FRIDAY POTPOURRI: GENERALLY SPEAKING THIS IS PRETTY UNIVERSAL

So let's say you put mints on the table for people at the end of dinner.  Uncle Ralph sticks his ginormous hand in the bowl, scoops them all up and plops them in his mouth.

Fortunately your Mother taught you your manners well and that keeps you from blurting out, "Ralph!  You big lug!  Those were meant for EVERYBODY."  It wouldn't matter anyway because he would just say, "What?  They were just sitting there and nobody was taking any anyway."

Some things are just so open to abuse.

So it is with the Universal Prayers.  (Petitions at Mass)  This is one of those things that make me cringe.  God allows this part of the Mass to teach me patience and to get over myself.

First of all, this is NOT a required part of the Mass.  Yup.  You can skip it.  It is "DESIRABLE" that there "usually be" such a prayer at Masses with the people, which means you could dump it.  (Just try it and see how many people freak out.)

Here are some of the various titles of this prayer to help us understand what their function is:  

"General Intercessions"

"Prayer of the Faithful"

"Universal Prayer"

What aren't they?  

"Personal Intercessions"

"Prayer of a Faithful"

"Individual Prayer"

These prayers are intended for the collective good: for the salvation of all and expressive of the prayer of the entire community.  So, no, it isn't proper to say, "and for the intentions that you now mention."

"For ME as I go to take finals today."

"For my Aunt Fifi who is going in for nose surgery."

It is also an abuse (though not a big one - just one I find annoying) to say, "And for the intentions, which we hold in the silence of our hearts."  Pause.  Pause.  Pause.

Why make a fuss about this?  BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY DONE THIS.  Remember at the beginning of Mass at the Collect (opening prayer) when the priest said, "Let us pray"?  THAT is when we should be praying for our final exam, Aunt Fifi, and ALL of the prayers which we hold in the silence of our hearts.  They are then collected in the Collect prayer and offered up to the Father to be prayed for in this Mass.

Bu that is another mountain not worth fighting on . . . but I got it out of my system.

Generally these prayers do have a form:  1) For the needs of the Church.  2) For public authorities and the salvation of the whole world.  3) For those burdened by any kind of difficulty.  4) For the local community.

They should be "sober" (whatever that means,) composed with wise liberty (whatever that means) and "few words."  (We know EXACTLY what that means.)

Finally, one last personal peeve.  If you construct these prayers, do your best to avoid the word "that".  It greatly reduces the scope of the prayer and makes a hoop through which God must jump.  Here is the difference:

"For Catholic grade school education."

Okay

"For Catholic grade school education, that God preserve our schools, keep students coming, tuition flowing, and parishioners supporting."

Okay, that might be very good and all.  But what if God wants to remake our model of schools?  What if there is a better way?  What if, by failing, we come up with a more economical, better educationally, more tenable model?  While He is working at that, we are looking at our petition and thinking, "Well, obviously THAT didn't work because God is not jumping through our hoop."

I'm just saying.

GOOD INTENTIONS

Well live and learn.

I was surprised at the number of people who said they did not quite grasp the idea of having a mass said for someone. So I thought that I would just go to one of the books on my shelf, take some notes, and write you a little post on it. There was barely anything in any of my books save for some guidelines in Canon Law. So no wonder it might start becoming a lost aid to faith unless you are very aware of it being practiced by your parents.

So what is going on here? First of all it is not that a mass is being purchased, it rather a request of the priest that he include in his specific intention that for which you wish to be prayed. That does not mean that no other intentions may be offered as the benefits of the mass are endless and include the prayers of all present, but by giving something of yourself, most commonly a small amount of money, you are sacrificially uniting yourself to the mass (even if you are not present) and having an intention particularly prayed for. (A priest may only accept one a day. Period. Though he may remember other intentions for which he does not receive a stipend.) I think for most Catholics this description is sufficient, but if you have deeper questions here is site that you might want to check out. It is a very in depth explanation.

But how do you go about doing it? You might want to call your parish office before heading out to arrange for a mass. The books that record masses and for whom they are being said sometimes fill up quickly and they may not have any vacant spots until they open next year’s books. They should be able to tell you when that happens. Others might have openings and invite you over at your convenience to make the arrangements. Sometimes there are limits on the amount of masses they allow for any one individual.

First a choice is made from the available dates. Then they will ask you for what intention do want the mass said. The vast majority of these masses are for the reparation of the soul of a loved one. As it says in Pope Benedict’s “Spe Salve”, “The lives of others continually spill over into mine: in what I think, say, do, and achieve. And conversely, my life spills over into that of others: for better and for worse. So my prayer for another is not extraneous to that person, something external, not even after death. In the interconnectedness of Being, my gratitude for the other – my prayer for him – can play a small part in his purification. . . It is never to late to touch the soul of another, nor is it in vain.”

Occasionally masses are offered up for other purposes but these, by their nature, are more rare. One might be in the case of a significant wedding anniversary (such as the 50th.) Also the ritual for the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick states, “Sick persons who regain their health after being anointed should be encouraged to give thanks for the favor received by participating in a Mass of thanksgiving or by some other suitable means.” This might be taken care of by way of having a mass said for this intention.

A suitable donation determined by the local ordinary is given. No more than the amount stipulated (depending on the diocese may be $5 or $10) may be accepted as part of the stipend.

You should receive a “mass card.” It will state the mass intention and the date when the mass will be said.

And that is pretty much it. Hope it helps.