alcuin of york – A Collection of Prayers

“God Be in My Head…” Prayers from Old Sarum

"God Be in My Head..." Prayers from Old Sarum by [Stratman, Paul] The Sarum Rite, also called the Use of Salisbury, was a variation of the Roman Rite developed in the 1100s that was known to be high in ceremony. It also had a wealth of richly worded prayers that have influenced Christian worship ever since. Many prayers from the Sarum Rite were used in the Book of Common Prayer. This book gathers prayers from the original Sarum Missals, Breviaries and Psalters and presents them in a single collection in contemporary liturgical English, and may be useful in public or private devotions.

NOTE: This volume also contains all the psalm prayers from the book Psalm Prayers from Sarum.

Available in paperback and for Kindle from Amazon.com.

Shine into Our Hearts

Almighty and merciful God,
Fountain of all goodness,
you know the thoughts of our hearts.
We confess that we have sinned against you
and done evil in your sight.
Wash us from the stains of our past sins,
and give us grace and power to put away all hurtful things.
Deliver us from the bondage of sin,
that we may bring forth worthy fruits of repentance.

O eternal Light, shine into our hearts.
O eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil.
O eternal Power, be our support.
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance.
Eternal Pity, have mercy on us.
Grant that with all our hearts, and minds, and strength,
we may always seek your face.
In your infinite mercy, bring us into your holy presence.
Strengthen our weakness
that we follow in the footsteps of your blessed Son,
obtain your mercy,
and enter your promised joy. Amen.

Source: Alcuin of York, d. 735

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