Lesson for the catechist
At this morning's RCIA class, a catechist said something along the lines of, "When I pray that God will make someone else change, He usually changes me."
It occurred to me that this is what we should expect to happen when we pray for someone else, regardless of what we specifically ask of God. Praying for someone is an act of love, and every act of love changes you.
I can think of two reasons praying for someone else wouldn't change you: