Prayers and Intentions

At the beginning of the Mass on the weekend, the cantor announces that there is an intention for the Mass, so what does that mean? For every Mass that a priest celebrates, he has someone or something that they pray the Mass for. Usually, the intention is for someone that has passed away and we are praying for their soul to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

One of the interesting things is also for one of the Masses for the weekend, the intention is for the “people of the parish.” This is something that is required by Canon Law or the rules of the Church. It may seem strange that it is such a general intention, but it is an important one. That particular Mass is said for all of the people of St. Luke’s. 

The celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. It is the primary way that we encounter Christ in our world today, and it is where we have that opportunity to receive our Lord and Savior, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. So having the priest remember a loved one who has passed away, or someone who is ill, or celebrating a special event is a wonderful thing. A vast majority of times, the intention of the Mass is for someone who has passed away and we are asking for God to bring them from purgatory into Heaven, but a Mass can be said for a couple that is celebrating a significant anniversary as well.

There is a book written for children out there called the “Weight of the Mass.”  In the book, there is a baker that does not want to go to Mass, nor does he care about someone who is going. When he is confronted by a poor woman who tells him that she would pray for him at the Mass if he would give her a little bit of bread, he mocks her by writing “one Mass” on a small slip of paper and puts it on the scale to see how much it is worth. (Nothing in the shop would move the scale.) In the end, he is of course converted to the faith by this simple gesture of the prayer of the Mass. I would recommend picking up the book for your children, as it is a great read on the importance of the Eucharistic celebration. 

One of the things that we can also remember is that each one of us can offer prayers for someone while we are at the Mass. When the priest says “Let us Pray” we should pray for someone or something during the Mass. Another wonderful time in the Mass that we can offer a prayer for someone is when the gifts are brought forth. We can imagine our prayers being brought up with the offering, the bread, and the wine so that they can be set at the foot of the Altar of Sacrifice. The Mass is a beautiful and powerful time, so what better time do we have to offer those prayers to God.

God bless,
Fr. Ken