3rd Century – Page 2 – A Collection of Prayers

Your Words Are Channels of Grace into Our Hearts

Lord,
inspire us to read your Scriptures
and to meditate upon them day and night.
We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need,
that we in turn may put its precepts into practice.
Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless,
unless rooted in your graceful love.
So we ask that the words of Scriptures
may also be not just signs on a page,
but channels of grace into our hearts.

Source: Origen (ca. 185-254)

Source of this version: https://shadowsofaugustine.blogspot.com/2008/11/prayer-before-reading-scripture.html

For the Gift of a New Day

We give you thanks
for the rest of the past night
and for the gift of a new day
with its opportunities to please you.
Grant that we may pass its hours
in the complete freedom of your service,
that at evening we may again give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: The Eastern Church

Variant:

We give you thanks,
Holy Lord, Father Almighty, everlasting God,
for you have been pleased to bring us through the night
to the hours of morning;
Grant us to pass this day without sin,
so that at evening we may again give you thanks;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Gelasian

Source of this version: Modified from: Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 6 #3

Also found here: Prayers Ancient and Modern by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 323 #2

Let Our Mouths Be Filled with Your Praise

Let our mouths be filled with your praise, O Lord,
that we may sing of your glory,
for you have permitted us to partake
of your holy, divine, immortal and life-giving mysteries.
Preserve us in your holiness,
that we may meditate on your righteousness all the day long.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Source: Liturgy of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great

Source of this version: http://www.orthodoxyork.org/

In the hymn ‘Thy Strong Word‘ by Martin Franzmann, stanza 5 may be based on this prayer.

Lamb of God

O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
look on us and have mercy on us;
You yourself are both Victim and Priest,
you both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil those you have redeemed,
O Savior of the world.

Source: Iranaeus

Source of this version: Modified from http://marccortez.com/2012/06/24/a-prayer-for-sunday-irenaeus-of-lyon/

Also found here: http://www.mc-pro.com/kbc/pray-wk.html

Abba, Father

Abba, Father,
be a tender father toward us your servants.
Govern, protect, preserve,
sanctify, guide, and console us.
Let us be so warmed with love for you,
that we may never forget you,
O most merciful Lord, most tender Father;
for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Source: Old Gallican Sacramentary

Also found here: Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 78 #2

“Abba, Father” is a reference to Romans 8:15

“Let us be so warmed with love…” in the original is “Let us be so warmed with love for you, that we may not be despised by you,”

Open the Eyes of our Mind

O loving Master,
shine into our hearts
by the pure light of knowing you,
open the eyes of our minds to reflect on your teaching,
and put into us the holy respect of your blessed commandments.
Lead us to set aside all that is worldly
that we may follow a spiritual life,
thinking and doing all things as it pleases you.
For you are our sanctification
and our illumination,
and to you we give all glory,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: Eastern Church Liturgy.

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, ed. J. Manning Potts, The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee, © 1953 (Public domain in the U.S.), also in Ancient Collects, William Bright, p. 6#1.

This prayer may be the origin of verses from Luther’s hymn, “We now implore God the Holy Ghost”:

Shine in our hearts, O most precious Light,
That we Jesus Christ may know aright,
Clinging to our Savior, whose blood has bought us,
Who again to our homeland has brought us.
Lord, have mercy!

Keep Us From All Hurtful Things

In the evening and morning and noonday
we praise you, we thank you, and we pray:
Master of all,
let our prayers rise before you as incense.
Do not let our hearts turn away
to words or thoughts of wickedness,
but keep us from all things that might hurt us;
for our eyes look to you, O Lord,
and our hope is in you.
Do not let us be ashamed, O our God;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Eastern Church Vespers

Also found in Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 9 #1

“Let our prayers rise before you as incense ” is a reference to Psalm 141:2

“Our hope is in you” is a reference to Psalm 25:5

“Do not let us be ashamed” is a reference to Psalm 25:20

Radiance of the Father’s Splendor

The radiance of the Father’s splendor,
the Father’s visible image,
Jesus Christ our God,
peerless among counselors,
Prince of Peace,
for our sake became like a slave:
in the womb of Mary the virgin,
without assistance from any man,
he took flesh.…

Enable us, Lord,
to reach the end of this luminous feast in peace,
forsaking all idle words,
acting virtuously,
shunning our passions,
and raising ourselves above the things of this world.

Bless your church,
which you brought into being long ago
and attached to yourself
through your own life-giving blood.
Help all orthodox pastors, heads of churches, and teachers.

Bless your servants, whose trust is all in you;
bless all Christian souls,
the sick, those tormented by evil spirits,
and those who have asked us to pray for them.

Show yourself as merciful as you are rich in grace;
save and preserve us;
enable us to obtain those good things to come which will never know an end.

May we celebrate your glorious birth,
and the Father who sent you to redeem us,
and your Spirit, the Giver of life,
now and forever, age after age.
Amen.

Source: A Syriac Christmas liturgy

Source of this version: http://www.faithandworship.com/early_Christian_prayers.htm#ixzz4DB92AvUk
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

After “Prince of Peace” the original has the lines: “Father of the world to come, /
the model after which Adam was formed,”

Keep Your Scriptures in Our Minds

Lord God, let us keep your Scriptures in mind
and meditate on them day and night,
persevering in prayer, always on watch.
We beg you, Lord, to give us real knowledge of what we read,
and to show us not only how to understand it,
but how to put it into practice,
and to obtain spiritual gifts
enlightened by the teaching of the Holy Spirit,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
whose power and glory will endure throughout all ages.
Amen.

Source: Origen of Alexandria

Source of this version: http://www.hebronpc.com/Cover.10.05.08.Bulletin%5B1%5D.pdf

“Meditate on them day and night” is a reference to Psalm 1.

“Persevering in prayer” is a reference to Romans 12:12.

“Put it into practice” is a reference to James 1:22.

“Obtain spiritual gifts” in the original is “obtain spiritual graces.” In the ancient church, sometimes grace was understood as undeserved love, sometimes it was understood as a specific gift from God, or something that enables us to please him.

“Enlightened by the teaching” original is “enlightened by the law.”

Early Hymn Calling God’s Works to Praise

May none of God’s wonderful works keep silence
night or morning.
Bright stars,
high mountains,
the depths of the seas,
sources of rushing rivers:
may all these break into song as we sing
to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
May all the angels in the heavens reply:
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Power, praise, honor,
eternal glory to God,
the only giver of grace.
Amen! Amen! Amen!

Source: Third-century hymn

Source of this version: http://ecen.org/content/may-none-god%E2%80%99s-wonderful-works-keep-silence