When Prayer Refuses to Flatter Us

An ancient prayer from Gelasian Sacramentary for guidance, light, love.

The old prayers have very little interest in making us impressive. They keep asking for mercy, light, purity, patience, and a heart that can survive contact with reality.

The source text, drawn from Gelasian Sacramentary, turns on a simple pressure: the soul cannot heal itself by becoming more articulate. It must be addressed, searched, forgiven, and led.

The author is not trying to be novel. That is precisely the relief. The prayer belongs to a Church old enough to have buried many fashions.

Christian memory is not a scrapbook. It is a school. This is one of the lessons.