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.

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Commontide
Prayer
Prayers

For the Elderly

Look with mercy, O God our Father, on all whose increasing years bring them weakness, distress, or isolation. Provide for them homes of dignity and peace; give them understanding helpers, and the willingness to accept help; and as their strength diminishes, increase their faith and their assurance of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 663

Provenance

BCP 1979 / ACNA 2019

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

This gentle prayer for those in the later years of life first appeared in the American Book of Common Prayer of 1979, titled "For the Aged." The Anglican Church in North America carried it into its 2019 prayer book almost word for word, renaming it "For the Elderly" and adding a blank to name someone by name.