The American Church seems in disarray. I suppose the Church has had problems from the beginning, has them now, and will have them for quite some time. But right now it does seem especially, well, sad to see what’s happening.
At times like this it is reassuring to find solace in the historical strength of our traditions. I found this humble prayer in a devotional book called Four Birds of Noah’s Ark. Taken from the age of Shakespeare, the prayers inside the book are well worth your time.
At the risk of copyright violations, here’s a prayer for the Church as relevant then as it is now.
The church, O God, is the school where your own laws,
written in your own hand, are taught.
It is the temple where you yourself
utter your divine oracles.
It is the house where you dwell.
It is the palace where, with spiritual eyes,
we behold the brightness of your majesty.
Give it illumination, therefore, by the beams of your glory,
and since it is your spouse, let her stand
before you as a virgin, chaste and undefiled.
Drive all foxes and ravening wolves out of this,
your temple, and allow none but lambs,
clothed in purity and innocence of life,
and your chosen flock to feed there.
Let it not be (as it was when your blessed Son
walked upon the earth) a den of thieves,
but (as he did, do so also) drive out
all those who sell your honor
and the souls of your people.
Oh Lord, weed this great and universal garden
of yours of all the thorns and briars
that seek to choke the good seed.
Plant in it none but seedlings
of your own nursery, so that you will be sure
they will bring forth fruit, fair to look at,
sweet to taste, wholesome for use,
and such as shall bud out in due season —
so shall your name to truly honored,
your praises duly sung, your works,
with reverence, wondered at, and your wonders
magnified from one end of the world to the other.
Grant that it may be so, for the fullness
of your Son’s merits, and for
the setting forth of your own mercies.
Amen.
