The Second Sunday in
Lent.
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY God,
who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both
outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from
all adversities which may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts which
may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
{The
Collect from the First Day of Lent is to be read every day in Lent after the
Collect appointed for the Day.}
Old Testament
Reading: 1 Kings 8.37-43
Psalter:
Psalm 6, 38 | 119.33-72
Epistle
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4.1-8
Gospel
Reading: St. Matthew 15.21-28
Barbee and Zahl: “The progression of the thought
here is, like so many of the Collects, both devastating to the human being on
his own terms, and at the same time hopeful. First, we admit to God the plain fact
that “we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves.” ( . . . ) The Collect
hinges on our earnest if reluctant agreement with the first point. Second, we
are asking God, who exists outside us, to keep us. ( . . . ) Hold us, grasp us,
claim us, do not let us slip through Your fingers like an eely tadpole or like
grains of sand. Third, such keeping, or safeguarding, should result in the best
defense. ( . . . ) the request is dual:
defend us from all outward assault and defend us from all inward temptation. ( .
. . ) The Collect devastates the human control factor and sets limitless hope
upon the sure hold of God” (37).
Personal Remarks (MWP): I have long hence committed
this particular Collect to memory. It has become a regular companion as I have
dealt with various difficulties and misfortunes. The portion of the Collect
that has normally arrested my prayer-direction is the last, “and from all evil
thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul.” Whether wrestling with parishioners,
tackling the slithering, serpentine skepticism of my heart, or dealing with trials
in my extended family, that final request in the Collect has resounded in my
heart and mind before God.
With this Collect is another from the Eastern
Orthodox tradition that has danced around my heart for years. The two go
together like a Black and Tan. Together, they make a formidable team:
“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the
spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the
spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord
and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother,
for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen” (http://oca.org/orthodoxy/prayers/lenten-prayer-of-st.-ephrem).
Mike Philliber
Primus Pilus II
No comments:
Post a Comment