The Prayer of the Faithful is an important part of the mass, it is the moment when the congregation comes together as one to repeat their plea to the Lord, asking for his blessing for the Church and for the world. In this way, we answer the call of Saint Paul: “Do not be anxious about anything, but, in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6).1
The Prayer of the Faithful is the intercession made by the baptized, at the proposal of the deacon or the lector, who indicates the intention for which to pray. That is to say, the reason for prayer is pointed out to all those present and then the faithful pray together for that intention: “Lord, listen and have mercy”, “We beg you, hear us”, “Lord, hear our prayer”. This is the prayer of the faithful because, in the first place, it is made by all the faithful – not by a reader – and, in the second place, because they address God directly. That answer of all is the true Prayer of the faithful.
Therefore, the Prayer of the Faithful is the prayerful response of the whole assembly to the Lord to an intention that the deacon or a lector proposes to everyone. Let us not confuse the terms: each of the requests that are pointed out is not the prayer of the faithful because they are simply monitions, indications; nor is it the prayer of the faithful, understanding that each request – sometimes in a language not of admonition, but directly addressed to God, not to the faithful – is made by a different reader. The Prayer of the Faithful is the common prayer that everyone makes: “Lord hear our prayer”2
The Prayer of the Faithful caps the Liturgy of the Word in a way similar to the reception of Holy Communion at the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. For in the Universal Prayer, the baptized exercise the very priesthood of Christ by mediating “for holy Church, for the civil authorities, for those oppressed by various needs, for all mankind, and for the salvation of the entire world” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 53).3
Let us pay attention during petitions, make them our own, and respond with our prayer, for our Lord Jesus Christ has told us that whatever we ask in His name will be fulfilled (John 14:13, Luke 18:1-7).
1 Anonymous, “Prayers of the Faithful” Hozana, Accesed on 2 March 2024, https://hozana.org/en/prayer/of-the-faithful
2 Sanchez Martínez, Javier “La Oración de los fieles (I)” Fundacion InfoCatólica – Liturgia, fuente y culmen, 7 March 2017, https://www.infocatolica.com/blog/liturgiafuenteyculmen.php/1703030114-la-oracion-de-los-fieles-i
3 Priest, Jeremy, “Is the Universal Prayer (Prayers of the Faithful or General Intercessions) required at every Mass?” Adoremus, 9 September 2019, https://adoremus.org/2019/09/q-is-the-universal-prayer-prayers-of-the-faithful-or-general-intercessions-required-at-every-mass/