Seasonal Prayers: for Lent
ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN
O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore you,
a heart to delight in you,
to follow and enjoy you,
for sake of Jesus my Lord. Amen
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
O Lord,
the house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare your servant from strange sins.
ST. EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN
O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not the spirit of laziness,
despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of sobriety,
humility, patience and love to your servant.
Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions
and not to judge my brother,
for you are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
O my all-merciful God and Lord,
Jesus Christ, full of pity:
Through your great love you descended from your throne
and became incarnate in order to save the human race.
O Savior, I beseech you to save me by your grace!
If you save anyone because of their works,
that would not be grace but only reward of duty,
but you are compassionate and full of mercy!
You said, O my Christ,
"Whoever believes in me shall live and never die."
If then, faith in you saves the lost, then save me,
O my God and Creator, for I believe.
Let faith and not my unworthy works be counted to me, O my God,
for you will find no works which could account me righteous.
O Lord, from now on let me love you as intensely as I have loved sin,
and work for you as hard as I once worked for the evil one.
I promise that I will work to do your will,
my Lord and God, Jesus Christ,
all the days of my life and forever more.
BLADWIN OF CANTERBURY
Lord, take away my heart of stone,
a heart so bitter and uncircumcised,
and give me a new heart,
a heart of flesh, a pure heart.
You cleanse the heart and love the clean heart.
Take possession of my heart and dwell in it,
contain it and fill it,
you who are higher than the heights of my spirit
and closer to me than my innermost self!
You are the pattern of all beauty and the seal of all holiness.
Set the seal of your likeness upon my heart!
In your mercy set your seal upon my heart,
God of my heart and my portion for ever. Amen.
MELANIA THE YOUNGER
I have consecrated my entire self to you,
and taking me by your right hand
you have led me with your counsel.
But in my human frailty
I have sinned both in word and deed
many times against you,
who are pure and without sin.
Therefore, accept my prayer
together with the tears I offer you
through your holy ones, the victors in the arena,
Purify me, your weak servant,
so that on departing toward you
my passage may be hastened.
A PRAYER FOR PARDON
O Lord, the hour of your favor draws near,
the day of your mercy and our salvation.
We acknowledge our sins
and our offenses are always before us.
Blot out all our wrongdoings
and give us a new and steadfast spirit.
Restore us to your friendship
and number us among the living
who share the joy of Christ your Son. Amen.
A PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF TEARS
Almighty and most gentle God,
when your people thirsted
you drew living water for them out of a rock.
Draw tears of compunction from our stony hearts,
give us grace to lament our sins
make us worthy us to receive your merciful forgiveness.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
LENTEN HYMNS
GOD OF MERCY
God of mercy and compassion,
Look with pity upon me,
Father, let me call Thee Father,
'Tis Thy child returns to Thee.
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy;
Let me not implore in vain;
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.
By my sins I have deserved
Death and endless misery,
Hell with all its pains and torments,
And for all eternity.
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy;
Let me not implore in vain;
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.
By my sins I have abandoned
Right and claim to heav'n above.
Where the saints rejoice forever
In a boundless sea of love.
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy;
Let me not implore in vain;
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.
See our Savior, bleeding, dying,
On the cross of Calvary;
To that cross my sins have nail'd Him,
Yet He bleeds and dies for me.
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy;
Let me not implore in vain;
All my sins, I now detest them,
Never will I sin again.
O SACRED HEAD
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!
Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.
My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.
Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.
Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee, Who dieth thus dies well.
PRECEMUR OMNES CERNUI
IN prayer together let us fall,
and cry for mercy, one and all,
and weep before the Judge's feet,
and His avenging wrath entreat.
Thy grace have we offended sore,
by sins, O God, which we deplore;
but pour upon us fro on high,
O pardoning One, Thy clemency.
Remember Thou, though frail we be,
that yet Thine handiwork are we;
nor let the honor of Thy Name
be by another put to shame.
Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
increase the good that we have sought:
that we at length, our wanderings o'er,
may please Thee here and evermore.
Blest Three in One, and One in Three,
Almighty God, we pray to Thee,
that this our fast of forty days
may work our profit and Thy praise. Amen.
CHRISTE SOL IUSTITIAE
Now Christ, Thou Sun of righteousness,
let dawn our darkened spirits bless:
the light of grace to us restore
while day to earth returns once more.
Thou who dost give the accepted time,
give, too, a heart that mourns for crime,
let those by mercy now be cured
whom loving - kindness long endured.
Spare not, we pray, to send us here
some penance kindly but severe,
so let Thy gift of pardoning grace
our grievous sinfulness efface.
Soon will that day, Thy day, appear
and all things with its brightness cheer:
we will rejoice in it, as we
return thereby to grace, and Thee.
Let all the world from shore to shore
Thee, gracious Trinity, adore;
right soon Thy loving pardon grant,
that we our new-made song may chant. Amen.
AUDI, BENIGNE CONDITOR
O merciful Creator, hear!
To us in pity bow Thine ear:
accept the tearful prayer we raise
in this our fast of forty days.
Our hearts are open, Lord, to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
pour out on all who seek Thy face
abundance of Thy pardoning grace.
Our sins are many, this we know;
spare us, good Lord, Thy mercy show;
and for the honor of Thy name
our fainting souls to life reclaim.
Give us self-control that springs
from discipline of outward things,
that fasting inward secretly
the soul may purely dwell with Thee.
We pray Thee, Holy Trinity,
one God, unchanging Unity,
that we from this our abstinence
may reap the fruits of penitence. Amen.