The Prayer
Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do, mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Latin
Deus, qui conspicis, quia ex nulla nostra actione confidimus, concede propitius ut contra adversa omnia, Doctoris gentium protectione muniamur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen
The Commentary
This is one of the collects that comes from the Gregorian sacramentary and that was translated.
The Meditation
Last Sunday we were encouraged to recognise our own sinfulness, as well as that which prevails in this fallen world.
This Sunday we are brought face to face with the humbling fact that we cannot even begin to put things right by our own unaided efforts, for we cannot "trust in anything that we do". It is only by the help of our Lord God that "we may defended against all adversity".
Yet how the world vainly thinks that by its own efforts, with new laws, and new projects and new initiatives, evil can be overcome and problems solved!
We as Christians too need to be on our guard against self-satisfaction and pride in our good works. Indeed it is a remarkable fact that we shall often find that it is at the very point of our greatest blessing in the work of the Lord, that the Devil comes in with a most powerful temptation, suggesting, in some way or other, that we can now rest on our laurels, because of what we have achieved! [Source: The Church of England (Continuing)]
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