Hear us, O Lord,
and in our troubles, pity us.
Give us spiritual gladness,
and give us eternal peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sarum Rite
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O God,
you count the number of the stars,
and call them all by their names.
Heal the contrite in heart,
gather together the outcasts,
and enrich us with the fullness of your wisdom;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sarum Rite
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
our redemption and our salvation,
we praise you and give you thanks.
Though we are unworthy of your benefits,
and cannot offer to you the devotion you deserve,
let your loving-kindness complete whatever our weakness tries to do.
Before you, O Lord, we lay all our desires,
and whatever our heart rightly wishes, it is because of your gift.
Help us love you as you command.
Do not let your gift be unfruitful in us.
Complete what you have begun,
give what you have made us desire,
convert our lukewarmness into fervent love of you;
for the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Source: St. Anselm, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O almighty and merciful Father,
you pour out your benefits on us,
forgive our unthankfulness for your goodness.
We have stood before you with dead and senseless hearts,
unkindled by the love
of your gentle and enduring goodness.
O merciful Father, turn us and we will be turned.
Make us hunger and thirst for you with our whole heart,
and with all our longing desire you.
Make us serve you with our whole heart
and with all our zeal seek whatever is pleasing in your sight;
for the sake of your only Son,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Source: St. Anselm, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O merciful God,
fill our hearts with the graces of your Holy Spirit,
with love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance.
Teach us to love those who hate us,
to pray for those who spitefully use us,
that we may be the children of you, our Father.
You make your sun to shine on the evil and on the good,
and send rain on the just and on the unjust.
In adversity grant us grace to be patient.
In prosperity keep us humble.
Help us guard the door of our lips,
to give little regard for the pleasures of this world,
and to thirst after heavenly things;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: St. Anselm, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O fountain of love,
love our friends and teach them to love you with all their hearts,
that they may think and speak and do
only what is pleasing to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: St. Anselm, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O God,
you are life, wisdom, truth,
bounty, and blessedness,
the eternal, the only true good,
our God and our Lord,
our hope and our heart’s delight,
we acknowledge with thanksgiving
that you have made us in your image,
and that we may direct our thoughts to you.
Lord, make us to know you aright,
that we may love, enjoy, and possess you
more and more.
And since, in the life here below,
I cannot fully attain this blessedness,
let it at least grow in me day by day,
until it all is fulfilled at last in the life to come.
Here let the knowledge of you be increased,
and there let it be perfected.
Here let my love to you grow,
and there let it ripen;
that my joy being here great in hope,
may there in fruition be made perfect. Amen.
Source: Anselm of Canterbury, 11th century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O Lord,
we bring you
the troubles and perils
of peoples and nations,
the sighing of prisoners and captives,
the sorrows of the bereaved,
the needs of strangers,
the helplessness of the weak,
the tiredness of the weary,
the failing powers of the aged.
O Lord, draw near to each;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Source: Anselm of Canterbury, 11th century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
O God,
source of every good and perfect gift,
shed abroad the cheering light of your sevenfold grace over our hearts.
Yes, Spirit of love and gentleness,
help us.
You know our faults, our failings, our needs,
the dullness of our understanding,
the waywardness of our affections,
the perverseness of our will.
When we neglect to practice what we know,
be gracious to us.
Enlighten our minds,
make right our desires,
correct our wanderings,
and pardon our omissions,
so that by your guidance
we may be preserved from making shipwreck of faith,
and keep a good conscience,
at length arrive safe in the haven of eternal rest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Anselm of Canterbury, 11th century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
This lorica (breastplate) prayer is called “Alexander’s Breastplate” because it is between two poems about Alexander the Great in the Welsh Book of Taliesin.
On the face of the earth
his equal was not born,
Three persons of God,
one gentle Son
in the glorious Trinity.
Son of the Godhead,
Son of the Manhood,
one wonderful Son.
Son of God, a fortress,
Son of the blessed Mary,
Son, Servant, Lord.
Great his destiny,
great God supreme,
in heavenly glory.
Of the race of Adam
and Abraham,
and of the line of David,
the eloquent psalmist,
was he born.
By a word he healed
the blind and deaf
from every ailment;
the gluttonous, vain
iniquitous, vile, perverse,
to rise toward the Trinity
by their redemption.
The Cross of Christ
is our shining breastplate
against every ailment.
Against every hardship
may it certainly be
our city of refuge.
Source: Book of Taliesin, Welsh, 10th-14th Century, excerpt
The Four Ancient Books of Wales, 1868, p. 557-558.
Source of this version: Prayers from the Ancient Celtic Church.
Original in Old Welsh:
Ar clawr eluyd y gystedlyd ny ryanet.
Teir person duw. vn mab adwyn terwyn trinet.
Mab yr dwydit. mab yr dyndit. vn mab ryued.
Mab duw dinas. mab gwen meirgwas. mat gwas gwelet.
O hil ade ac abrahae yn ryanet.
O hil dofyd dogyn dwfynwedyd llu ryanet.
Dyduc o eir deill abydeir o pop aelet.
Pobyl ginhiawc. goec gamwedawc salw amnyned.
Rydrychafom erbyn trindawt gwedy gwaret.
Croes cristyn glaer. lluryc llachar rac pop aelat.
Rac pop anuaws poet yn dilis dinas diffret.
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/t27w.html and http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/t27w.html
A Collection of Prayers 