The Collect: Trinity II

The Collect 1549:
Lord, make us to haue a perpetuall feare and loue of thy holy name: for thou neuer faillest to helpe and gouerne them whom thou doest bryng up in thy steadfast loue. Graunt this, &c.

The Collect 1662:
O Lord, who never failest to help and govern them whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love: Keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Commentary:
The original Latin collect (whose text I do not have) came from the Gelasian Sacramentary and was prescribed for Trinity 2 in the Sarum Missal. It is not the same collect prescribed for this Sunday (known as Pentecost 3) in the Tridentine Missal. Archbishop Cranmer made a very literal translation of the Sarum Collect for the first BCP of 1549, which was used until 1662, when it was reworked extensively by Bishop Cosin for the new Prayer Book. Cosin managed to improve the form of the prayer greatly without disturbing its content.

Meditation
“… he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: …” (Ephesians 1:4)
It is God who has chosen us and brought us along to the place where we stand. Today’s Epistle and Gospel both speak of His choosing, of His invitation. Therefore, knowing already his intent toward us, and having already tasted His grace and His mercy, we can come to Him with boldness and confidence to ask that he keep us in His hand and His protection, and thus stir up in us the awe and the love that are due Him. And thus it is that we “… know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8.28)

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