This week’s study of the Mass ends
with the Prayers of the Faithful, a beautiful form of petitioning and interceding
to God. The passage below is a bit long so maybe if you are busy you can read
it in segments throughout the day and the weekend as my friend Sue
does. She says it works, so why not try it? There is just too much wonderful
thought to leave anything out!
Scripture for
meditation: Romans 10:1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them
is for their salvation.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church teaches: II. PRAYER OF PETITION (read this today)
2629 The
vocabulary of supplication in the New Testament is rich in shades of meaning:
ask, beseech, plead, invoke, entreat, cry out, even "struggle in
prayer."102 Its most usual form, because the most spontaneous,
is petition: by prayer of petition we express awareness of our relationship
with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the masters of
adversity, not our own last end. We are sinners who as Christians know that we
have turned away from our Father. Our petition is already a turning back to
him.
2630 The New Testament contains
scarcely any prayers of lamentation, so frequent in the Old Testament. In the
risen Christ the Church's petition is buoyed by hope, even if we still wait in
a state of expectation and must be converted anew every day. Christian
petition, what St. Paul calls {"groaning," arises from another depth,
that of creation "in labor pains" and that of ourselves "as we
wait for the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."103
In the end, however, "with sighs too deep for words" the Holy Spirit
"helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words."104
2631 The first
movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax
collector in the parable: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"105
It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings
us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ
and with one another, so that "we receive from him whatever we ask."106
Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both the Eucharistic liturgy and
personal prayer.
2632 Christian
petition is centered on the desire and search for the Kingdom to come,
in keeping with the teaching of Christ.107 There is a hierarchy in
these petitions: we pray first for the Kingdom, then for what is necessary to
welcome it and cooperate with its coming. This collaboration with the mission
of Christ and the Holy Spirit, which is now that of the Church, is the object
of the prayer of the apostolic community.108 It is the prayer of
Paul, the apostle par excellence, which reveals to us how the divine solicitude
for all the churches ought to inspire Christian prayer.109 By prayer
every baptized person works for the coming of the Kingdom.
2633 When we
share in God's saving love, we understand that every need can become the
object of petition. Christ, who assumed all things in order to redeem all
things, is glorified by what we ask the Father in his name.110 It is
with this confidence that St. James and St. Paul exhort us to pray at all
times.111
III. PRAYER OF INTERCESSION (read this
Saturday)
2634 Intercession is a prayer
of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with
the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners.112 He is
"able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since
he always lives to make intercession for them."113 The Holy
Spirit "himself intercedes for us . . . and intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God."114
2635 Since Abraham,
intercession - asking on behalf of another has been characteristic of a heart
attuned to God's mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession
participates in Christ's, as an expression of the communion of saints. In
intercession, he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also
to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do
him harm.115
2636 The first Christian
communities lived this form of fellowship intensely.116 Thus the
Apostle Paul gives them a share in his ministry of preaching the Gospel117
but also intercedes for them.118 The intercession of Christians
recognizes no boundaries: "for all men, for kings and all who are in high
positions," for persecutors, for the salvation of those who reject the
Gospel.119
.102 Cf.
Rom 15:30; Col 4:12.103 Rom 8:22-24104 Rom 8:26.105
Lk 18:13. 106 1 Jn 3:22; cf. 1:7-2:2.107 Cf. Mt 6:10,33; Lk
11:2,13.108 Cf. Acts 6:6; 13:3.109 Cf. Rom 10:1; Eph
1:16-23; Phil 1:9-11; Col 1:3-6; 4:3-4,12.110 Cf. Jn 14:13.111
Cf. Jas 1:5-8; Eph 5:20; Phil 4:6-7; Col 3:16-17; 1
Thess 5:17-18.112 Cf. Rom 8:34; 1 Jn 2:1; 1 Tim 2:5-8.113
Heb 7:25.114 Rom 8:26-27.115 Phil 2:4; cf. Acts
7:60; Lk 23:28,34.116 Cf. Acts 12:5; 20:36; 21:5; 2 Cor
9:14.117 Cf. Eph 6:18-20; Col 4:3-4; 1 Thess 5:25.118 Cf. 2
Thess 1:11; Col 1:3; Phil 1:3-4. 119 2 Tim 2:1; cf. Rom
12:14; 10:1.
My thoughts: We
have learned a lot in the above passages from the Catechism. What jumps out at
me is the line 2630: “The
New Testament contains scarcely any prayers of lamentation, so frequent in the
Old Testament. In the risen Christ the Church's petition is buoyed by hope,
even if we still wait in a state of expectation and must be converted anew every
day.” I never thought about the fact that we don’t have long passages of deep
mourning and lamenting in the New Testament as the Old Testament does. It makes
sense. As Christians, we have the knowledge and the hope of the Redeemer, the
Messiah, right in our hearts. We are saved, we are loved, and we know it for
fact. When we present our petitions to the Lord at Mass, we do so not out of
doubt or despair, but out of confident assurance that God will hear our prayer
and answer us. The Church prays for many needs at this time. Listen carefully
to the petitions, pray with all your heart, and believe in your power to
intercede for others. It was given to you by God. Use it. And remember to
always pray for the redemption of your loved ones. We want everyone to go to
heaven with us!!!
Prayer: Novena to
the Divine Child Jesus (read this Sunday. It is a nine day novena, very
powerful)
Divine Child Jesus, we believe in You; We adore You; and
we love You; have mercy on us, sinners.
We've come to this Temple in response to your love. We've come in response to your mercy and grace. We are here because You invited us to come before You and to pour out the cares of our hearts to You since You deeply care for each of us.
We remember Your words to the disciples: Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened. Trusting in your infinite goodness and trusting that You always keep your promise, we now ask this intention which we pray in the silence of our hearts...<silently mention the request>...
Thank you, Divine Child Jesus, for listening attentively to our prayers all the time. We hope that You will ask this before Our Heavenly Father. And, if what we ask for may not be good for our salvation and sanctification, we trust that you will grant us instead what we truly need, so that one day we may be with You for all eternity enjoying that ultimate happiness of Heaven.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and protect us.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and lead us.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and provide for us.
All this we ask through the intercession of your Holy Mother, Mary, and in Your powerful and Most Holy Name, Jesus. Amen
We've come to this Temple in response to your love. We've come in response to your mercy and grace. We are here because You invited us to come before You and to pour out the cares of our hearts to You since You deeply care for each of us.
We remember Your words to the disciples: Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened. Trusting in your infinite goodness and trusting that You always keep your promise, we now ask this intention which we pray in the silence of our hearts...<silently mention the request>...
Thank you, Divine Child Jesus, for listening attentively to our prayers all the time. We hope that You will ask this before Our Heavenly Father. And, if what we ask for may not be good for our salvation and sanctification, we trust that you will grant us instead what we truly need, so that one day we may be with You for all eternity enjoying that ultimate happiness of Heaven.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and protect us.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and lead us.
Divine Child Jesus, bless and provide for us.
All this we ask through the intercession of your Holy Mother, Mary, and in Your powerful and Most Holy Name, Jesus. Amen
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