"...and YOU my brother and sisters, to pray to the Lord our God for me."

I thank God whenever the celebrant includes the Confiteor in the Penetential Rite of the Mass. As well as confessing to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary Ever Virgin, and to all the angels and saints, we confess our sinfulness to our brothers and sisters present in this Holy Sacrifice.

And we ask the our Blessed Mother, the other saints, the angels—and our fellow worshipers—to pray for us!

It's a beautiful prayer because it unites the communion of saints with God in a humble, penitent, and most loving way.

But do we remember that this prayer is a two-way street?

While we beg "you, my brothers and sisters" to pray for us, it's important to remember that these same siblings are asking us for the same thing!

Here's what I do...maybe you know of a better way to honor this request.

After receiving Jesus in Holy Communion...after thanking Him and telling Him how much I love Him...I beg Him to hear my prayers for all those present at Mass. What a privilege it is to do this, knowing that my Jesus is so happy to grant this petition!