Tag: 5th Century

Wisdom, Strength, Light, Mercy

Give me, O Lord,
purity of lips,
a clean and innocent heart,
humility, fortitude, patience.
Give me the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and godliness,
and of fear of the Lord.
Make me always seek your face with all my heart,
all my soul, all my mind.
Give me a contrite and humble heart in your presence.
Most high, eternal and holy Wisdom,
drive away from me the darkness
of blindness and ignorance.
Most high and eternal Strength, deliver me.
Most high and eternal Light, illuminate me.
Most high and infinite Mercy, have mercy on me.
Amen.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 60 #1

“purity of lips” is a reference to Psalm 24:4  and possibly Psalm 17:1

“clean and innocent heart” is a reference to Psalm 51:10

“Give me the Spirit of wisdom…” is a reference to Isaiah 11:2

“Make me always seek your face with all my heart…” is a reference to Matthew 22:37

“Give me a contrite and humble heart…” is  a reference to Psalm 51:17

 

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With You Is Refreshment and Strength

220px-sandro_botticelli_050O Lord our God,
let us find hope under the shadow of your wings.
You will support us,
both when little,
and even to gray hairs.
When our strength is from you, it is strength.
When our own, it is weakness.
We return to you, O Lord,
that our weary souls may rise towards you,
leaning on the things which you have created,
and passing on to yourself,
since you have wonderfully made them;
for with you is refreshment and true strength. Amen.

Source: Augustine

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 2 #1

Graphic by Sandro Botticeli from Wikipedia.com.

 

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Seek Your Kingdom and Righteousness

O Lord,
help us always
to seek your kingdom and righteousness.
Give us all other things we need as well;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Leonine Sacramentary, Gelasian Sacramentary

Source of this version:  Freely modified from Ancient Collects, and Other Prayers, ed. William Bright, 1902, p. 89 #1

Also found here: Prayers Ancient and Modern by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 114 #2

Graphic, Gelasian Sacramentary, from Wikipedia.com

 

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An Early Easter Hymn

Let us glorify him singing,
“Glory to you, O Lord!”
Let us worship him and say,
“Glory to you, O Lord!”

The Lord is risen for us,
the Word of truth,
made flesh from the virgin.
Let us praise him and say
“Glory to you, O Lord!”

Source: Fourth to Sixth Century hymn (Catalogue of Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library, Vol. I, 7)

Source of this version: The New Archaeological Discoveries and their Bearing upon the New Testament by Camdem McCormick Cobern, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1918, p. 304

Help, Have Mercy, Save

O God almighty,
you made heaven and earth and sea
and all that is in them.
Help me.
Have mercy on me,
Wash away my sins.
Save me in this world
and in the world to come
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
through whom is the glory and the power
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Oxyrhynchus Papyrus

Source of this version: The New Archaeological Discoveries and their Bearing upon the New Testament by Camdem McCormick Cobern, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1918, p. 292

Look on Us in Your Tender Love

Lord our God,
of might inconceivable,
of glory incomprehensible,
of mercy immeasurable,
of goodness unspeakable;
O Master, look down on us in your tender love,
and show us and those who pray with us
your rich mercy and compassion.
Amen.

Source: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Freely modified from  Prayers of the Early Church,  ed.  J. Manning Potts,  The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee, © 1953 (Public domain in the U.S.)

Original in Greek

Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν,
οὗ τὸ κράτος ἀνείκαστον
καὶ ἡ δόξα ἀκατάληπτος·
οὗ τὸ ἔλεος ἀμέτρητον
καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἄφατος·
αὐτός, ∆έσποτα, κατὰ τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν σου, ἐπίβλεψον ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς
καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον οἶκον τοῦτον,
καὶ ποίησον μεθ’ ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν συνευχομένων ἡμῖν,
πλούσια τὰ ἐλέη σου καὶ τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου.

 

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When Two or Three Gather

Almighty God,
you have given us grace at this time
to make our common prayers to you,
and you promise that when two or three
are gathered together in your name
you will grant their requests.
O Lord, fulfill the desires and prayers of your servants,
as you know what is best for us,
granting us in this world knowledge of your truth,
and in the world to come, life everlasting.
Amen.

Source: St. John Chrysostom

Source of this version:  Prayers of the Early Church,  ed.  J. Manning Potts,  The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee, © 1953 (Public domain in the U.S.)

“two or three calling your name” is a reference to Matthew 18:20

 

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The Trisagion

Holy God,
Holy Mighty,
Holy Immortal,
have mercy on us.

Source: The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Source of this version: Modified from http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/liturgy/liturgy.html

The word Trisagion is Greek for “three-holy.” The prayer expands the “Holy, holy, holy” of Isaiah 6:13 and Revelation 4:8.

In original Greek:

Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

Hagios ho Theos, Hagios ischyros, Hagios athanatos, eleison imas.

Living by the Grace of Christ

O Lord,
grant that we may live our life here
without trouble and in security,
and enjoy eternal life
by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory and might
together with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

Source: St. John Chrysostom

Source of this version: Modified from The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom.

 

 

My Heart Rests in You

220px-sandro_botticelli_050Almighty God,
you care for me as if you thought of me alone,
and you care for all as if all were one.
I see the things of this earth pass away,
and I see other things take their place,
but you remain forever.
Therefore, my God and Father,
to you I entrust all I have received from you,
for then, I can lose nothing.
You, O Lord,
have made me for yourself,
and my heart can find no rest
until it rests in you.
Amen.

Source: Augustine

Source of this version: Freely modified The Hymnal and Order of Service, The Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod, 1925, p. 680 #3

See also “Prayer and Motto of St. Augustine”

Note: Many published prayers attributed to Augustine contain some form of the words “our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Graphic by Sandro Botticeli from Wikipedia.com.

 

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