Collects for the Sunday in the Octave of the Ascension

Prayer book
O GOD the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Breviary

Almighty, everlasting God, grant that we may always devote our wills to thy service, and wait upon thy Majesty with singleness of heart. Through

Reflection
The Prayer Book addresses our feeling of loss and confusion after the departure of Our Lord. The Breviary tries to be stoic with its "Keep calm and carry on" attitude. Many of us feel the same way.


When we learn to ride a bike, we do so with the comfort of stabilisers which prevent us from falling over. Then our parent takes away our stabilisers to encourage us to learn to keep our balance and ride our bike properly. That moment when the stabilisers are off is a worry, yet if we are to continue riding, we must keep calm and carry on, despite the worry and anxiety we have in our hearts.


With the breviary, we pray that we may keep our focus on serving God as we try and do what's right without seeing Him stand there and looking for His approval. With the Prayer Book, we lift up that anxiety of living without seeing Christ and asking for that different type of support which will enable us precisely to serve Him and thus keep riding on that same path. We will not have stabilisers, but we will have the knowledge that there is Someone there continually guiding us and drawing us forward. That knowledge and comfort will be strengthened by praying these collects more sincerely.