Let us pray (in silence) [that the message of God coming to save us may transform our lives]
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, [or Pour forth, we beseech you, O God,]
your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an angel,
may, by his passion and cross,
be brought to the glory of his resurrection,
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
who is alive with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
This is part of my collects with history and commentary.
This collect has been with us at least since the 8th century Hadrianum. It is in the Sarum Missal, the Book of Common Prayer, the 1962 Missal, and the Roman Rite after Vatican II. It is one of the well-known collects that has been sadly abandoned by the NZ Anglican Prayer Book.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus Domine,
mentibus nostris infunde,
ut qui, Angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus,
per passionem eius et crucem
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
It is well-known by those of us who pray the Angelus.
This collect forms part of my ongoing project The Book of Prayers in Common. And, of course, I’m always open to improvements. You can read more of the history and my reflection on this collect here.
The Church of England has it as:
We beseech you, O Lord,
pour your grace into our hearts,
that as we have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ
by the message of an angel,
so by his cross and passion
we may be brought to the glory of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Episcopal Church has it as:
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever Amen.
Image: The Annunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner (1898)
This is the post-communion of the Lady day in the missal. But I suspect its firt use was as a collect.
The doxoloxy is more appropriate in the TEC prayer-book. When Jesus or the Holy Spirit are mentioned in a collect to the Father, either we say «through the same Jesus Christ» or «in the unity of the same Holy Spirit», or just «who liveth and reigneth…»
Yes, Georges. The post provides a link to the history of this prayer going back to at least the 8th century. Advent blessings.