A Collection of Prayers

Litany of the Resurrection (2)

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

God the Father in heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus Christ, true Passover Lamb, have mercy on us.

Jesus, who rebuilt the temple of your body in three days,
Jesus, who arose on the third day in fulfillment of your word,
Jesus, whose resurrection an angel announced to the women at the empty tomb,
Jesus, who showed yourself to your disciples after your resurrection,
Jesus, who displayed the truth of your resurrection with many miracles,
Jesus, whose resurrection the apostles preached, and confirmed with their blood,
Jesus, who has given us a sure hope of eternal life by your resurrection,
Jesus, who remained with your disciples forty days after your resurrection,
Jesus, who ascended from the Mount of Olives to your Father and ours,
Jesus, who has prepared mansions in your Father’s house for your servants,
Jesus, who will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, have mercy on us.

We sinners pray, hear us, Lord Jesus.

That we may truly rise from the grave of our sins,
that we may conquer our evil desires, and die to our sins,
that we may grow in knowledge and love of your holy teaching,
that we may serve you in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life,
that our sorrows may, like yours, one day be turned into eternal joy,
that we may not desire things on earth, but things in heaven,
that we may awake at last from the grave to the resurrection to eternal life,
that at the general resurrection we may have a share in your kingdom,
we pray, hear us, Lord Jesus.

Son of God, we pray, hear us, Lord Jesus.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Our Father…

Light up my eyes, O Lord,
lest I sleep the sleep of death.

Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cries come before you.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, through your only Son Jesus Christ you overcame death and opened to us the gate of eternal life. Grant that we who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by thy life-giving Spirit; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Source: Slightly modified from Litany of the Passion in The Priest’s Prayerbook, 1906. Final collect is from the Book of Common Prayer.

The Resurrection of our Lord, Easter Day

Lord Jesus,
Son of Man,
crucified but raised again,
you have swallowed up death forever
and have revealed to us the mystery
of your resurrection
and of our resurrection that is yet to come.
Let this good news
of your victory over death and the grave
drive out all doubt and unbelief
and fill us with all eagerness and joy;
you are the King of Glory and the Lord of Life,
and you live and reign
with your Father and the Holy Spirit,
worthy of all power and wealth
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise,
now and forever.

The prayers, all newly composed, are written in classic collect form and find their themes in the readings for each Sunday in the lectionary. This book gives additional options for the Prayer of the Day/Opening Prayer. These prayers may also be used for concluding petitions in the Prayer of the Church (Prayers of Intercession or Prayers of the People) or may be used as closing prayers that fit thematically with the readings of the day. Pastors, lectors and worship planners may find this to be a valuable resource for prayers in the worship service.

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The Paschal Greeting

Greeting: Christ is risen!
Response: He is risen indeed!

Variant:

Greeting: The Lord is risen!
Response: He is risen indeed!

Source: Ancient Christian greeting.

Original in Greek:

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Latin:

Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere!

German:

Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaft auferstanden! or

Der Herr ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden!

This Is the Night

File:The Resurrection by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1881.jpg ...

Father of Glory,
this is the night
in which your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ
shook the earth,
opened heaven,
and defeated hell.
Calm our fears
with the good news
that he is risen indeed.
Fill our hearts
with the joy of his resurrection
and the peace of his forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ,
our living Savior,
who reigns in glory
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.

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Litany of the Passion (5)

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

God the Father in heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.

From all evil, O Jesus, deliver us.

From sudden, unprepared, or evil death,
from the snares of the devil,
from anger, hatred, or ill will,
from everlasting death, O Jesus, deliver us.

By the mystery of your holy incarnation,
by your most holy life and work,
by your most bitter passion and death,
by your agony and bloody sweat,
by your thrice repeated prayer,
by the resignation of your human will,
by your bonds and stripes,
by your sacred body buffeted and smitten,
by your cruel mocking and scourging,
by the spitting upon your adorable face,
by the false judgment pronounced on you by Caiaphas,
by being disregarded by Herod,
by the shameful stripping off of your garments,
by your painful crown of thorns,
by your purple robe of mockery,
by your most unjust condemnation,
by your bearing your own cross,
by your footprints traced in blood,
by the tearing off of your garments,
by the cruel straining of your sacred limbs,
by your dread crucifixion,
by the upraising of your cross,
by the anguish you suffered,
by the insults you endured,
by your prayers and tears,
by the shedding of your most precious blood,
by your patience and humility,
by the love wherewith you loved us to the end, O Jesus, deliver us.

We sinners pray, hear us, Lord Jesus.

That being dead to sin, we may live for righteousness,
that we may not glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we may take up our cross daily and follow you,
that your blood may cleanse us from dead works, to serve the living God, that looking to your example, we may follow your steps,
that being partakers of your sufferings, we may also partake of your glory, O Jesus, hear us.

We adore you, O Jesus, we bless you.
Because by your cross and passion you have redeemed the world.

Remember your mercy, O Lord,
and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.

Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cries come before you.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Our Father…

Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, you were lifted up on the cross for the redemption of the world, and you shed your blood for the forgiveness of our sins. By virtue of the merits of your most holy life, passion and death, let us enter the gates of paradise with joy; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Slightly modified from Litany of the Passion in The Priest’s Prayerbook, 1906.

You Were Buried so that You Would Rise from the Grave

O Lord Jesus Christ,
you were put to death
so that you would become the Author of life,
and you were buried
so that you would rise from the grave.
You set the dead free by your death,
and you abolished the penalty of sin
by your crucifixion.
With that same compassion
that moved you to suffer all for us,
hear our prayers,
and put an end to our misery
with your heavenly joy.
As we confess
that we have sinned against you in the past,
but now have returned to your mercy once again,
we pray that we may enjoy
your favor and goodness
all the days of our life;
through your mercy, O our God.

Source: Mozarabic
Source of this version: Freely modified from A Century of Collects, [38] selected and translated by Atwell M. Y. Baylay, 1913.

Original in Latin:

Domine Jesu Christe, qui vivificaturus occideris, qui resurrecturus sepeliris, dum morte mortuos solvis, dum poenam superas crucifixus : tu ad preces nostras ilia, qua totum pateris, pietate convertere, et nostris jam calamitatibus finem pone. [Sicque reddita nobis indulgentia miserere.] Ut qui adversum te gravium culparum impressione nos egisse sentimus, iterum ad te nos misericordia. parcente conversi, redeunte quietis statu, et melioribus in rerum commodis potiamur. Per misericordiam tuam, Deus noster.

Translation in traditional English from A Century of Collects:

O Lord Jesu Christ, who wast but slain that thou mightest be the Author of life, and buried that thou mightest rise from the grave; setting free the dead by thy death, and abolishing the penalty of sin by thy crucifixion: bow down thine ear to our prayers with that same compassion that moved thee to suffer all for us, and put now a full end to our misery. And whereas we acknowledge ourselves to have sinned grievously against thee in time past, yet now by thy mercy turning unto thee once again, we pray thee that we may enjoy thy favour and goodness all the days of our life. Through thy mercy, O our God.

May We Never Be Forsaken

O Christ our Lord,
from your cross
you cried out
as of one forsaken by the Father,
and by your death
you redeemed humanity
which was lost through sin.
We humbly pray,
that we may truly believe
that we will never be forsaken by you,
and that our trust
in your eternal power and Godhead
may always be steadfast.
Graciously hear our prayers,
and make us to serve you always
according to your good will and pleasure.

Source: Mozarabic. Freely modified from The Revised Prayer-Book of the Reformed Spanish Church, 1889

This version is modified to clarify doctrine. The English translation in the source read:

O Christ our Lord, from Whose cross went up a cry as of one forsaken by the Father, and Who by Thy death didst redeem mankind which was lost through sin; we humbly supplicate Thy mercy, that we who believe may never be forsaken by Thee, and that our trust in Thy eternal power and Godhead may never be rejected. And we beseech Thee to graciously hear our prayers, and make us to serve Thee alway according to Thy good will and pleasure.