Pop-Up Catechesis: A Walk Through the Mass—The Prayer of the Faithful

We continue our Pop-Up Catechesis series, A Walk Through the Mass, as we explore the Prayer of the Faithful.

When my kids were little, one of their favorite movies was Ghostbusters. Of course, the movie spawned a hit song of the same name with the famous line: “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” The question implies that there is one and only one answer; of course you’re gonna call the Ghostbusters “if there’s something weird and it don’t look good!” The other implication is that the Ghostbusters will come through for you; they can be counted on. In the Mass, we have a “Who you gonna call?” moment! It’s the Prayer of the Faithful (or the Universal Prayer, sometimes called the General Intercessions)—the moment when we answer that question with our definitive answer: the Lord! Who else?! In these prayers, we approach the Lord with all of our problems, knowing that God is alone the One we seek out to rescue, restore, and reassure us.

For more information about the Prayer of the Faithful, check out the following links:

• Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life
• Forming Children and Youth for the Mass: Intercessory Prayer
• Helping Young People Write Intercessions
• Universal Prayer/Prayer of the Faithful/General Intercessions/Petitions
• What Is Intercessory Prayer?

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