Almighty God,
fountain of eternal light,
send forth your truth into our hearts,
and pour on us the glory of your brightness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sarum Rite, eleventh century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.
Hear us,
never-fading Light, Lord our God,
our only Light, Fountain of light,
Light of your angels,
thrones, dominions, principalities, powers,
and of all intelligent beings.
You created the light of your saints.
May our souls be your lamps,
kindled and enlightened by you.
May they shine and burn with the truth,
and never go out in darkness and ashes.
May we be your house,
shining from you, shining in you.
May we shine without fail.
May we ever worship you.
In you may we be kindled and not be extinguished.
Being filled with the splendor
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
may we shine forth inwardly.
May the gloom of sins be cleared away,
and the light of constant faith abide within us.
Source: Mozarabic Sacramentary, 7th Century
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954. (New Ancient Collects, #158)
O God,
you are the well of life,
and in your light we see light.
Shine the light of your holy knowledge on us
and show us your flowing fountain.
Give our thirsty souls living water
and shine your light from heaven on our darkened minds;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Mozarabic Liturgy
Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953. The New Ancient Collects, #176
O let the Light,
the Truth,
the Light of my heart,
not my own darkness,
speak to me.
I fell off into that,
and became darkened;
but even then,
even then I loved you.
I went astray, but remembered you.
I heard your voice behind me,
calling me to return,
but scarcely heard it,
through the raging of the enemies of peace.
See now,
I return in distress and panting after your fountain.
Let no one forbid me!
I will drink of this and live.
Do not let me regard my life as my own.
For myself, I lived ill.
I was death to myself,
but I revive in you.
Do you speak to me,
do you communicate with me?
I have believed your Books,
and their words are most full of mystery. Amen.
Source: Augustine of Hippo
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Early Church, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1953
O Lord,
you are the Light,
the Way, the Truth, the Life.
In you there is no darkness,
error, vanity, or death—
the Light without which there is darkness,
the Way without which there is wandering,
the Truth without which there is error,
the life without which there is Death.
Lord, say, “Let there be Light,”
and I will see Light and renounce the darkness.
I will see the Way and avoid wandering.
I will see the Truth and shun error.
I will see Life and escape death.
Enlighten, O enlighten my blind soul
which sits in darkness and the shadow of Death,
and direct my feet into the way of peace. Amen.
Source: St. Augustine of Hippo, d. 430
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.)
A Collection of Prayers 