When you pray for a person or group in general, what does that do?

[DrawNearToGod]

If one offers up a decade of the rosary to a person, what exactly does that mean? In a general prayer for my sister or the Church or the country or my parish, do I leave it up to God to decide what to apply the prayer to?

I know the Church has enemies, I know the abuse scandal need prayers, I know the devil hates priests, etc etc. I feel as though if I simply say “for the Church”, I am being too general and need to specify.

And I often don’t know what a person needs. I knew a very troubled 7 year old who moved a year or two ago. My mother took care of her. The Holy Spirit brought her to my mind and I offered a rosary for her and her mother. Thing is, besides what I knew of her from when she lived here, I didn’t know her present circumstances or troubles. I assume that God simply chose what the prayers went to?

Thank you, and thank you for answering all of my questions; I hope I don’t ask too many. I have been Catholic for 9 months, so there is a lot to learn.

 

[Lysander]

Congrats on becoming catholic, sibling in Christ. First one should remember that when we pray God knows what we are praying for. Offering prayers for other like the Rosary can be offered up as a sacrifice for others.

 

[Vico]

If one offers up a decade of the rosary to a person, what exactly does that mean? …

It can in general for healing of soul and body - or any other morally good work.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

2635 Since Abraham, intercession - asking on behalf of another has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ’s, as an expression of the communion of saints. In intercession, he who prays looks “not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” even to the point of praying for those who do him harm.115

 

[strita]

you can be assured that Jesus encourages us to pray for others, so it must be effective to pray that way (consider the wording of the Lord’s prayer – give “us” , “our” daily bread, forgive “us” , as “we” forgive etc.
Likewise, in the Hail Mary “pray for us” , the hour of "our " death.

So…the we, us, our words for me pertain to the whole world.

What do the prayers do? In God’s providence, He has already factored in our prayers for the outcome of the situations we pray for. Recall that one of the powerful examples in the Old Testament are the prayers Moses offered for the israelites. For his sister, Miryam, he prayed “Lord, heal her” and she was healed. The prayers anticipated how Christ would intercede for those who were to be saved and how we today participate in the spiritual and physical healing of thise we pray for. It is a powerful gift we have been given to pray for others.

It also comes to mind how Job offered sacrifices for his children.

Pope Benedict XVI notes in (as I recall) the first volume of his trilogy, Jesus of Nazareth, that it is our right and duty to pray for our needs and intentions. There are other examples of the effectiveness of prayer in the Bible, such as the effectiveness of Hannah’s prayer for the blessing of a child.

In the Jewish religion, there was an enormous adjustment after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, and they developed an interpretation that prayer was a powerful replacement for the animal sacrifices that they used to perform in the Temple. So, for them, prayer was a form of sacrifice. To them it is the highest form of human activity.

The fourth section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is about prayer (60 pages or so, as I recall). That’s a good place for further information. see http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P8Z.HTM