O God the Trinity,
your name is wonderful.
You purify the depths of the heart from vices
and make it whiter than the snow.
Give us your compassion.
Renew our hearts by your Holy Spirit
so that we may declare your praise.
Strengthen us by your righteous and royal Spirit
and give us a place in the heavenly Jerusalem;
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Source: Sarum Rite
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
Almighty God,
fulfill our desire
and kindle our hearts by your Spirit,
that being filled with the oil of your grace,
we may shine as bright lights
at the coming of your Son Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Source: Gelasian
Source of this version: Freely modified from A Century of Collects, [3] selected and translated by Atwell M. Y. Baylay, 1913.
O God,
my heart is a vain heart,
a wandering and unstable heart
when it is led by its own judgment
and lacking divine counsel,
and it cannot subsist in itself.
When it seeks other ways,
it finds nothing,
but remains miserable in its labor,
and empty of peace.
It does not agree with itself,
it dissents from itself,
it alters resolutions,
changes its judgment,
frames new thoughts,
pulls down the old,
and builds them up again.
It wants and does not want,
and never remains in the same state.
Come, Holy Spirit,
and bring from heaven a ray of your light!
Come, Father of the poor,
giver of gifts,
light of the world,
blessed Comforter,
dear guest of the soul,
and its sweetest refreshment!
Our rest in labor,
our coolness in heat,
our comfort in affliction!
O most blessed Spirit,
fill full the hearts of your faithful people!
Without your influence, there is nothing in us
which is not weakness and guilt.
Oh, cleanse those who are filthy.
Refresh those who are dried up.
Heal those who are wounded.
Bend those who are stubborn.
Cherish in your heart those who are cold.
Guide those who are wandering.
Grant your servants,
who put their trust in you,
the merit of your righteousness.
Give them final salvation.
Grant them eternal joy!
O Lord, hear our prayer,
and let our cry come to you. Amen.
Source: Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th Century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O Holy Spirit, Comforter,
with the Father and the Son
you live as one God.
Descend to our hearts this day,
that while you make intercession for us,
we may call on our Father with full confidence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Mozarabic Liturgy
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
![Psalm Prayers from Sarum by [Stratman, Paul]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GCg3Ap8bL.jpg)
Many of the psalms are prayers. In the history of Christian worship, psalms have also been the inspiration for prayers. In many traditions, after a psalm is sung or read in the service of evening prayer, a short prayer based on the psalm follows. These psalm prayers are taken from the Sarum Psalter, the book used for the Liturgy of Hours in the community of Sarum (Salisbury), England. These ancient prayers reflect on each psalm, sometimes applying the truths of the psalm, sometimes repeating the petition in the psalm, sometimes reflecting on the meaning of the psalm for the individual. This book also includes other prayers and blessings from the Sarum Liturgy of Hours.
Available for Kindle from Amazon.com. These prayers are also included in “God Be in My Head…” Prayers from Old Sarum.
Lord Jesus Christ,
humble, gentle and loving Savior,
help me resist temptations of pride,
help me see the needs of others,
help me to be a servant,
help me to reflect your love,
help me to speak your truth in love,
help me to think beyond the moment,
help me to trust your plan as it unfolded in the past,
help me to trust your plan as it stands in the present,
help me to trust your plan, and to have confidence in what you have in mind for the future,
help me to not be afraid,
help me to not be angry,
help me to not be selfish,
give me confidence in you,
give me the peace of your Spirit,
give me the power to love, serve and give
from the love, service and gifts you have given me.
Lamb of God, you have taken away the sin of the world.
King of kings, you sit at your Father’s right hand, ruling all things.
Mighty God, you rule over all things for the good of your Church.
Tender Savior, you have promised to be with us, with me, always.
Have mercy.
Strengthen my faith.
Grant me peace.
Amen.
Source: 2019 Paul C. Stratman
The New Ancient Collects is available through Amazon for Kindle and in paperback.
For over 150 years, Bright’s Ancient Collects has been a standard resource for classic Christian prayers. The New Ancient Collects is a complete revision and refreshing of all the prayers in Bright’s Ancient Collects with updated language.
Special thanks to Eric M from https://prayerandverse.com/ who proofread the manuscript and made many helpful suggestions.
Click here for paperback or Kindle formats.
Here is an example of the kind of updating that was done:
Almighty and eternal God,
bless us as we celebrate this day’s festival
and direct our eyes heavenward
where in human flesh, your only Son is with you;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Source: Leonine Sacramentary, Ascension, Fifth Century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953
Almighty God and heavenly Father,
in your infinite love and goodness towards us,
you have given to us your only and most dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
to be our Redeemer and the Author of eternal life.
After he completed our redemption by his death
and ascended into heaven,
he sent his apostles, prophets,
evangelists, teachers,
and pastors abroad into the world.
By their work and ministry
he gathered together a great flock from all parts of the world,
for the eternal praise of your holy name.
For these great benefits of your eternal goodness
we give our most humble thanks.
We praise and worship you,
and we humbly pray,
by your blessed Son,
grant to all your people everywhere
who call on your holy name,
that we may continue to show ourselves thankful to you
for these and all your other benefits,
and that we may daily increase
and go forward in knowledge and faith
in you and your Son by the Holy Spirit,
so that your holy name may be forever glorified,
and your blessed kingdom enlarged;
through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.
Source: Sarum Rite, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
Shortened version:
Almighty God and heavenly Father, in your infinite love and goodness towards us, you have given us your only and most beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who sent his apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors abroad into the world. Grant that all your people everywhere may go forward in knowledge and faith in you and your Son by the Holy Spirit, so that your holy name may be forever glorified and your blessed kingdom enlarged; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
A Collection of Prayers 