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Prayer on the Altar

mteverett322
edited December 1969 in Random Issues
I had this question because I saw so many people posting prayer requests for the altar in another thread.

What is the significance of prayers offered on the altar?  Are they "special" in some way?  Are names the only things that can be offered?  Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • socoolbishoysocoolbishoy
    lets say I'm a person that travels everywhere, and you can find me all over the place... and you try to get hold of me but my phone is broken, and all internet is down... which will force people to use good old paper to interact.

    now yet I'm reachable because of my traveling, but you want to tell me something, and you choose to send it through a letter, where are you going to send that letter to?!

    I hope you're saying to my house...

    and this is what we do with God, we send papers or requests to His house.


    another thing is of course because you are also having abouna to pray for you, so you would write him the prayers so he would read it, so people wont have to all go up one by one to ask and/or remind him to pray for them.


    neshkor Allah, akhadna el baraka
  • TITLTITL
    lol that's a weird metaphor to use. I would have just said: because incense, offered by the priest, is in higher position than individual prayer. I guess if you want another metaphor, it's like getting 10 letters in the mail and one has a gold envelope.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    We paused and prayed for people for about 5 minutes this morning in my liturgy. I guess we name well over a hundred, perhaps a hundred and fifty people, including those asking for prayer here.

    I believe it is most important because the liturgy is especially where and when the Church of Christ comes into being. It is the time and place when the Holy Spirit broods over the congregation and forms it into the Body of Christ. And so when prayers are made at that time they are not the prayers of one or two, but the prayers of the whole Church.

    Heaven is open during the liturgy. The Holy Spirit descends with the angelic host and makes the bread and wine we offer the Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore it is the most appropriate time for our prayers, offered in unison, to be raised up to Heaven with our offering of worship, and this is one aspect of the symbolism of our use of incense.

    Father Peter
  • mteverett322
    I see... I will look upon such prayer with even more reverence in the future!
    Thanks all for the responses!  :)
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