petition – Page 4 – A Collection of Prayers

With You Is Refreshment and Strength

220px-sandro_botticelli_050 O 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.

Prayer after Communion

Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
thanks and praise to you.
Again you fed me at your holy table
with your own body and blood.
By your Word and Supper,
may I be led from this world of sorrow
into life eternal.
Amen.

Source: Modified from Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States, Luth. Book concern, 1891, p. 544 #2

Prayer before Communion

Lord Jesus Christ,
may your holy body be my food.
May your holy blood be my drink.
May your sufferings and death strengthen me.

Lord Jesus Christ, hear me.
Hide me in your holy wounds
and let me never be separated from you.
Lord Jesus Christ,
keep me from the evil one,
be merciful to me in the hour of my death,
that with all the elect I may praise you,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Modified from Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States, Luth. Book concern, 1891, p. 544 #1

As a block paragraph:

Lord Jesus Christ, may your holy body be my food. May your holy blood be my drink. May your sufferings and death strengthen me. Lord Jesus Christ, hear me. Hide me in your holy wounds and let me never be separated from you. Lord Jesus Christ, keep me from the evil one, be merciful to me in the hour of my death, that with all the elect I may praise you, forever and ever.

Reworded for public worship:

Lord Jesus Christ, may your holy body be our food. May your holy blood be our drink. May your sufferings and death strengthen us. Hear us. Hide us in your holy wounds and let us never be separated from you. Lord Jesus Christ, keep us from the evil one and be merciful to us to the end, that with all the elect we may praise you; you live and reign, now and forever.

Prayer Reflecting on the Terror Attack in Nice, France

O God,
gracious God,
when you first spoke to Noah before the great flood,
you said, “This earth is full of violence
because of the people” (Genesis 6:13).
We know that the violence we see now,
you have seen, too.
Lord, have mercy.

You holy Word also says
you are slow in bringing judgment
because you are patient
and do not want any to perish
but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Christ, have mercy.

Soften the hearts
of those who would cause terror
and lead them to you, and to repentance and peace.
Open the eyes and ears
of those who have forgotten about you,
that they may call on you and be saved.
Lord, have mercy.

Move our hearts to mercy,
comfort the victims,
heal the wounded,
bring evildoers to justice,
soften our hearts,
open our eyes;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer Reflecting on the Terror Attack in Nice, France July 14, 2016 by Paul C. Stratman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please contact for any commercial usage.

In block paragraphs:

O God, gracious God, when you first spoke to Noah before the great flood, you said, “This earth is full of violence because of the people” (Genesis 6:13). We know that the violence we see now, you have seen, too. Lord, have mercy.

You holy Word also says you are slow in bringing judgment because you are patient and do not want any to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Christ, have mercy.

Soften the hearts of those who would cause terror and lead them to you, and to repentance and peace. Open the eyes and ears of those who have forgotten about you, that they may call on you and be saved. Lord, have mercy.

Move our hearts to mercy, comfort the victims, heal the wounded, bring evildoers to justice, soften our hearts, open our eyes; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Reflecting on the Terror Attack in Nice, France July 14, 2016 by Paul C. Stratman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Sleeping Prayer

I am placing my soul and my body CelticCapital15
in your sanctuary this night, O God,
in your sanctuary, O Jesus Christ,
in your sanctuary, O Spirit of perfect truth,
the Three who would defend my cause,
nor turn their backs on me.

Father, who is kind and just,
Son, who overcame death,
Holy Spirit of power,
keep me this night from harm,
the Three who would justify me,
keep me this night and always.

Source: Unknown, Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incantations…, Vol. I, p. 73. English translation modified.

Graphic is from Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incantations…, Vol. I, p.72

God Listen to My Prayer

CelticCapital2 God listen to my prayer,
bend to me your ear,
let my supplications and my prayers
ascend to you upwards.
Come King of Glory,
to protect me down,
King of life and mercy
with the aid of the Lamb,
Son of Mary Virgin,
to protect me with power.

Source: Invocation of the Graces, written down by Margaret MacDonald, (1888) Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incantations…, Vol. I, p. 13

Graphic is from, Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incantations…, Vol. I, p. 12

In the original, the prayer ends with these two lines:

Son of the lovely Mary
of purest fairest beauty

Watch over Our Paths

antifonariodelec3b3n1 O Lord,
you are our redemption.
Be our protection.
Direct our minds by your gracious presence
and watch over our paths
with guiding love,
that among the snares which lie hidden
on this path we walk
we may walk forward
with hearts fixed on you,
that on this path of faith
we may arrive where you want us.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 190 #1.

Graphic: Mozarabic manuscript from the Cathedral of Leon, from Wikimedia Commons.

The Light of the World

antifonariodelec3b3n1 Hear us, never-failing Light,
Lord our God, source of light,
light of the angels, principalities, powers
and all intelligent beings.
You have created the light for your saints.
May our souls be your lamps
kindled and illuminated by you.
May we shine and burn with the truth
and never go out in darkness and ashes.
May the gloom of sins be cleared away
and the light of constant faith abide within us.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 62 #1

Graphic: Mozarabic manuscript from the Cathedral of Leon, from Wikimedia Commons.

Light of Life, Living Water

antifonariodelec3b3n1 O God,
you are the source of all life,
and in your light we see light.
Increase in us the light
of your divine knowledge
so we may be able to reach
your flowing fountain.
Give our thirsty souls
the living water
and restore to our darkened minds
the light from heaven.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Rite

Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers Ancient and Modern
by Mary Wilder Tileston, Boston, Little Brown, 1914, p. 22 #1

Graphic: Mozarabic manuscript from the Cathedral of Leon, from Wikimedia Commons.

“It Is Finished”

6069369723_ee697728eb_z_d O blessed Jesus,
most mighty lion,
King immortal and most victorious,
remember the sorrow that you suffered
when all your powers of heart and body
failed you utterly,
and when you bowed your head and said,
“It is finished.”
Remembering your anguish and sorrow,
blessed Jesus, have mercy on me in my last hour.

Source: Sarum Primer, 1538

Source of this version: http://www.oursanctuary.net/sarum.html

Traditional English:

O blessed Jesu, most mighty lion, King immortal and most victorious, have mind of the sorrow that Thou sufferedst when all the powers of Thine heart and body for feebleness failed Thee utterly. And then Thou saidst, inclining Thine head thus: “It is all done.” For mind of thine anguish and sorrow, blessed Jesus, have mercy on me in my last end.

Graphic: Page from an English Psalter, from Flickr, Walters Art Museum, Public Domain.