When to offer our prayers during Mass

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oh no! lol me also. I found one other article that was very confusing. there must be a Mass book that would explain but today I can not think of one. thx anyway.
 
in the local parishes here, there is time for a general intercession for our personal needs and intentions.

The “prayers of the faithful” at Mass have become very stiff and almost proceduralized, usually written beforehand. I think the original intent was for people to speak up with their individual needs.

In the Lord’s prayer, we use the words like “us” which means ALL of us, you and me, and the Muslims Jews and everybody else. Your intentions are included.
 
The article is generally correct, for example when it talks about how you can have one intention for Mass and one for Holy Communion, but afaik the Church does not mandate a set time during Mass when you have to mentally disclose your intention to God right that minute and not at some other time before or during the Mass - or even after the Mass if you somehow forgot, since God is outside of time.

If I want to offer my Mass for someone I would generally just inform the Lord of that before I go. Or I might think of it during the last intention of the General Intercessions where the priest lets everybody have a moment of silence to offer their personal intentions and then we all say “Lord, hear our prayer”.

it is fine to mentally place your intention on the paten at offertory or whatever, but you do not have to do it that way or at that moment.

I do like the suggestion of having a default Mass intention though and I will set one of those up with Jesus starting tomorrow.
 
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I too have read that we are to place ourselves /our intentions on the paten with the host to offer ourselves with Jesus to the Father. Personally, when the priest holds up the chalice with the Precious Blood is when I mentally pray "Lord, I offer thee the most precious blood of they divine Son, my Lord Jesus Christ in/for … … …
 
I think, as @Tis_Bearself suggests, the idea is that we aren’t just showing up and going through the motions but that we’re adding meaningful intent to our own prayers at Mass. It doesn’t matter when/how, but give each Mass a “purpose” in your prayer life. I try to do this in my before-Mass prayers and for Communion in particular as we’re processing forward to receive, but it can be any meaningful moment for you - and I, too, like the “default” idea so long as we don’t let that become so routine we forget about it.
 
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