All the news that's fit to pray: writing the prayers of the faithful makes us mindful of the stories that matter most.

WHAT ON EARTH AM I GOING TO SAY? THESE words ran through my head in a continuous loop, and not because I'd been cornered at a cocktail party by someone I didn't know. It was Thursday night, and I was at home trying to write the prayers of the faithful for Sunday Mass, something I do for my parish every six weeks.

It was midterm election season, and stump speeches and negative campaign ads were everywhere. I wanted to pray for the soon-to-be elected senators, representatives, and city council members, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to pray for: That all the corrupt people would be kept out of office? That all those who would help the homeless would win Senate seats? How could my prayers be hopeful without seeming naive? And I didn't want to write anything that sounded remotely partisan. Finally I cobbled some words together, asking God to help constituents elect leaders who would work for peace, justice, and the flourishing of community, and called it a night.

Although it's sometimes a struggle, writing these prayers for my parish is a practice I've come to treasure. When I write the intercessions, I pay closer attention to the national and local newspaper headlines, considering them as possible prayer petitions. A New York Times article about an earthquake in Pakistan, a National Public Radio report of a rash of recent casualties in Iraq, or a local news story about breast cancer survivors all mean something different when I'm reflecting on them not as a writer or pundit but through the lens of prayer.

I also pay more attention to casual conversations. I take note when the growers at the farmers' market lament a recent lack of rain, or when I hear that a couple I know has gotten engaged. The needs of the world, big and small, crowd my head and heart, and I feel a greater sense of responsibility to "collect" situations and people to bring to prayer.

Through the prayers of the faithful each week we "pray the news"--the news in our world, our nation, our cities, our faith communities, our families. (The Carmelite community in Indianapolis explains how to do this at praythenews.com.) As we join in this communal prayer at Mass, calling on God to heal the world's ills, we (ideally) grow in our own compassion for those in need. This compassion and concern impels us not only to trust in God's saving and comforting hand, but also to lend a hand with our own helping and healing actions. We recognize that God's Word and the bread and wine that become Jesus' Body and Blood give us the strength to respond to these needs with newly nourished hearts, bodies, and souls.

In praying for the needs of the world as baptized people, we exercise our "priestly" function, sharing in the priesthood of Christ by asking God to heal those in need. In the early church it was only baptized people who joined in this practice, thus giving rise to the expression "prayer of the faithful."

It makes sense today that, in many parishes, the prayers are written by the people in the pews, not a priest or member of the parish staff. Prayer-writers are given lots of latitude so that each set of prayers resonates with their faith communities. But four categories of petitions are almost always included at Mass: the church's needs, the needs of the world and its leaders, those who are oppressed by any need, and the concerns of the local community.

When we pray the general intercessions, we call on God for help. Sometimes we beg and plead. But we don't tell God what to do--these "general" prayers are intentionally left open-ended in their wording. This generality leaves us open to the blessings and healings God bestows in the midst of suffering and need.

IT'S EASY TO GROW OVERWHELMED WHEN FACED WITH THE needs of those around us, not to mention those across the globe. Sometimes reading the morning newspaper makes it hard to start the day on a hopeful note, let alone to know how to pray or what to pray for.

Each week, as we gather with the spiritual companions in our faith communities, we patch a few words together and boldly implore God's help. These words can wield immense power, especially when they move us to compassionate action and attitudes of gratitude toward a God who graciously hears us when we pray the news.

RENEE M. LAREAU is a freelance writer living in Columbus, Ohio.