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With a Quiet Mind

O Lord,
give your faithful people
forgiveness and peace
that we may be cleansed from all our sins
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Prayer for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

O Christ our Lord,
at your coming peace returned to earth.
Keep us always in your peace
until at your return in glorious majesty,
we inherit eternal peace;
through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed,
and live and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 37 #2 (Trinity 22)

“peace returned to earth” is a reference to Luke 2:14

Make Us Ready and Free

O almighty and most merciful God,
keep us from all things that may hurt us
that we may be ready in both body and soul
to freely do your work;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Guide and Empower Us to Do What is Right

O God,
all good things come from you.
Inspire your humble servants
to think those things that are right,
and guide and empower us to do them;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gelasian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Easter

This prayer is also in the Leonine Sacramentary in a shorter form.

Original in Latin:

Largire nobis, quaesumus, Domine, semper spiritum cogitandi quae recta sunt, propitius et agendi: ut, qui sine te esse non possumus, secundum te vivere valeamus.

This prayer also appears in Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 298.

O Herr, wir bitten, gib uns allezeit guadiglich einen Geist zu gedenken und zu thun, was recht ist, auf daß wir, die wir ohne dich nicht sei können, nach dir auch leben mögen, durch Jesum Christum unsern Herrn, der mit dir in vereinigter Gottheit des heiligen Geistes lebet und regieret immer und ewiglich, Amen.

Translation of the German:

O Lord,
graciously give us your Spirit
to always think and do
those things that are right.
Since we cannot do anything good without you,
empower us to live according to your will;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

These translations are licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Govern Us in Body, Preserve Us in Soul

O almighty God,
mercifully look on your people,
By your great goodness
govern us in body and preserve us in soul;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Relieve Us by the Comfort of Your Grace

Almighty God,
grant that we who deserve to be afflicted for our evil deeds
may mercifully be relieved by the comfort of your grace;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Be Our Sure Defense

Almighty God,
look on the humble desires of your servants.
Stretch forth the right hand of your majesty
and be our sure defense;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Third Sunday in Lent

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

Prayer for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

O Lord Jesus Christ,
to whom glory in the highest is always sung
in heaven and on earth,
grant your good will to us and to all your people,
cleanse us from all our sins,
and give us your peace forever;
through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed,
and live and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 37 #1 (Trinity 20)

“glory in the highest ” is a reference to Luke 2:14, Luke 19:38

“cleanse us from all our sins” is a reference to 2 Peter 1:9, 1 John 1:9

Keep Us both Outwardly and Inwardly

O God,
you see that we have no strength in ourselves.
Keep us both outwardly and inwardly.
Defend us from all adversities which hurt the body,
and cleanse us from all evil thoughts
which afflict the mind;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Gregorian Sacramentary, 8th Century, Historic Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent

This translation is licensed by Paul C. Stratman under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for permission for any commercial use.

“which afflict the mind,” the Latin word mentes can also be translated as “soul.”

A General Prayer (Christmas)

wilhelm_loehe Blessed Immanuel, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, we thank you for taking on yourself our nature, coming down from heaven and becoming fully human, and making us partakers of the divine nature. You revealed to us the loving heart of your Father. You brought us peace and quenched his divine anger against us. By your blessed birth we are made new creatures. You are our great High Priest through whom we have access to the Father. Enable us, O blessed Lord and loving Immanuel, to confess your appearing in the flesh, always to be mindful of your great love and humiliation, most heartily to rejoice and comfort ourselves in the same, and evermore partake of its power. Open our hearts and lips that with the holy angels we may ever praise and magnify you. Finally take us into your heavenly kingdom, that we may praise and serve you there, forever and ever. Amen. Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel. Blessed be his holy name. Let the whole earth be full of his glory. Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith by Wilhelm Löhe, Christmas Prayer 6, p. 124-125