Surely the Litany is one of the greatest treasures of our Lutheran Church. I find its depth inexhaustible. Best is to sing it - it has a lovely and easy chant tone. But the prayers at the end are what I have found so comforting to pray in these Advent days, especially these two:O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Do not reward us according to our iniquities.
Almighty God, heavenly Father, You desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that we turn from our evil ways and live. Graciously spare us those punishments which we by our sins have deserved and grant us always to serve You in holiness and pureness of living; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Call on Me in the day of trouble
I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.
Spare us, O Lord, and mercifully forgive us our sins. Though by our continual transgressions we have merited Your chastisement, be gracious to us. Grant that all these punishments which we have deserved may not come upon us, but that all things may work to our everlasting good; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Treasury of Daily Prayer, pp. O-59,60.)
This must be a TDP only thing, because the LSB Litany is about as bare bones as a litany gets.
ReplyDeleteHappily, being a red hymnal or be damned kind of guy, it's all there on page 112.
Here's a question for you. Coming from where I came from, there isn't "the" Litany, there's a bunch of litanies. "The Litany", in that context, has always struck me as more or less of a Litany of the Saints but without the saints. Is that so, and if so, when and where did the "Lutheranisation" happen?
The part that always got me back in the Abbey days was the supplication "For our brothers who are absent" which if you're inside and warm in subzero Minnesota could be a guy ten feet outside the door.
Kind of like, if you've ever been in peril on the sea, you ain't ever gonna sing "Eternal Father, Strong To Save" without your voice cracking and a tear in your eye.
The LSB hymnal edition leaves out the collects that properly close out the litany after the Our Father. Lutherans also know of a variety of litanies (LSB contains three of them at any rate), but when we speak of THE Litany we mean the redaction by Luther of the All Saints Litany. He dropped the invocations to the saints and he added:
ReplyDeletedeliverance from all error; from pestilence and famine, from war and bloodshed; from sedition and rebellion; in all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity and in the hour of death; also that God preserve all bishops, pastors and ministers; put an end to all schisms and causes of offense; bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived; beat down Satan under our feet; send faithful laborers into his harvest; accompany his word with His Spirit and grace; raise up them that fall and strengthen those that stand; comfort and help the weak-hearted and the distressed. Behold and succor all in danger, necessity and tribulation; strengthen and keep all sick persons and young children; free all the innocently imprisoned; defend and provide for all fatherless children and widows; have mercy on all men; forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers and turn their hearts."
In other words, he took the form of the prayer and gave it the scope of praying for darned near all things! It breathes the spirit of the early church's prayers in a wondrous way.
Thanks, Pastor. Having said or chanted in Latin the Litany of the Saints tons of times before the liturgical Kristallnacht of Vatican II hit, the relationship was obvious, but I appreciate knowing it was intentional and by Luther himself.
ReplyDeleteActually, the "additions" aren't additions -- after the saints part, there are a number of "ab" supplications (from), followed by "per" supplications (through, or by) and then "ut" supplications (that, or would that)which all is pretty much what you quote in paragraph form minus the responses after each one (libera nos domine for the abs and pers, te rogamus audi nos for the uts).
The Red Hymnal version has it intact. I suppose I could underline that point, but I won't.
What would happen if the word ever got out that Luther put a lot of effort into retaining the traditional worship whereas he wouldn't even call the Willow Creek type stuff of his day Christian!
Having said or chanted in Latin the Litany of the Saints tons of times before the liturgical Kristallnacht of Vatican II hit,
ReplyDeleteWe Kristallnachters still say or sing (yes, I said sing, not chant) it -- at baptisms, funerals and ordinations. The Lord, pray, forgives us for doing so in English not Latin