Month: October 2019

Prayer for Halloween (The Eve of All Hallows), 31 October 2019

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Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, judge of all men, on this eve of All Saints, or All Hallows, we praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy Saints and servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear; and we beseech thee that encouraged by their examples of faith and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be found to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

We remember your servant Martin Luther, and his 95 Theses that he revealed on this day in 1517 that began the Protestant Reformation of the Church. We pray that despite the theological differences between the various denominations of your Church, that the Holy Ghost will let all Christians work towards the common good of man and not toward selfish and evil desires.

As it is Halloween, we pray for the protection of all children who may be out collecting candy, that they be free from harm. We also pray that the children find restraint and self-control, to limited their consumption of candy to a reasonable manner.

We give thanks to all friends and family who are celebrating the birthday of all those whose birthday is on 31 October. May those who have their birthday today grow in grace as their years increase, that you may grant them all good health and joy, and ever live so as to please thee; in the power of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

We beseech that your bless our most gracious and sovereign lady, Elizabeth, our queen and governor, her Governments and her Armed Forces, that they serve and protect the people fairly through justice and law.

We pray for the lonely, the lost, the broken, the distressed, the sick, and all those the world has forgotten. Relieve their sorrows and pain and shine the light of hope in their darkness. Grant them your peace and love and let not the world neglect them.

And finally we pray for peace, within us, and in this world. Let not put differences divide us, but unite us through empathy, compassion, and forgiveness.

Fulfill the desires and petitions of thy servants, and grant them the strength and faith, through the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer for Trafalgar Day and the Canadian Federal Elections, 21 Oct 19

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214 years ago, the Royal Navy fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson, Duke of Brontë, KB, engaged and defeated the combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar. England was facing invasion by Napoleon, and Nelson knew he had to neutralize the threat, no matter what the cost may be. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Royal Navy defeated the enemy is one of its finest victories in its history; no British ships surrendered during the battle and 21 enemy ships were captured and one sank. But during the battle, Nelson was struck by a bullet from a French sharpshooter and he would not live to see his victory.

Prior to the Battle, is it recorded that Nelson was found praying in his cabin and he recorded the following prayer:

May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory: and may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish it: and may humanity after victory be the predominant Feature in the British fleet.

For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me And may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully.

To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend Amen. Amen. Amen.

The following prayer from the Book of Common Prayer was probably said by the sailors on board prior to battle:

O most powerful and glorious Lord God, the Lord of hosts, that rulest and commandest all things: Thou sittest in the throne judging right, and therefore we make our address to thy Divine Majesty in this our necessity, that thou wouldest take the cause into thine own hand, and judge between us and our enemies. Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come and help us; for thou givest not alway the battle to the strong, but canst save by many or by few. O let not our sins now cry against us for vengeance; but hear us thy poor servants begging mercy, and imploring thy help, and that thou wouldest be a defence unto us against the face of the enemy. Make it appear that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And a prayer I wrote last year for today, but slightly revised (added a section on elections in Canada, since it is also occurring today (if you haven’t voted yet, do so please)):

Almighty God, who rulest the raging of the sea, have mercy upon us. Protect thy servants upon the high seas, on land, and in the air from the dangers of the weather and the enemy.

Protect the Queen, her Dominions, and her governments, so they may continue to serve thee and honour thy glory.

Guide and direct, we humbly beseech thee, the minds of all those who are called at this time to elect fit persons to serve in the parliament of Canada. Grant that in the exercise of their choice they may promote thy glory, the welfare of this nation, and the democratic values which we cherish. Protect those that protect and preserve our government and our rights and freedoms, and we remember all those who have laid down their lives who have done so.

We remember today Lord Nelson and all those who fell with him, both friend at foe, at the Battle of Trafalgar, and we pray that there will one day be no more war, pain, or suffering and we will all live as humble servants of God, worshipping and praising thy name, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.

The traditional toast at a Trafalgar Day Dinner, said after the Loyal Toast: “The Immortal Memory.”

Prayer for the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, 18 Oct 19

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Almighty God, who called St Luke the Physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist, and Physician of the soul: May it please thee that, by the wholesome medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We beseech thee to hear our prayers for whom we implore thy mercy, that by thy blessing upon all those who are in sickness and illness, upon those who minister to them of thy healing gifts, they may be restored, according to thy gracious will, to health of body and mind.

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Guide and direct, we humbly beseech thee, the minds of all those who are called at this time to elect fit persons to serve in the House of Commons of Canada. Grant that in the exercise of their choice they may promote thy glory, and the welfare of this nation.

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth: that in all her thoughts, words, and works, she may ever seek thy honour and glory, and study to preserve thy people committed to her charge, in wealth, peace, and godliness: Grant this, O merciful Father, for thy dear Son’s sake, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, we pray that you may succour all who are in tribulation, necessity, or distress. Remember for good all those that love us, and those that hate us, and those that have desired us, unworthy as we are, to pray for them. And those whom we have forgotten, do thou, O Lord, remember. For thou art the Helper of the helpless, the Saviour of the lost, the Refuge of the wanderer, the Healer of the sick. Thou, who knowest each person’s need, and hast heard their prayer, grant unto each according to thy merciful loving-kindness and thy eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for (Canadian) Harvest Thanksgiving, 13 October 2019

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Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians at home and abroad! 🦃🍗🎃🌾🍁

O merciful Father, we thank you for the harvest of sustenance from the land and from the sea. We give thanks for all those who worked to allow us to enjoy the food made available to us and we pray that they may continue to provide us with ever continuing bounty. We pray for favourable weather in the coming months, that the land and sea may rest before we once again sow for the next harvest. We humbly pray that no one shall go hungry and we share what we have to all those in need. We also give thanks for all the blessings and luxuries in life, for all things available to us that brings us joy. We pray that we can continue to find happiness through love and friendship, and humbleness and meek hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

The 2019 wheat harvest

The Nunc Dimittis, My Favourite Canticle

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LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, / according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, / which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, / and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

The Nunc Dimittis is my favourite canticle. Said/sung during evening prayer/Evensong/compline, the Song of Simeon marks the end of the day/life. It’s a short canticle that puts me in the mood for closure, to end a day at prayer.

It is short and sweet, and the story of Simeon finally holding Jesus in his hands and saying the canticle is a touching one.

Prayer for the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, 4 Oct 19

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Today is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology (and cc’ing you on emails).

O God of the spirits of all flesh, we praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear especially thy servant Francis; and we beseech thee that encouraged by their examples and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be found meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

We pray that during these times of impending climate change, we can find inspiration and be led by the example of Francis, to let go out of need for wealth and possessions and be more connected with nature, the animals; the plants, and the world that sustains us, for which it cannot be replaced. We pray that we will be accepting to change our current ways and accept a life that is in balance and sustainability with out environment, by the works of good government, by the works of groups and individuals dedicated to limiting climate change, and by all who want not just fleeting happiness of the present, but an everlasting love and happiness, through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.