Christmas 2
Let us pray (in silence) [that the new light, poured upon us, shines in our lives]
O God,
by your incarnate Word
you bathe us in new radiance,
may the same light that enlightens our hearts by faith
brightly shine in all we do,
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 a magnificent shared, ancient collect which is to form part of my Book of Prayers in Common. My reflection can be found here or below.
Resources beyond this site:
Textweek
RCL Texts
Some, this coming Sunday, will celebrate
Epiphany
Let us pray (in silence) [that we may manifest God’s love for all]
Pause
O God,
by the leading of a star,
on this day you revealed your only begotten one
to the gentiles,
lead us,
who have already come to know you by faith,
all the way to the contemplation of the beauty of your glory,
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 also a shared, ancient collect which is found in my Book of Prayers in Common. My reflection can be found here or below.
Epiphany Chalk House Blessing for 2025
The Epiphany Easter, and other major feasts, proclamation for 2025 will be put on this site in a couple of days.
Resources beyond this site:
Textweek
Reflection on Christmas 2 Collect
This collect is for the second Christmas Mass in the Gregorian Sacramentary (no. 42) – the dawn stational Mass at St Anastasia’s:
Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui nova incarnati Verbi tui luce perfundimur, hoc in nostro resplendeat opere, quod per fidem fulget in mente. Per eumdem.
It remains in the Roman Rite in Christmas missa in mane (Mass at dawn) and is currently there translated as
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, as we are bathed in the new radiance
of your incarnate Word,
the light of faith, which illumines our minds,
may also shine through in our deeds.
The old missals had no provision for the second Sunday after Christmas Day (even though this Sunday occurs four years in every seven). From the 1552 through 1662 the BCP used the Circumcision propers until Epiphany.
This collect was re-introduced into the Anglican tradition in The Episcopal Church’s BCP 1928 for the Second Sunday after Christmas Day
1928 TEC BCP 2nd Sunday after Christmas Day
Almighty God, who has poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus our Lord.
In the 1979 TEC BCP the collect was assigned to the First Sunday after Christmas Day:
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
perfundo literally means “to pour over, to wet”. Figuratively, it becomes ‘to flood, to fill’. There are connections made with baptism.
The emphasis and play on light is significant. The (RCL) Gospel reading for this Sunday for each year is John 1:1-18, with its
in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
Reflection on Epiphany Collect
Epiphany, “Twelfth Day” – ie. the twelfth day from Christmas focuses on the Magi and the star. The three gifts led to the tradition that there were three wise men – although the text does not give a number. It is also possible that these were not gifts, but that Matthew is presenting these astrologers as giving up their inappropriate practices on encountering the Christ child, and hence leaving behind the tools of their craft.
Attempts at dating the “star” misses the story’s point that it moved in a quite un-astronomical way to indicate the birthplace precisely.
Epiphany means “manifestation” or “appearance” as we celebrate the manifestation of Christ in the world. We have this celebration at least from some Christian groups in the second century. January 6 was also the birthday of Osiris. Epiphany was associated with the wise men, the baptism of Christ (cf. the Nile’s significance in the Osiris cult), and the first miracle at Cana.
The collect originates from the Gregorian Sacramentary (no. 87):
Deus, qui hodierna die Unigenitum tuum gentibus stella duce revelasti: concede propitius; ut, qui jam te ex fide cognovimus, usque ad contemplandam speciem tuae celsitudinis perducamur. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum; qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
There we read “…that we who know you now by faith may be brought to the contemplation of your Majesty by sight.” an insight also in 2 Corinthians 5:7 and comparing the wise men’s leading by the sight of a star with our being led to seeing God by the gift of faith.
Cranmer’s 1549 translation weakened the connection between faith and sight:
O GOD, which by the leading of a starre diddest manifest thy onelye begotten sonne to the Gentiles; Mercifully graunt, that we, which know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruicion of thy glorious Godhead; through Christe our Lorde.
Some, particularly around Christmas and Epiphany, still follow a practice of several collects at the start of the Eucharist. This site advocates for a bidding, silent prayer of the community collected by a single collect prayed aloud by the presider and affirmed in the “Amen” of the gathered community.
O God, by the leading of a star
you revealed your Son Jesus Christ to the gentiles;
grant that your Church may be a light to the nations,
so that the whole world may come to see
the splendour of your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.
NZPB p. 560
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
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.
Common Worship (Church of England)
O God, who on this day
revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations
by the guidance of a star,
grant in your mercy
that we, who know you already by faith,
may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory.
Through our Lord…
Roman Catholic (ICEL 2010)
O God,
by the leading of a star
you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth:
Lead us, who know you now by faith,
to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
BCP (USA) TEC p. 214
Error in NZ Lectionary Booklet 2025
Alert readers, preparing services for next week, have spotted other errors in the NZ Lectionary booklet 2025: 8 Jan (page 23) there are no such Gospel verses as “Matt 6:45-52”! That should read Mark 6:45-52 (and being the Anglican Church of Or, the same applies to 9 Jan on page 26).
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