Shed Some Light On The World

Saint John Chrysostom (349-407), the archbishop of Constantinople from 398 to his death in 407, often reminded his subjects to offer prayers universally—that is, to pray for everybody in the whole world. “For [Jesus Christ] did not say ‘thy will be done in me or in us,’ but ‘on earth,’ the whole earth,” he wrote. Because of the influence of this great Doctor of the church, the prayers of the faithful after the Creed at Mass are called “general intercessions.” We pray for friends and enemies, the poor and the rich, the weak and the powerful, the victims of violence and those who inflict it. Our prayers are lights that shine in the darkness.