Prayers of the Faithful
Jesus is present when His people gather in prayer. In Matthew
are gathered at Mass, we offer up our prayers in the prayers of the
faithful, or general intercessions.
You may notice at Mass that there is a pattern in the prayers of the
faithful. The Roman Missal says that we should pray first for the
needs of the Church, then for public authorities and the salvation of
the whole world, for those oppressed by any need, and finally, for
the local community. There may also be prayers for the souls of the
recently faithful departed.
After the priest gives a brief introduction, the deacon or lector will
read each prayer and end with an invitation for the congregation to
acknowledge and join the prayer – like “Let us pray to the Lord.”
The congregation responds with something like, “Lord, hear our
prayer.”
St. Paul encouraged offering up prayers to his friend Timothy, a
bishop in the early Church, when he wrote, “First of all, then, I ask
that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered
for everyone, for kings and all in authority, that we may lead a
quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and
pleasing to God our savior.”
For further study:
Matthew 18:20 • 1 Timothy 2:1-3
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18:20 He said, “For where two or three are gathered together
in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” So while we
Notes