O God,
you have taught us your divine and saving Word,
enlighten the souls of us sinners
to understand the things which have been spoken,
so that we may be doers of the Word,
and not hearers only,
striving after guileless faith,
blameless life, and pure conversation.
Release, pardon, and forgive, O God,
all our voluntary and involuntary sins,
such as we have committed in action and in word,
knowingly and ignorantly,
by night and by day,
in mind and thought,
forgive us all in goodness and love.
Sanctify, O Lord,
our souls, bodies and spirits;
examine our minds and search our consciences;
take from us all evil imaginations,
all impurity of thought,
all inclinations to lust,
all corrupt understanding,
all envy, pride and hypocrisy,
all falsehood, deceit and irregular living,
all covetousness, arrogance and sloth;
all malice, anger and wrath,
all remembrance of injuries, all blasphemy
and every motion of flesh and spirit
that is contrary to the purity of your will. Amen.
Source: Liturgy of St. James.
Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, ed. J. Manning Potts, The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee, © 1953 (Public domain in the U.S.)
“Doers of the Word and not hearers only” is a reference to James 1:22. Wording was altered to make the biblical reference clearer.
“Contrary to the purity of your will” is similar to 1 Timothy 1:10
A Collection of Prayers 