LSB's Altar Book provides a slightly updated version of the beautiful Prayer of the Church that appeared in SBH - it's on pages 442, 443. But what it does not do is to note the paragraphs that were used invariably and those that could be added from time to time. A suggestion, if you use this prayer, is to mark in your Altar Book the optional paragraphs. They are (by paragraph):
the third: "Grant Your wisdom..."
the fifth: "In Your mercy..."
the seventh: "Take from us..."
the eighth: "Bless the schools..."
the ninth: "Sanctify our homes..."
the tenth: "Let Your blessing..."
That brings the prayer down to a slightly more manageable proportion: 7 petitions that form the basic framework.
Also, if it is used, I'd suggest that in paragraph twelve, the thanksgiving for the faithful departed, following the "especially" to add "the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph her husband, St John the Baptist, Sts. Peter and Paul and all the saints."
1 comment:
Great suggestion. Reminiscent of the ancient rubric from (I think) the Apostolic Tradition - "Pray in this or a better way."
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