Something I do for Lent is use my Pearson’s Sarum Missal in English and pray most of the daily Lenten collects and Prayers Over the People. Yes, a few are too medieval in doctrine even for me, but most are excellent and very helpful in Lenten worship. It’s not for nothing that Cranmer adopted several of these for the Book of Common Prayer.
Take today, Ember Wednesday. The Sarum collect for today (translated from the Latin into English):
Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty against all our enemies. Through etc.
I love that prayer. Yes, I’m medieval enough that I want God hearing my prayers and opposing my enemies. The Sarum collect for the 3rdSunday in Lent is similar:
We beseech Thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of Thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty, to be our defence. Through etc.
Cranmer adopted that collect for Lent 3 and was likely influenced by today’s collect when he added “against all our enemies” to the end.
The Mass concluding Prayer Over the People for today in the Sarum rite may also sound familiar:
We beseech Thee, O Lord, cast the bright beams of Thy light upon our minds, that we both perceive the things we ought to do, and also may have power rightly to fulfill the same. Though etc.
There are echoes of this collect in both the Sarum and BCP collects for St. John’s Day and Epiphany 1, both among my favorite collects.
Thomas Cranmer excised much of the Sarum Rite, including the weekday masses during Lent, from his Book of Common Prayer in order to keep it simple and of a manageable size, and for doctrinal reasons, of course. However both those interested in the history of Anglican liturgy and those who would like some extra help to pray during Lent would do well to examine the daily Lenten collects from the Sarum rite.
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