
There is an order to the petitions, starting with universal needs of the Church and moving down to local needs, often mentioning by name the sick and recently deceased in the parish.
If you have missed a previous Lenten Lesson, you can find all of them here. Or subscribe to receive these Lenten Lessons in your inbox each morning.
