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The Itinerarium

The Itinerarium is a short service similiar to the Suffrages, which included special prayers for travel.

Into the way of peace.

THE BENEDICTUS (Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets.
He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant,
the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies,
that we are able to serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,
because of God’s tender mercies,
by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

May the almighty and merciful Lord lead us into the way of peace, and may his holy angels be with us on our way that that we may come to our home again in peace, health, and gladness.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

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

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

PRECES (Responsive Verses)

O God, save your servants who trust in you. (Psalm 86:2)
O Lord, send us help from the holy place. Support us from Zion. (Psalm 20:2)

You have been a refuge for us, a tower of strength in the face of the enemy. (Psalm 61:3)
Do not let the enemy overcome us. Do not let our foes rejoice when we fall. (from Psalm 13:4)

Blessed be the Lord.
Day by day he bears our burdens. He is the God who saves us. (Psalm 68:19)

Make known to us your ways, O Lord.
Teach us your paths. (Psalm 25:4)

If only our ways were unwavering in keeping your statutes! (Psalm 119:5)
The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

He will give a command to his angels concerning you,
to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11)

O Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you. (Psalm 102:1)

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Let us pray.

(One or more of the following prayers may be read.)

O God, you made the children of Israel walk with dry feet through the midst of the sea, and by the guiding of a star you showed the wise men from the east the way that led to you. Grant us a safe and quiet journey. Let your holy angel accompany us during our pilgrimage, that in the end we may attain the haven of eternal salvation.

O God, you called your servant Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, and you kept him from evil on all the paths of his pilgrimage. O Lord, keep us. Be our help when we go forward, our comfort by the way, our shadow from the heat, our covering from the rain and the cold, our chariot when we are weary, our refuge in trouble, our staff on uncertain paths, our safety in disaster. Lead us that we may happily reach our destination and return home safely.

O Lord, direct our journeys in the safe path that leads to salvation in you, that with the many changes of this life’s pilgrimage your protection may always shield us.

O almighty God, guide your family on the path of salvation, and by listening to the preaching of the blessed forerunner John the Baptist, we may behold the Lamb whom John pointed to, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Let us go forth in peace.
In the name of the Lord. Amen.

Source: Freely modified from http://preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Varia/Itinerarium.html. See the article on the Itinerarium in the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.

The same rite is also found in the Breviary Offices of Sarum.

Scripture is from the Evangelical Heritage Version (www.wartburgproject.org).

The couplet, “Blessed be the Lord. Day by day …” in the original is “V. Blessed be the Lord daily. R. The God of our salvation maketh our way prosperous.”

The end of the prayer “O God, you called your servant Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees…” “our safety in disaster” in the original reads “our refuge in shipwreck.”

Gracious King, Forgive, Intercede, Restore

O Lord Jesus Christ,
true God and true man,
you died for our sins on the cross,
and you rose again from death,
and live and reign forever
as our mediator and gracious King.
Graciously forgive us our sins,
intercede for us poor sinners,
make us righteous
and sanctify and reign in us
with your Holy Spirit
to bring us to eternal life.
Gather now your eternal church
from every land.
Give us good government,
and protect us
from the power of the evil foe;
for you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 289-290

“as our mediator and gracious King” in the original is “as our mediator and mercy seat,” which is a reference to the lid of the ark of the covenant, which was Luther’s translation of hilasterion in Romans 3:25. Most English translations render hilasterion it as ‘propitiation’ or ‘sacrifice of atonement.’

Original in German:

O Herr Jesu Christe, wahrer Gott und Mensch, der du für unsre Sünde am Kreuz gestorben bist und wiederum vom Tode auferstanden, lebest und regierest in Ewigkeit, und bist zum Mittler und Gnadenstuhl verordnet: wir bitten dich, du wollest uns gnädiglich unsre Sünden vergeben und für uns arme Sünder Fürbitter sein und uns gerecht machen, und mit deinem heiligen Geist zum ewigen Leben heiligen und regieren. Du wollest auch zu allen Zeiten in diesen Landen dir eine ewige Kirche sammeln und gut Regiment geben und uns wider des bösen Feindes Gewalt bewahren, der du mit dem Vater und dem heiligen Geist lebest und regierest von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit. Amen. Pommersche Agende.

Abide with Us

G_C_Dieffenbach

Abide with us, Lord,
for it is toward evening and the day is far spent;
abide with us, and with your whole Church.
Abide with us in the evening of the day,
in the evening of life,
in the evening of the world.
Abide with us in your grace and mercy,
in holy Word and Sacrament,
in your comfort and your blessing.
Abide with us in the night of distress and fear,
in the night of doubt and temptation,
in the night of bitter death,
when these shall overtake us.
Abide with us and with all your faithful ones,
O Lord, in time and in eternity.
Amen.

Source: Georg Christian Dieffenbach (1822-1901)

A reflection on Luke 24:29

A version of this prayer is found in Lutheran Worship (LCMS 1982) as an alternative collect for Easter Eve.

Original in German:

Bleibe bei uns, Herr,
denn es will Abend werden,
und der Tag hat sich geneigt.
Bleibe bei uns und bei deiner ganzen Kirche.
Bleibe bei uns am Abend des Tages,
am Abend des Lebens, am Abend der Welt.
Bleibe bei uns mit deiner Gnade und Güte,
mit deinem heiligen Wort und Sakrament,
mit deinem Trost und Segen.
Bleibe bei uns,
wenn über uns kommt
die Nacht der Trübsal und Angst,
die Nacht des Zweifels und der Anfechtung,
die Nacht des bitteren Todes.
Bleibe bei uns und allen deinen Gläubigen
in Zeit und Ewigkeit.
Amen.

Source of the original German prayer: Evangelische Haus-Agende by Georg Christian Dieffenbach, 1853

* Although this prayer is often attributed to The Lutheran Manual of Prayer in many prayer books and anthologies, I have never seen or found a book with that title. A search on http://www.amazon.com and on Google Books yields several Lutheran prayer books, but none with that title.

Increase Our Faith, Certainty and Hope

Dear God,
through Jesus Christ
give us your Holy Spirit
that we may rightly be comforted
by your resurrection,
and day by day increase
in such faith
and certainty and hope,
and finally be saved.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther

Source of this version: Translated for A Collection of Prayers. German source: Gebetbuch, enthaltend die sämtlichen Gebete und Seufzer Martin Luther’s, ….Evangelischer Bücher-Verein, 1866, #606.

Original in German:

Lieber Gott, verleihe uns durch Jesum Christum deinen heiligen Geist, daß wir solcher deiner Auferstehung uns recht trösten, und in solchem Glauben und Zuversicht und Hoffnung von Tage zu Tage zunehmen, und endlich dadurch selig werden. Amen. Luther.

Easter Peace, Easter Gladness

The day of resurrection has dawned on us,
the day of true light and life,
in which Christ, the life of believers,
arose from the dead.
Let us give abundant thanks and praise to God,
that while we solemnly celebrate the day
of our Lord’s resurrection,
he may be pleased to bestow on us
quiet peace and special gladness,
so that being protected from morning to night
by his favoring mercy,
we may rejoice in the gift of our Redeemer.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: Modified from Ancient Collects, Ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 13 #1

You Destroyed Sin and Death

Almighty God,
through the death of your Son,
you destroyed sin and death,
and restored innocence and eternal life
through his resurrection,
so that we might be saved
from the power of the devil,
and live in your kingdom.
Grant that we may believe this with all our heart,
and in such steadfast faith
continually praise you,
and give thanks to you;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther [Die Gebete Luthers, #15]

Also in Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 289. Translated for A Collection of Prayers.

Original in German:

Allmächtiger Gott, der du durch den Tod deines Sohnes die Sünde und den Tod zunichte gemacht, und durch sein Auferstehen Unschuld und ewiges Leben wieder gebracht, hast auf daß wir von der Gewalt des Teufels erlöset, in deinem Reiche leben: verleihe uns daß wir solches alles von ganzem Herzen glauben, und in solchem Glauben beständig dich allezeit loben und dir danken durch denselben deinen Sohn, Jesum Christum, unsern Herrn. Amen. Luther.

By Remembering Christ, We Endure

Almighty and eternal God,
merciful Father,
you gave your Son
for our sins,
and raised him up again
for our righteousness.
Through him you have overcome death
and have opened up for us the way to eternal life.
Through your Holy Spirit,
grant that we may rely on this in true faith,
that our bodies also will arise
with Christ to eternal life,
and that by remembering this comfort
we may endure
all kinds of sorrow in this life
with patience
through the power of the resurrection
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 289, #2, Martin Luther, [Die Gebete Luthers, #13]

Original in German:

Allmächtiger ewiger Gott, barmherziger Vater, der du deinen Sohn um unsrer Sünde willen dahin gegeben und zu unsrer Gerechtigkeit auferwecket, durch ihn den Tod überwunden, und uns den Zugang zum ewigen Leben geöffnet hast: wir bitten dich, gieb uns durch deinen Geist, daß wir in wahrem Glauben uns hierauf verlassen, und unsre Körper mit Christo auch zum ewigen Leben erwecket werden, und daß wir in Betrachtung dieses Trostes allerlei Ungemach dieses Lebens mit Geduld mögen ertragen, durch die Kraft der Auferstehung deines Sohnes, unsers Herrn Jesu Christi, der mit dir und dem heiligen Geiste lebet und regieret von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit. Amen. Pommersche Agende.

An Easter Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ,
you died for the sins of the whole world,
and on this day you rose from the dead.
By your Resurrection put the sin within us to death.
As you destroyed the power of death by your cross and passion,
share with us your blessed life;
through your merits, O blessed Savior,
you live and govern all things,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Freely modified from Mozarabic Collects, ed. Rev. Chas. R. Hale, New York, 1881, p. 26 #1 (Easter Day)

“you died for the sins of the whole world” John 1:29, 1 John 2:2

“As you destroyed the power of death” 1 Corinthians 15:26, Hebrews 2:14

An Easter Eve Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ,
for our sins you endured the cross and the grave,
and on the third day you rose again from the tomb.
Just as you have cleansed us from our sin by your blood,
and as we are buried with you in baptism,
so by your grace, let us share in your resurrection;
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. 25 #3

“cleansed us from our sin by your blood” is a reference to 1 Peter 1:19, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 7:14

“buried with you in baptism” is a reference to Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12

Give Our Hearts Faith in Christ’s Work

matthiasgrunewald_thecrucifixion2 Merciful, eternal God,
you did not spare your own Son,
but gave him up for us all
to bear our sins on the cross.
Give our hearts such faith
that we may never be frightened
or despair;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther

Also found in Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 288(1).

Original in German:

Barmherziger, ewiger Gott, der du deines einigen Sohnes nicht verschonet hast, sondern für uns alle dahingegeben, daß er unsre Sünde am Kreuz tragen sollte; verleihe, daß unser Herz in solchem Glauben nimmermehr erschrecke noch verzage, durch denselben deinen Sohn, Jesum Christum, unsern Herrn. Amen. Luther.