Prayer book
O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
Breviary (Sarum)
O Lord, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers,
and loose us from the chains of our sins, and keep us
from all adversity. Through etc.
Reflection
The Sarum collect for Quinquagesima is quite stark in simplicity as we move into Lent. Our sins cry out against us, holding us back from the work of love that the image of God in us would bid us do.
Archbishop Cranmer focuses on the love that we need to have in our hearts as we begin our self-examination and ascetic discipline of Lent. It is Love that will indeed loose the chains of our sins, yet also fetter us with the bond of peace and all virtues.
As human beings, we must expect to be limited in some way. It is better to be limited by love than by sin, for the limitation due to Love gives us life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment