How Loud Do Our Prayers Need To Be?

My church has a Sunday nite Mass during which we're invited to share our prayer intentions with the whole congregation during the Prayer of the Faithful.  For those non-Catholics, that means that in addition to the Priest reading off a list of prayer intentions, he takes the microphone and walks down the aisle and invites people to come out of the pews to share their own, personal intentions.

Over the weeks, I've noticed something.  When prayers are offered up for countries, conflicts, people and places far removed from our parish community, the people respond faithfully, but somewhat dispassionately, "Lord, hear our prayer".

But when one of our own prays for one of their own - a father/mother, aunt/uncle, sibling, cousin, best friend, neighbor - there is an infusion of energy and commitment to "Lord, hear our prayer".  Even if we personally do no know an individual offered up in prayer, our connection with the congregant sitting with us is enough to bring passion into our response.  Our voices get louder.  We stand up a bit taller.

So it got me wondering....Does it make a difference to God which prayers we say with more conviction?  What happens to the prayers we acknowledge out of obligation but whose issues, locations, politics seem far away from our own?  The ones to which we respond in almost hushed voice.

Are we loud enough when in comes to offering up poverty, war, terrorism, crime, natural disasters, famine, genocide...?

How can our prayers become as passionate about those issues, as they are about the ones closest to our own homes and hearts?