This Sunday (October 5) and the week following, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians (Anglicans) will once again be praying the same prayer at the Eucharist and at their Daily Offices
This is the Roman Catholic version of the prayer:
Father,
your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
This is the Episcopalian (Anglican) version of the prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray,
and to give more than we either desire or deserve:
Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask,
except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Although people may be forgiven for not recognising these as being the same prayer, both, in fact, are translations of:
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui abundantia pietatis tuae
et merita supplicum excedis et vota;
effunde super nos misericordiam tuam,
ut dimittas quae conscientia metuit,
et adjicias quod oratio non praesumit.
There is more about this prayer’s history and a reflection on it in the weekly reflection on the collect/opening prayer on this site. Whereas previously I suggested this praying of the same collect is a wonderful accidental serendipity. I have changed my opinion and suspect the Episcopalians are following the lead of the Roman Catholics (it happens again next Sunday!) – unless there is a common source for the current (post-Vatican II/RCL/three year lectionary) placing of collects. If you know how it came to be that both denominations are praying the same prayer – please contact me.
Let us widen the circle that prays this prayer together from Saturday evening through Sunday and this coming week.
Roman Catholics accept Archbishop of Canterbury’s orders?
