one appreciate our close personal relationship with him. The expression need not be external or vocal; internal or mental is sufficient. The prayer of petition is at its heart an act of faith in that the one praying must believe first, in the existence of God; and second, that God is both willing and able to grant the petition. The Catechism states that asking forgiveness, coupled with trusting humility, should be the first movement of a prayer of petition (see Contrition/Repentance above). Jesus said to bring our every need to God in his name and assures that "whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you" (John 16:23). Through petition one can ask for God's help with every need no matter how great or small. According to the Catechism, Christ is glorified by what we ask the Father in his name. Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads one to pray as Jesus did. He is the one Great Intercessor with the Father on behalf of all people, especially sinners. As the Body of Christ, we are also called to intercede for each other and encouraged to ask intercessory prayers of those members of the Body of Christ who have gone before us and are in Heaven as well as of the holy angels. Mary, the Mother of Christ and our Mother is especially looked to for intercessory prayers on our behalf because of her closeness with her Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and our turning to her, to the saints, to the holy angels, and to each other, does not diminish, but enhances, the understanding that Christ remains above all the Head of the Body of Christ and the One, Great Intercessor before Our Father in Heaven. Psalms The Psalms have always been an important part of Catholic liturgy. From earliest times until today, Christians view the Old Testament as prefiguring Christ. The evangelists quote the words of the psalms as being on the lips of Jesus during his passion. Along these lines, ancient monks and nuns in the Egyptian desert heard Jesus' voice in all the psalms. They believed the psalms were written by King David, but they also believed that the pre-existent Christ inspired David to do the writing (Ps 110:1). For this reason, they prayed the whole Psalter daily. This tradition has grown and changed, but it still continues, faithful to the