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The Power of Intercessory Prayer

Intercessory prayer is a blessing and a call to faith. One of the gifts of intercessory prayer is that it moves us from focus on ourselves to focus on God and others. It draws us into selflessness and out of selfishness.

“Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners. He is ‘able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them’… Since Abraham, intercession — asking on behalf of another — has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ’s, as an expression of the communion of saints.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2634 and 2635

“By prayer of petition we express awareness of our relationship with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the masters of adversity, not our own last end. We are sinners who as Christians know that we have turned away from our Father. Our petition is already a turning back to him… Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God…The ‘spiritual battle’ of the Christian’s new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2629 and 2725

Do you have something weighing heavily on your heart? A prayer intention box is located in the front of church where you may drop off your personal prayer intentions. These intentions will be gathered and placed in a basket at the foot of the altar for the duration of Lent. We will pray for these intentions at every Mass during Lent.