The Benefice of Barlings, Diocese of Lincoln : Parishes of Sudbrooke, Stainton by Langworth, and Barlings with Langworth
Commitment / Purity / Cleansing
Almighty God,unto whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,and from whom no secrets are hid;
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
By the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
That we may perfectly love you
And worthily magnify your holy name,
Through Christ our Lord. BCP
In confidence of your goodness and great mercy,O Lord,
I draw near to you,
As a sick person to the Healer,
As one hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life,
A creature of the Creator,
A desolate soul to my own Comforter.
Behold,in you is everything that I can or ought to desire.
You are my salvation and my redemption,
My helper and my strength. Thomas à Kempis
O Christ,the ocean of forgiveness,
Allow me to wash off in you the dirt I am clothed in,
So that I may become resplendent in the raiment of your holy light.
John the Elder of Dalyatha
O Heavenly Comforter,Spirit of truth,
present in all places and filling all things;
Treasury of blessings and Giver of life :
Come and dwell in us,
Cleanse us from every impurity,
And of your goodness,save our souls.
Romanian Orthodox Church
Give me a pure heart - that I may see thee,
A humble heart - that I may hear thee,
A heart of love - that I may serve thee,
A heart of faith - that I may abide in thee.
Dag Hammarskjold
God be in my head,and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,and in my thinking;
God be at my end,and at my departing.
Old Sarum Primer
Lord,
Take my lips and speak through them;
Take my mind and think through it;
Take my heart and set it on fire (for you). W.H.H.Aitken
Lord,
Take our minds and think through them;
Take our lips and speak through them;
Take our hearts and set them on fire
with the desire to do your holy will.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord,
Here I am,
Do with me as seems best in your own eyes;
Only give me,I beseech you,a penitent and patient spirit to expect you.
Make my service acceptable to you while I live,
And my soul ready for you when I die. William Laud
Here,Lord, is my life.
I place it on the altar today.
Use it you will. Albert Schweitzer
May God the Father,
And the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ,
Build us up in faith and truth and love,
And grant us our portion among the saints
With all those who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray for all saints,
for kings and rulers,
for the enemies of the cross of Christ,
And for ourselves we pray that our fruit may abound
and we may be made perfect in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Polycarp
Eternal Light,shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness,deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power,be our support,
Eternal Wisdom,scatter the darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity,have mercy upon us;
That with all our heart and mind and strength we may seek thy face and
be brought by thine infinite mercy to thy holy presence;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Alcuin of York
O God,we humbly beseech thee
To purify our hearts from all vain,worldly and sinful thoughts,
And so prepare our souls to worship thee this day acceptably,
with reverence and godly fear.
Set our affections on things above all the day long,
And give us grace to receive thy Word which we shall hear
into honest and good hearts,and bring forth fruit with patience;
For the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Bishop Gavin Hamilton
We commend unto thee,O Lord,
Our souls and our bodies,
Our minds and our thoughts,
Our prayers and our hopes,
Our health and our work,
Our life and our death;
Our parents and brothers and sisters,
Our benefactors and friends,
Our neighbours,our countrymen,
And all Christian folk,
This day and always. Lancelot Andrewes
Lord Jesus, as God’s Spirit came
down and rested upon you, may
the same Spirit rest upon us,
bestowing his sevenfold gifts.
First, grant us the gift of
understanding, by which your
precepts may enlighten our minds.
Second, grant us counsel, by
which we may follow in your
footsteps on the path of
righteousness.
Third, grant us courage, by
which we may ward off the
Enemy’s attacks.
Fourth, grant us knowledge.
by which we can distinguish
good from evil.
Fifth, grant us piety, by
which we may acquire
compassionate hearts.
Sixth, grant us fear, by which
we may draw back from evil
and submit to what is good.
Seventh, grant us wisdom,
that we may taste fully the
life-giving sweetness of your love. Bonaventura
OAlmighty and all-knowing God,without beginning or end,
who art the giver, preserver, and rewarder of all virtue :-
Grant me to stand firm on the solid foundation of faith,
be protected by the invincible shield of hope,
and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity.
Grant me by justice to obey thee,
by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil,
by temperance to hold to moderation,
by fortitude to bear adversity with patience.
Grant that the goods I have I may share liberally
with those who have not,
and the goods which I do not have I may seek with
humility from those who have.
Grant that I may truly recognise the guilt of the evil I have done,
and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved;
that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour,
but always give thanks to thee for all thy good gifts.
Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues,
that in divine matters I might be devout,
in human affairs wise,
and in the proper needs of the flesh onerous to no one. . .
And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily,
nor balk to do things demanding,
so that I neither yearn for things too soon,
nor desert things before they are finished. St. Thomas Aquinas
