gallican – A Collection of Prayers

Good Friday Response (2)

My enemies lie in wait for me without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

I was led as a lamb to the slaughter, caught by my enemies like a bird in a snare without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

Evil people opened their mouths against me, they gnashed their teeth, seeking to devour me. They hissed and shouted and shook their heads, bringing false witness against me without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

They condemned and nailed me to the cross with nails of iron. Judas sold me for thirty pieces of silver. They pierced my side with a spear, and there flowed out water with innocent blood without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

They surrounded me, even when I was buried in the tomb. They put a seal on the stone without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

Look, merciful Father, and help the wretched, for whom I suffer such bitter punishments without a cause.
Holy Father, have mercy and deliver me.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary, 842. Freely modified from Devotions from Ancient and Medieval Sources (Western), ed. Rev. Charles Plummer, 1916.

Good Friday Response

O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed! (Lamentations 1:9)

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

Sent from the Father, I came to seek the lost and to redeem with my blood those who were carried captive by the enemy. A cruel people rejected me.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

Foretold by the prophets, I was born of a virgin, I took on myself the nature of a servant to gather those who were scattered. The hunters took me.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

They rewarded me much evil for good. They devised wicked plans against me. They sold me for money.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

They put a crown of thorns on my head. They spit on me. They mocked my affliction.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

They hung me on the cross with evil thieves. They fed me with gall, and to punish me they gave me vinegar to drink.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

Those I came to deliver accused me. They beat me with scourges and crucified me. They pierced me with a spear.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

I was laid in the tomb. I broke the gates of hell. I brought out the captives and led them on high. I displayed them in triumph.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

Most merciful Father, forgive all their evil deeds. Blot out their sins and absolve the crimes of those who did not know what they were doing.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

You pardoned the crimes of the repentant thief. Loosen our chains and absolve our guilt. Save us by your cross.

Have mercy, righteous Father, and forgive us all.

Source: Mozarabic Manual, 354; cf. Gallican Sacramentary, 843. Freely modified from Devotions from Ancient and Medieval Sources (Western), ed. Rev. Charles Plummer, 1916.

Oremus-Let Us Pray!

Oremus–Let Us Pray! is an updating of the classic resource by Paul Zeller Strodach, which is now in the public domain. The original can be viewed here: https://archive.org/details/oremuscollectsde00unse/page/n5/mode/2up

This revision puts all the prayers of Oremus into contemporary English, making the book a useful resource for personal devotion and public worship.

Available in paperback or for Kindle through Amazon.com.

For Christian Graces

O Lord,
give me
purity of lips,
a clean and innocent heart,
and rightness of action.

Give me
humility, patience, abstinence,
chastity, prudence, justice,
courage and self-control.

Give me
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and godliness,
and of your fear.

Always lead me to seek your face
with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind.
Let me have a contrite and humble heart in your presence—
to prefer nothing to your love.

Most high, eternal, and ineffable Wisdom,
drive away from me the darkness of blindness and ignorance.
Most high and eternal Strength, rescue me.
Most high and eternal Courage, help me.
Most high and incomprehensible Light, illuminate me,
Most high and infinite Mercy, have mercy on me. Amen.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary

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

For a Friend Before a Journey

O God,
you always bestow your mercy on those who love you,
and are near those who serve you.
Direct the way of your servant in your will.
Protect and guide him,
that he may walk without stumbling
in the paths of righteousness,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary, 8th century

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

A Prayer for Spiritual Blessings

Most high God,
our loving Father,
you are infinite in majesty.
I humbly pray for your servant __________.
Give him a pure mind, perfect love,
sincerity in conduct, purity in heart,
strength in action, courage in distress
self-control in character.
Hear his prayers and bless him.
Protect him under the shadow of your wings,
and hear my prayers for him in your mercy.
Pardon his sins, perfect his work, accept his prayers.
Protect him by your name, O God of Jacob!
Send him your saving help from your holy place,
and strengthen him out of Zion.
Receive his offerings, accept his sacrifice,
give him the grace of devotion,
fulfil his desire with good gifts,
and crown him with mercy.
As he serves you with faithful devotion,
pardon his sins,
correct him with Fatherly tenderness,
and direct him on your righteous path.
Deliver him from all troubles,
that declared righteous by you,
both here and eternally,
he may praise you forever with the angels,
saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary, fourth century.

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953

Not with Gold, Not with Silver, but with Blood from the Side of the Savior

800px-mathis_gothart_grc3bcnewald_007 By the shedding of the Blood of Christ our Lord,
peace has been established in heaven and earth.
Truly precious is the Covenant of peace,
which was made by the offering of that holy Blood!
Not with gold,
not with silver,
not with gems or pearls,
but with the blood that poured
from the side of the Savior,
which gladdened heaven,
purified earth,
and terrified hell.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary, freely modified from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright, p. 48#2.

O Single, Unequaled Mystery

800px-mathis_gothart_grc3bcnewald_007 It is truly good and right
that we should give thanks to you, Lord God,
through Jesus Christ your Son,
who, being God eternal,
was pleased to become fully human for our salvation.

O single, unequaled Mystery of our Savior!
For he, being one and the same,
God most high, and perfect Man,
both supreme High Priest and most sacred Sacrifice,
according to his divine power created all things,
and according to his human condition delivered man.
By virtue of his Sacrifice he atoned for those stained by sin,
in right of his priesthood he reconciled those alienated from God.

O single, unequaled Mystery of redemption
by which those ancient wounds
were healed by the Lord’s new medicine,
and the judgment passed before on the first man
was lifted by the gifts of our Savior.

In self-indulgence Adam reached his hands to the tree.
In loving patience Christ fixed his hands to the cross.
Therefore the punishment borne by innocence
became the freedom of the debtor,
for debts are remitted to debtors
paid by him who owed nothing.

Source: Ancient Gallican Missal, freely modified from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright p, 41#1

In Your Great Mercy Set Us Free

comeuntome O God,
you are the author of love,
and you love pure peace and affection.
Heal the diseases of all Christians who are sick,
and in your great mercy set free
all who are terrified by fears,
afflicted by poverty,
weary with trouble,
worn down by illness,
burdened with punishment,
and all prisoners and wanderers.
Show them your compassion daily,
lift them up, correct them,
and protect them.

Source: Gallican Sacramentary, freely modified from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright, p. 122#1. Also in Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.

Always Lead Me to Seek Your Face

O Lord,
give me
purity of lips,
a clean and innocent heart,
and rightness of action.

Give me
humility, patience, abstinence,
chastity, prudence, justice,
courage and self-control.

Give me
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and godliness,
and of your fear.

Always lead me to seek your face
with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind.
Let me have a contrite and humble heart in your presence—
to prefer nothing to your love.

Most high, eternal, and ineffable Wisdom,
drive away from me the darkness of blindness and ignorance.
Most high and eternal Strength, rescue me.
Most high and eternal Courage, help me.
Most high and incomprehensible Light, illuminate me,
Most high and infinite Mercy, have mercy on me. [315.]

Source: Gallican, from the time of Charlemagne, freely modified from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright p. 96#1.

Also attributed to Alcuin of York.