Commontide

Preparation for Personal Prayer

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Touch screen to pause

Skip to main content
Commontide
Prayer
Prayers

For a Person in Trouble or Bereavement

O merciful Father, you have taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servants in trouble. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy; nourish his soul with patience; comfort him with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon him; and give him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 663

Provenance

BCP 1928

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

A prayer for someone facing grief or hardship, first printed in the American prayer book of 1928 under the heading "For a Person under Affliction." Its opening line draws on the prophet Jeremiah's Lamentations, and it reached its present title and wording through the 1979 and 2019 American prayer books.