LITURGY LESSON: COLLECT

(Given: February 14, 2010, 6^th Sunday Ordinary Time)

In a few moments, just after the Glory to God, Father will address us and say, "Let us pray." There will be a moment of silence, and then father will offer a prayer. Sounds simple, doesn't it? However, this prayer is one of the most ancient and most important in our liturgy. It was lost in the pre-Vatican Council celebrations of Mass.

In the reformed liturgy, the Church has restored this prayer to its importance. There is a different prayer for every Sunday, and the Church has incorporated prayers from many ancient traditions, including the Eastern Church. Why is it so important?

Remember ancient Gaul? That's the country Julius Caesar conquered in the Gallic Wars. Gaul became a very strong area for the Catholic faith, and by the fifth century in Gaul, this prayer became known as "Collecta" and was adopted by the rest of the Church.¹⁴ In our Roman Missal it is still called "The Collect." It has that name because when the priest says the prayer he is "collecting" or "gathering together" our personal needs or petitions, which we have reflected on in the period of silence after he says, "Let us pray."

“The Collect” then addresses a person of the Trinity and a quality of the diety, it also contains a petition, asks for a result, is concluded with a doxology – usually “through Christ our Lord” and ends with the response “Amen” from the congregation.

As we move forward in our Liturgy Lessons, we will explain the purpose of the General Intercessions. For now, let's use the Collect and its silence for its real purpose - having the priest collect all our needs and place them before God in prayer at the beginning of Mass.

Johnson, page 24.