Mind the gap – because the prayer is in the gap!
I’m talking about the Bidding Prayer / Intercessions / Prayer of the Faithful in Mass. And by the way, those are three names for the same thing. After hearing the World of God and responding with the Psalm and Alleluia, we confirm in the Creed that we believe in the God who has just spoken to us. Then, having sealed our relationship with the Father, we use that faith by bringing to God our prayers, for the Church, the world and the community. To pray for the world and God’s people is one of the duties flowing from our Baptism. This is the part of the Mass set aside for that specific purpose.
After an introduction by the priest, each prayer usually has two parts doesn’t it – the intention and then the invitation and response, such as “Lord, hear us – Lord, graciously hear us”. Wrong! Each prayer has three parts not two, because between the intention and the invitation is a pause, and what is that pause for? It is, in fact the most important part of the Prayers, because it is the prayer. The intention tells us what we are praying for, then we actually do the praying in that pause, so that the “Lord hear us” is asking God to hear the very prayers we have just offered. How can you have time to say something to God in half a second?
Readers – When it says “Pause” in the reader’s copy at the lectern, it means Pause – not half a second, or one or two seconds. Often the writer will have put “Five seconds” and that is about right. Do not be afraid of silence. I know it might feel awkward at first, but I do ask you to leave a genuine pause – count to five if you wish – to allow us all to really pray.
Writers – Please make sure that the first part, the invitation, is exactly that. It should not be a prayer itself, addressed to God, but an invitation to us to address ourselves to God. A good format is “Let us pray for x that y may happen”. We are invited to pray for needs and situation, then let us really do that, before bringing it together with “Lord in your mercy” or similar.
The prayer is in the gap – so mind the gap!
