The Hidden Depths of the Mass #11

The Collect (Opening Prayer)

After the Gloria comes the Collect, often called the opening prayer.  The priest begins, “Let us pray” and then there is silence.  The silence is intentional as a moment to collect our thoughts to bring together our hearts in prayer.  It is “usually addressed to God the Father through Christ, in the Holy Spirit” (G.I.R.M., 54). 

While short, the prayer is structured in four parts:

1. Invocation – calls upon God, generally with the simple words “Almighty God”

2. Amplification – and then comes words announcing the good things God has done for us.

3. Petition – Then the prayer asks God to help us in some way

4. Conclusion – invokes the Trinity, “Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

(Previous articles in this series can be read at www.renewaloffaith.org/bulletinmass)