Prayer of the Faithful: Explanation and what it is for

The Prayer of the Faithful is part of a series of prayers that come to perform the faithful devout Catholics which are addressed to God, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In the following article you will know everything about what this type of Prayer of the Faithful consists of and when they are performed.

Intercessions

The liturgy of the Word is the one that ends with the prayer of the faithful, also called universal prayer, which the priest comes to preside over, beginning it and also concluding it, at the ambo or in the chair. In the liturgy of the synagogue of Jewish origin there are some intercessory prayers in the form of litanies. It is from there that the Catholic Christian custom of doing something similar during the celebration of petitions for the Eucharist was born .

It seems that this kind of custom goes back to apostolic times. Already the apostle Paul comes to order that prayers be made for all men, and specifically for those who lead and govern, because as the word of God says: “God our Savior wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Timothy 2:1-4) .

And Saint Justin, around the year 153, comes to describe in the Eucharist what it says: “common prayers that we fervently make for ourselves, for our brothers, and for all the others who are anywhere” (I Apology 67: 4-5) .

In the Churches of the East, this prayer is found which commonly took the form of a litany of intercessions which are said by the deacon, to which the people answered with the Kyrie, eleison. The Churches of the Western regions are also the ones who know this prayer.

In the regions of Africa it is attested by Saint Augustine, who was the one who used to finish his homilies with a kind of invitation to go to the East to be able to formulate a few petitions to God for the mass , to which the people came to respond with the amen.

In the Roman liturgy of the 5th century, the universal prayer was located at the end of the liturgy of the Word and, according to what it seems, this had a kind of structure very similar to the various solemn prayers of Good Friday today. .

In today’s liturgy, “in the universal prayer or in the prayer of the faithful, the people, whenever they are exercising their priestly office, pray for all men. Therefore, it is convenient that this prayer be performed, habitually, in the masses that the people come to attend, so that supplications are raised for the Holy Church, for all the rulers, as well as for all those who suffer certain kinds of needs and for all men and for the salvation of the entire world.”

When they come to make the prayer of the faithful, many people are aware that the Eucharist, the Blood of Christ, is offered for all Christians “and for all men, for the forgiveness of sins”. The Church, in effect, becomes “the universal sacrament of salvation” , in such a way that all men who reach salvation are saved through the mediation of the Church.

Since this is the one that acts on all of them immediately when they are Catholic Christians or in a distance mediation class, only on a spiritual level when they do not become Catholic Christians. It becomes the same as what is observed in the Gospel, where sometimes Christ was the one who healed through physical contact and other times at a distance.

In any case, no person heals from man’s deep illness, sin, if it does not become through the grace of Christ the Savior who, since the time of Pentecost, is the one who “always associates with himself his beloved spouse, the Church ”, without which it does nothing.

In this kind of prayer, the lay faithful are those who equally exercise their baptismal priesthood who are united to Christ the Priest, as well as interceding before God for all the spiritual and material needs of all men. It is something very significant that it is located, after the reform of Vatican II, after the farewell of all the catechumens. These, not yet being baptized, cannot join the priestly People and also exercise this kind of mediation.

According to this, the Church, through all her teachings and actions, and especially through universal prayer and also through the Eucharistic sacrifice, is the one that continuously sustains the world, always seeking for Christ the countless material goods and spiritual, in addition to preventing their total ruin.

All the early Christians came to have a very clear awareness of this, with their becoming so few and so poorly placed in the world of their time. It is a strong conviction that is reflected, for example, in that Letter that was addressed to Diognetus, around the year 200, which details the following: “What the soul is within the body, that is what Christians become in the world. .

The soul is scattered throughout all the members and members of the body, and Catholic Christians exist in every city in the world. The flesh comes to abhor and is also the one that fights the soul, without having received the offense in any of it, because it does not allow it to enjoy the pleasures.

Christians come to hate the world, without having received a grievance from them, because they renounce each of the pleasures of this world. The soul is locked up in the body, however, it is what keeps it linked to the body; In this way, all Christians are detained in the earthly world, as in a prison, however, they are the ones who manage to maintain the bond of the world… Such becomes the position that God indicated to them, and it is not lawful that they can desert him.”

However, on certain occasions, people are men of very little faith, and they do not get to ask God. So the word of God says the following: “You do not have because you do not ask” book of James 4:2.

Or if we come to ask for something, and God grants it to us, it is easy to attribute the good that is received to some sort of secondary cause, failing to remember that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” Book of James 1:17.

There is no doubt that, for example, the nuns of the cloister and also the humble parishioners of the daily mass are the ones who contribute greatly and powerfully to the good of the world that the entire set of prominent men and politicians who fill the many pages of the newspapers and also of the television screens.

All those humble people who are believers become those who have the most influence in the march of the world. It only takes a little bit of faith to be able to believe it that way. When coming to make the prayer of the faithful, many people must be very aware that the Eucharist, which is the Blood of Christ, is offered by Christians “and by all men, for the forgiveness of sins” .

“The ars celebrandi” which means the art of celebrating correctly, is the one that comes from faithful obedience to the liturgical norms in their totality, since it becomes precisely this way of celebrating what has ensured for more than 2 thousand years the life of faith of all believers, who are called to have to live the celebration as the People of God, the royal priesthood or the holy nation (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

This act is carried out on Sunday, June 7 of each year. Its procedure is as follows:

The Celebrant:

We must pray to God, Communion of Love who becomes our Father, through his beloved Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit that we have come to receive.

For the Holy Church:

So that with his great example and testimony, the unity that comes from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit may be manifested in the Eucharist.

• Let’s pray to God

For the Archdiocese of Piura and Tumbes:

So that at all times it is “the house and the school of communion” where people can feel the brother of faith in the deepest unity of the mystical Body of Christ that becomes known as the Church.

• Let’s pray to God

For the Eucharistic Week that we begin today:

So that it can be understood that the Church is the one that receives in the Eucharist all the spiritual strength required to be able to fulfill its great evangelizing mission; and, at the same time, it is usually the summit of all the work of evangelization, since it is what leads all men to communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him, with the Father and also with the Holy Spirit .

• Let us pray to God.

For All Who Suffer:

So that everyone, united to the Cross of the Lord Jesus, can come to experience what the Father’s love is and also the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit.

• Let us pray to God.

For All Christian Families:

So that, like the Holy Trinity, the lives of people are enlivened by love.

• Let us pray to God.

For All Called to Participate in the Communion of Love of the Most Holy Trinity:

So that everyone can respond at all times with great generosity to God’s Plan in all those more concrete circumstances of our lives.

• Let us pray to God.

Celebrant:

God and also our Lord, please the prayers of your faithful and please guide us along the paths of your designs, so that we become before all men a living praise of your glory. Through Jesus Christ our beloved Lord. Amen.

For Holiness

This gets to be done on Monday of each June 08 of each year. The prayer is as follows:

Celebrant:

For the great intercession of All the Saints who come to reign with Christ, who is present to our Father in a prayer for all men.

So that all pastoral efforts come to have holiness as a motive and as an end.

• Let us pray to God.

So that our Metropolitan Archbishop, who is Monsignor José Antonio Eguren Anselmi, may become tireless in his zeal, fervent in spirit and love humility.

• Let us pray to God.

So that we present holiness at all times as the requirement of our Baptism; as a possible goal to be achieved with the help of God’s grace; and as the only way to authentically live the following of the Lord Jesus.

• Let us pray to God.

So that the Week of the Eucharist becomes a very privileged occasion to be able to understand what the gift of the Eucharist is, which is absolutely necessary for us to grow in our configuration with the Lord Jesus, under the action of the Holy Spirit and also the maternal guide of Santa Maria.

• Let us pray to God.

So that the parish or community, the so-called “light of the world and salt of the earth”, lives its impulse in an apostolic way as a type of daily commitment, and that they are present in the message of the Gospel with all its demands of life .

• Let us pray to God.

Celebrant:

Please protect, oh almighty Father, your people in a prayer, so that you come to comfort with your great grace which comes to enjoy future goods in the company of All Saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Holy Father

This prayer is performed on Tuesday, June 09. The prayer is as follows:

The Celebrant:

The Lord Jesus was the one who wanted to build his Church on the rock that is Peter. For what we raise on this day our prayer to the Father for Pope Benedict XVI, Vicar of Christ and the successor of Saint Peter; for the needs of the Church and of all the men of this world. And let us say with great faith: Lord, please hear us.

• Let us pray for the Holy Church:

So that you come to have unity, as well as freedom and peace throughout the world.

• Lord Jesus, eternal Shepherd:

On this day we thank you for having come to give us the gift of Pope Benedict XVI. You who have come to entrust the ministry of Saint Peter to your Church, we ask you to accompany him and sustain him with your grace and love, so that with the firmness of an apostolic rock he governs paternally and solicitously the entire People of God.

So that we pray for the peoples and nations that come to suffer from the horrors of war and recover peace, so that they obtain all kinds of goods and that they live at all times united with the bonds of love.

• Pray for All Our Works and Pastoral Plans:

So that all of them become a contribution to what is the work of the “New Evangelization” in the third millennium of faith.

• Let us pray for all the sick and those who suffer physically and morally:

So that they find in each one of them and in all Christians a type of generous and supportive support.

• Let us pray for Our Community, Gathered Around the Altar of Christ:

So that this Holy Eucharistic Week strengthens her in the apostolic faith, and that it becomes a propitious occasion for those who have come to lose what is the living sense of faith or even no longer recognize themselves as members of the Church so that they return to full ecclesial communion.

The Celebrant:

Hear us, God of goodness, and protect Pope Benedict XVI, whom you have chosen as universal pastor of your Church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus Christ High and Eternal Priest

This type of prayer of the faithful comes to be performed on Wednesday, June 10. The prayer is as follows:

The Celebrant:

Through Jesus Christ, who is our High and also Eternal Priest, the mediator between God and all men, so let us raise our petitions to the Father, who manages our lives according to his Plan of love.

For the Church to celebrate at all times with faith, piety, and great reverence the , the memorial of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

• Let us pray to God.

So that our Metropolitan Archbishop, Monsignor José Antonio Eguren Anselmi and all the priests of our Archdiocese may live their priesthood as tireless service and unlimited donation to Christ and their brothers.

• Let us pray to God.

So that the life of all priests may come together in a holy life, and vocations to the priesthood and to the life that is consecrated may persevere in fidelity.

• Let us pray to God.

So that, as a fruit of the Eucharistic Week, it may enjoy the many young hearts that are willing to be able to follow the call of the Lord in the priestly service and also in the consecrated life.

• Let us pray to God.

So that at all times and in all situations in our communities, everything possible is done to be able to celebrate the Eucharist in a dignified manner, according to the established norms.

• Let us pray to God.

For the Holy Spirit to be the one who moves all the hearts of all those who take part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that they can make of their lives a kind of permanent offering to the Lord and also to the brothers.

• Let us pray to God.

The Celebrant:

Moved by the Eternal Spirit, in which his beloved Son Jesus Christ came to consummate his priestly oblation on the cross, we ask you, O Father of goodness, to sanctify your people at all times and also hear our prayer. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the family

This moment of Prayer of the Faithful is held on Thursday, June 11. The prayer is as follows:

The Celebrant:

Let us pray to the Lord our God, for the Father of the great human family. And let us say with faith and trust: Lord, renew our families in your love.

• For our Archdiocese of Piura and Tumbes:

So that the Eucharistic Week helps us to feel the brother of faith in the deep unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, and thus we know how to share with him his joys and his sufferings, offering him a true and deep friendship.

• For the Rulers of all Nations:

To defend the unity of the family and the sanctity of marriage; and seek with their efforts the solution of the problems of education, housing and work that affect it.

• For the Conceived Unborn:

So that our authorities always legislate in favor of human life, and all of us protect and defend the life of the unborn from conception to healthy birth and throughout their lives.

• For All Christian Parents:

So that they discover calls to bear witness to the Gospel and foster the Christian vocation of their children.

The Celebrant:

Oh my God, that in the Holy Family of Jesus of Nazareth that you have left to Christian families a wonderful example; come to renew in all homes the wonders of your love so that they can experience your presence at all times. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

for the sick

This prayer is performed on Friday, June 12. The sentences are as follows:

The Celebrant:

We must pray, beloved brothers, to God the almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for each one of the sick brothers and also for all human needs.

For the Holy Church of God:

So that the Lord is the one who governs her, purifies her from all kinds of guilt and renews her by the Holy Spirit.

• Let us pray to God.

For the fruits of this Eucharist:

So that they also reach our deceased brothers and reach all of them of eternal glory.

• Let us pray to God.

The Celebrant:

Almighty God and great eternal Lord, please listen with your kindness to the prayer of your faithful and deign to visit all our sick brothers with your comfort. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memory of Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles

This Prayer of the Faithful will be held on Saturday, June 13. The sentences for this are as follows:

The Celebrant:

In this memory of the Holy Virgin Mary, who is the Star of the New Evangelization, we present to the Lord God the Father each of our prayers.

For Our Archdiocese of Piura and Tumbes:

So that Our Most Holy Mother, who is the “Star of the New Evangelization”, the luminous dawn and the sure guide in the journey of each one, may she be the one who blesses all our efforts to respond with generosity to the mission that His Son, the Lord Jesus, has come to entrust us.

• Let us pray to God.

For all Laity:

So that those faithful to their baptism, become strengthened by the Holy Spirit and are also guided by the Lady of Evangelization, who are true witnesses of the Gospel.

• Let us pray to God.

The Celebrant:

Father, may each of your children’s prayers become pleasant to you, because with great love at this moment they honor today the Mother of your Only Begotten, as well as their Mother. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

This Prayer of the Faithful will be held on Sunday, June 14. The sentences for this are as follows:

The Celebrant:

United in faith, hope and charity, let us pray to the Lord so that our Christian life may have its source, its center and its peak in the Eucharist.

For the Church, Pilgrim People of God:

To celebrate with faith and love the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, and thus be enriched with his gifts.

• Let us pray to God.

For All Priests:

So that they are faithful to the call of the Lord in their lives and fulfill their mission of being men of God and artisans of communion and reconciliation.

• Let us pray to God.

The Celebrant:

Oh eternal God who never ceases to feed your Church with what are the mysteries of the Body and also of the Blood of your Son Jesus Christ; please hear our prayers and make us find our joy in the richness of your gifts at all times. Through the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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