A Collection of Prayers

May Your Grace Move Our Love

O sweet Savior Christ,
in your undeserved love for us
you were prepared to suffer the painful death of the cross:
let me not be cold or even lukewarm in my love for you.

Lord help me to face the truth about myself.
Help me to hear my words as others hear them,
to see my face as others see me;
Let me be honest enough to recognize my impatience and conceit;

Let me recognize my anger and selfishness;
Give me sufficient humility to accept my own weakness for what they are.
Give me the grace – at least in your presence – to say. ‘I was wrong – forgive me.’

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
increase in us faith and truth and gentleness
and grant us part and lot among the saints.

Source: Polycarp

Source of this version: https://anglicanprayer.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/a-prayer-attributed-to-st-polycarp-increase-in-us-faith-truth-and-gentleness/

Also found here: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-lightfoot.html

This prayer has some overlap with “May Christ Build You Up.”

veit-dietrich Lord God, heavenly Father,
we all like sheep have gone astray.
We let ourselves be led away from the right path
by Satan and our own sinful flesh:
Graciously forgive us all our sins
for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ;
and quicken our hearts by your Holy Spirit,
that we may remain in your Word,
and in true repentance and a steadfast faith
continue in your Church to the end,
and obtain eternal salvation;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Veit Dietrich, d. 1549, Trinity 3

This revision/translation of The Collects of Veit Dietrich 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.

A Hymn of Praise

Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was and who is to come.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Lord our God, you are worthy to receive
praise and glory and honor and blessing.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive
power and divinity and wisdom and strength,
and honor and glory and blessing.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Sing praise to our God, all you his servants
and you who fear God, the small and the great.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Let heaven and earth praise him who is glorious.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

And every creature that is in heaven
and on earth and under earth
and in the sea and those which are in them.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Let us praise and glorify him above all forever.

Source: St. Francis of Assisi

Source of this version: http://www.ibreviary.com/m2/preghiere.php?tipo=Preghiera&id=451

Also found here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf18.htm

“Holy, holy, holy” is a reference to Revelation 4:8

“Lord our God, you are worthy”is a reference to Revelation 4:11

“The Lamb that was slain” is a reference to Revelation 5:12

The refrain “Bless the Lord…” is from the Song of the Three Holy Children

“Sing praise…” Revelation 19:5

“Every creature…” is a reference to Revelation 5:13

Help Us in Our Time of Need

You guided Noah over the flood waves: hear us.
With your Word you recalled Jonah from the deep: deliver us.
You stretched forth your hand to Peter as he sank: help us, O Christ.
Son of God, you did marvelous things of old: help us also in our time of need.

Source: Early Celtic Prayer

Source of this version: Modified freely from http://www.malankaraworld.com/Library/Devotional/Feb-5-2011-God_weekly_devotional.htm

Variant:

We have sinned, O Lord, we have sinned:
forgive our sins and save us,
hear us, O Lord, you who guided Noah on the waves of the flood,
for it was by your Word that Jonah was recalled from the abyss.
Free us, you who reached out your hand to Peter as he was sinking:
bear us up, O Christ, Son of God.
For you performed wonders among our fathers, O Lord:
Now stretch forth your hand from the Heavens,
help us in our times of need.

Source of this version: Confession of sins in Celtic Vespers: http://celticorderofuniversalwisdom.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/5/2/5852535/short_celtic_vespers.pdf

May Christ Build You Up

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and Jesus Christ himself, who is the Son of God,
and our everlasting High Priest,
build you up in faith and truth,
and in all meekness, gentleness, patience,
long-suffering, forbearance, and purity;
and may he bestow on you a place and portion among his saints,
and on us with you, and on all that are under heaven,
who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ,
and in his Father, who raised him from the dead.

Pray for all the saints.
Pray also for kings, and authorities, and princes,
and for those that persecute and hate you,
and for the enemies of the cross,
that your fruit may be evident to all,
and that you may be perfect in him.

Source: Polycarp

Source of this version: Freely adapted from http://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/st-polycarp-of-smyrna-69-155-ad.html

Also found here: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-lightfoot.html

“Meekness, gentleness, patience” is a reference to Galatians 5:22-23

“Father, who raised him” is a reference to Galatians 1:1

“Pray for kings…” is a reference to 1 Timothy 2:1-4

This prayer has some overlap with “May Your Grace Move Our Love”

Remember Your Church

Remember, Lord, your Church,
deliver it from all evil
and make it perfect in your love,
and gather it from the four winds,
sanctified for the kingdom
which you have prepared for it;
for yours is the power and the glory for ever.

Source: The Didache

Source of this version: Freely adapted from http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm

Also found here: https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/didache/

“Deliver…from evil” and “yours is the power and the glory…” are references to Lord’s Prayer.

“From the four winds…” is a reference to Matthew 24:31

“The kingdom which you have prepared” is a reference to Matthew 25:34

Shelter Us under Your Divine Wings

O Holy Father, guard us by your sacred name,
O Son of God, our Savior, protect us with your victorious cross.
O Holy Spirit, make us worthy temples of your holy habitation.
O Lord, our God forever shelter us under your divine wings, at all times, forever. Amen.

Source: Syrian Orthodox Church

Source of this version: http://hstoc.org/Resources/SS/2016/2016%20Prayer%20Recitation%20Materials.pdf

Also found here: https://quizlet.com/33374563/centralized-prayers-flash-cards/

This prayer is called Shudhamulla Bava and is used as a closing prayer and blessing in the evening prayer service.

“Guard us by your sacred name” may be a reference to Psalm 54:1

“Temples of your holy habitation” is a reference to 1 Corinthians 6:19

“Shelter us under your divine wings” is a reference to Psalm 17:8

A Nativity Prayer

Christ is born, glorify him.
Christ comes from heaven, go out to meet him.
Christ descends to earth; be raised up!
Sing to the Lord all the whole earth;
and that I may join both in one word,
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,
for him who is of heaven and then of earth.
Christ is in the flesh,
rejoice with trembling and with joy;
with trembling because of your sins,
with joy because of your hope.

The people that sat in the darkness of ignorance,
let them see the great light of full knowledge.
The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
The letter gives way, the Spirit comes to the front.
He who is not carnal is Incarnate;
the Son of God becomes the Son of Man,
Jesus Christ the Same yesterday, and today, and for ever.

Source: Gregory of Nazianzus

Source of this version: Freely adapted from http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310238.htm

Also found here: http://holycrossoca.org/newslet/0712.html

“Let the heavens rejoice” quotes Psalm 96:11

“The people who sat…” quotes Isaiah 9:2

“The old has passed…” quotes 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Yesterday, today…” quotes Hebrews 13:8

Your Word is Our Light

O Lord, you have given us your Word
for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word,
and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light
that shines more and more until the perfect day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: St. Jerome

Source of this version: http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/november09p8a.htm

Also found here: http://spckpublishing.co.uk/blog/spck-prayer/a-prayer-of-st-jerome-347-420/

This prayer is a reflection on Psalm 119:105.

Drinking the Sweet Word

The Last Chapter I pray, merciful Jesus,
that as you graciously granted me
to drink from the sweet Word which tells of you,
so you will, in your kindness,
grant that I may come at last to you,
the fountain of all wisdom,
and stand before your face forever.

Source: The Venerable Bede (672–735)

Source of this version: Modified freely from https://psalterstudies.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/may-25-bede-the-venerable/

Also found here: https://gabrielsmessage.wordpress.com/category/christ-the-bridegroom/

Alternative version:

Lord Jesus,
give us sweet drinks from the words of your knowledge.
Grant that we may also come to you,
the fountain of all wisdom,
and always stand before your face; for your sake. Amen.

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.