The Prayer
Merciful Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being lightened by the doctrine of thy blessed apostle & evangelist John, may attain to thy everlasting gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Commentary
Cranmer simply translated the ancient collect to produce the 1549 version.
In 1662, the end was slightly reworked and lengthened, I think to the improvement of its content. The American book follows 1662.
...may attain to thy everlasting gifts altered to ...may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life.
Meditation
It was St John who wrote of the light that shineth in the darkness, the light that the darkness did not comprehend, the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:5 & 9). John saw that light on the Mount of the Transfiguration, and that Light of Christ flowed through him for the rest of his long life. May we live in that same Light, and may we be reflections of it as we walk through this world.
Ed Pacht
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