Deus, a quo bona cuncta procédunt, largíre supplícibus tuis: ut cogitémus, te inspiránte, quæ recta sunt; et, te gubernánte, éadem faciámus. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. ℟. Amen.
"O Lord, from whom all good things come, grant to us your humble servants that, by your holy inspiration we may think those things that are good and . by your merciful guiding, may perform the same' through ou Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen."
Keynote: God's Guidance
This is a prayer of exquisite simplicity, which all who seek enlightenment through the intellect and who are strong in their own strength would do well to make their own. We are all too apt, when things are going well with us, to think that the circle of our vision circumscribes the universe, and that beyond the horizon there are no forces at work which may overset our plans. But the fathers of the Church, men wise in human nature as well as in spiritual doctrine, knew otherwise, and so we get this exquisite gem of the child-heart, this little prayer for help and guidance to do simple things rightly, the things that look so easy and obvious, and yet which are the acid-tests of the attitude of the soul. If our natural attitude of mind were truly expressed by this prayer, how many errors it would save us from, how much suffering it would guard us from! This should be the daily prayer of the intellectual and strong-willed, for its sweet sanity and deep wisdom are what we need to preserve our souls form contamination from within, where is to be found the most subtle source of spiritual poison.
This week, therefore, let us not only pray this wonderful prayer, but pray that we may pray it rightly, that its significance may sink into our souls and guard them from spiritual darkness and the falls that come therefrom, and that its profound teaching may penetrate the limitations of our intellect and enlighten us with the wisdom of the spirit which transcends knowledge and enlightens the judgement that is according to reason.
[Dion Fortune, Mystical Meditations on the Christian Collects]
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