6The opening prayer
After “Let us pray” comes a silence: that’s your moment to bring your own prayers. The priest then gathers them into one prayer to the Father, through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, and our “Amen” makes it ours.
Do Stand; pray silently in the pause.
Say “Amen.”
For parentsThe theology behind this moment, and where every fact comes from
Where this comes from
- Teaching The silence helps us remember we’re in God’s presence and lets us pray for what we need (GIRM 54).
- Teaching The collect is prayed to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and our “Amen” makes it our own (GIRM 54).
- Tradition “Collect” as the prayer that gathers all of ours together: Pope Innocent III explained the name this way, though it may first have meant the prayer said over the people gathered before a procession (Catholic Encyclopedia).
What the labels mean: Teaching, Tradition and Tip.