O God,
you rule over your people with fatherly love.
Give the spirit of wisdom
to all who have received authority of government from you,
that the welfare of your people
may turn to the eternal joy of their shepherds;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gregorian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
O God,
in wonderful ways
you created and redeemed mankind.
Give us steadfast minds
to resist the allurements of sin
that we may attain the joys of eternal life.
Hear us, O Lord. Amen.
Source: Gregorian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
O God,
your nature and property
is always to have mercy and to forgive.
Receive our humble petitions.
Even though we may be tied and bound with the chain of our sins,
let your great pity and mercy loose us;
for the honor of Jesus Christ, our Mediator, and Advocate. Amen.
Source: Gregory the Great
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
O our Lord and God,
do not look on our many sins,
and do not turn away
because of the seriousness of our iniquities.
In your unspeakable grace
sanctify your servants,
forget our many sins,
and be merciful when you will appear at the end of time,
in the Man whom you have appointed to be our judge,
that we may receive your grace and mercy,
and praise you with all your holy ones. Amen.
Source: Liturgy of the Blessed Apostles
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953
“In your unspeakable grace …” Original: “through Thine unspeakable grace sanctify this sacrifice of Thine, and grant through it power and capability, so that Thou mayest forget our many sins…”
Prayers from the Ancient Celtic Church is now available in paperback through Amazon.com. It is also available for Amazon Kindle.
Prayers from the Ancient Celtic Church is a collection of prayers from the time of Patrick (d. ca. 460-493) to the Synod of Whitby (664), and also from the Celtic Christian tradition that remained after Whitby. A few of the prayers in this book may be familiar from their appearance in other prayer books. Some may be appearing in English for the first time. All prayers (with one exception) are rendered or revised into contemporary English with the hopes that they will be useful in private and corporate worship.
Includes prayers from The Antiphonary of Bangor, The Lorrha-Stowe Missal, The Book of Cerne, The Book of Dimma, St. Patrick, St. Columba and many other sources.
Paul C. Stratman
August 2018
Almighty God,
with Fatherly tenderness
receive those who flee from your anger,
that those who dread the scourge that comes from your majesty
may rejoice in your forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gelasian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
O Lord,
shine your light into our hearts
that we may see the light of your commandments,
walk in your way and fall into no error;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gelasian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
Lord Jesus Christ,
as a child, you increased in wisdom and stature,
you listened to your teachers and asked them questions.
Bless those who learn that they may grow in knowledge
of their Maker, Redeemer, Life-giver,
and of your glorious world we live in.
Bless those who teach,
that they may share the wisdom
they have received from above,
and that they may do their work
with patience and love
that reflect your mercy that endures forever.
You yourself are the Great Teacher.
Instruct all of us in your commandments:
to show love by glorifying you and serving our neighbors.
Disciple all of us with your holy Gospel:
to be forgiven, renewed and empowered
through your life, death and resurrection.
Fill our hearts with wonder and excitement
as we see your divine design in math and science,
as we see your hand in history,
as we learn to glorify you through art and music,
as we learn to know our neighbors,
their hopes, their hurts, their needs,
that your love may flow through us to them.
Your holy Word also tells us,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
By your power, help us increase in wisdom,
never ceasing to learn all the days of our lives,
until we sit at your feet in your Kingdom;
where with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
you live and reign, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Source: © 2016 Paul C. Stratman
Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, as a child, you increased in wisdom and stature…” 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.
“you grew in wisdom and stature” is a reference to Luke 2:52
“you listened to your teachers and asked them questions” is a reference to Luke 2:46
“patience and love that reflect your mercy that endures forever” is a reference to Psalm 107:1
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,…” is Proverbs 9:10
O Lord,
extend your mercy over all your servants everywhere
with the right hand of heavenly help,
that they may seek you with their whole heart,
and obtain what they rightly ask;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gelasian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953
O God of hope,
you are the true light of the faithful,
the perfect brightness of the blessed,
and the true light of your Church.
Grant that our hearts may humbly pray to you
and always offer you our praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Gelasian Sacramentary
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954
A Collection of Prayers 