Prayer can have one of four focuses: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving or supplication. Prayers of adoration focus on praising, venerating, worshipping or expressing our love for God. An example of this in the liturgy is the Gloria, when we give glory to God for everything he has done for us and for our salvation, but especially for the gift of his son, Jesus. Prayers of contrition express our sorrow for the times that we fail to follow Christ. A liturgical example of this is the Penitential Rite. Prayers of thanksgiving express our gratitude for everything that God has done for us. While the entire Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving, the Eucharistic prayer is a specific example of a prayer of thanksgiving. Finally, there are prayers of supplication that present our needs, personally and communally, to God. The most obvious example of this is the general intercessions, also known as the intentions or prayers of the faithful. This is an opportunity to present the needs of the world and church to the Lord in prayer. We approach the Lord confidently in faith in response to Jesus’ command, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7).

The presentation of the gifts marks the beginning of the second major part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This preparation also has been traditionally called the offertory, since the priest prepares the gifts to be offered. Despite the change in name, the essential idea and theology has remained unchanged.

After receiving the gifts of bread and wine from members of the community during the presentation of the gifts, the priest stands before the altar to prepare the offering before the Eucharistic Prayer. He begins by taking the paten with the bread on it and holds it slightly above the altar with both of his hands and prays in a low voice, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.” If there is no music during the Offertory, the priest may speak these words aloud. If the words are spoken aloud, the people respond, “Blessed be God forever.” When he is done, he places the paten back on the altar.

After the preparation of the offering, the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with a dialogue between the priest and the congregation. The opening part of this dialogue, where the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” and the congregation responds, “And with your spirit,” has already been discussed previously.

Part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon the offerings of bread and wine. This calling down of the Holy Spirit is called the Epiclesis, and the priest asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit in order to sanctify these offerings so that they may become the Body and Blood of Jesus. There is an easy reference here to the story of Elijah calling down the fire of the Lord upon his offering in order to show forth the God of Israel as the true God when the Israelites had fallen into false worship (1 Kings 18:1-40). In the same way as the great prophet Elijah, the ordained priest stands between God and people calling down the fire of the Lord – the Holy Spirit – upon the offerings at the sacred altar. If we interiorize this action as well, we are asking God to send his Holy Spirit upon us as well – not in the same sacramental way as the priest at Epiclesis – that we may be strengthened by his grace and may live our vocation to become faithful disciples each day.

One of the most frequently prayed prayers among Catholics and Christians of other denominations is the Our Father. For most Christians, it is one of the first prayers that everyone learns from a young age. One of the main reasons it holds primacy in our faith and is prayed each week in the liturgy is that Jesus himself taught us the prayer. When asked by his disciples about how to pray, Jesus taught his disciples the prayer traditionally known as the “Our Father” or “the Lord’s Prayer.” This prayer appears in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

This school year, a new school designed exclusively for elementary and secondary students with exceptional needs and learning differences will open on the former campus of Our Lady of Divine Providence, located in Metairie at 1000 North Starrett Road.

I’ve only been married for a couple of months, but the Lord has truly shown my husband and me the power of each other and the power of praying together. This took me a few years to realize that the Lord has provided for me every step of the way.

Anticipation is high for the opening of the new school buildings of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Kenner. The school, now in its 34th year, will move this fall to the same site as its parish, Divine Mercy, located on Sal Lentini Parkway at Joe Yenni Boulevard in northwest Kenner.

Today’s first reading and Gospel criticize focusing attention on getting rich. Some of us might feel that this topic has little relevance. A recent study by the Federal Reserve found that 40% of American households would not be able to come up with $400 to deal with an emergency financial need without borrowing. The dangers of wealth accumulation would seem distant from such homes.

Games start at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. Some games are subject to change.

A two-story addition to St. Pius X Elementary School in New Orleans will provide beautiful new dedicated spaces for students’ enrichment and core studies in art, music, computer, library and science.

A pilot program set to begin its third year of operation at The St. Paul’s School in Covington is showing how students with developmental disabilities not only can survive but also can thrive alongside their peers in a traditional Catholic high school setting.

SEMINARIES———————————————— NOTRE DAME SEMINARY & GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY 2901 S. Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118-4391 (504) 866-7426

Have you had difficulty exercising patience? Try pregnancy. In these last few days, I’ve headed into weekly doctor’s appointments (and sometimes multiple times in a week), grown larger than I ever thought possible, and felt my weight shift and equilibrium falter.

El evangelio de hoy contiene una enseñanza sobre los verdaderos bienes que enriquecen nuestra vida. Arranca con un diálogo que ilustra y completa la catequesis sobre la oración de los domingos anteriores. Si el domingo pasado meditábamos sobre la oración de petición, sobre qué y cómo pedir, hoy Jesús nos avisa claramente acerca de lo que no hemos de pedir.

Prevention is key in protecting minors from abuse, Pope Francis said. The protection of minors is a serious concern and what is needed is “an apostolate of prevention,” he said in a video message to Catholic leaders taking part in a safeguarding course at the Pontifical University of Mexico.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican press office said that the results of a morphological analysis of bones and bone fragments found at an ossuary in a Vatican cemetery concluded that none belonged to Emanuela Orlandi, a young Italian woman who has been missing for more than 30 years.

It was the kick start to a 10-win LSU football season last year: A 33-17 win over Miami in Arlington, Texas, had the Tigers’ arrow pointed up as the Hurricanes were diminished to the pigskin version of a tropical wave.

Lou Brownson and  Harold “Hoss” Memtsas were two of the most competitive head football coaches in the New Orleans Prep League. But they shared the bond of a sincere friendship, regardless of the ferociousness of their teams when they met on the field of battle.