Fr. Howie is writing a series of “Praying Shapes Believing” articles that appear in our weekly Sunday worship bulletins. Whether it is your first time, or your thousandth, reading, reciting, and praying the traditional Rite II worship from the Book of Common Prayer, it is worthwhile to ask why. We will examine some of our prayers and collects to help us find more meaning and connection in the ritual. See all topics in the Praying Shapes Believing series.
The Collect of the Day
This is a prayer specific to the day or occasion on which the Eucharist is celebrated. It often sets the “theme” of the service.
What is it?
This prayer may have been introduced to “collect” the individual prayers of the faithful in worship, or to “collect” the attention of those gathered. Whether used here or elsewhere in worship, a collect has a standard form – a preamble that recalls the nature and purposes of God, a petition that asks for God’s action, and a conclusion that recalls Christ’s role in drawing us into God’s presence.
Why do we do it?
The collect gives us a prayerful way to note the times and seasons of our lives as Christians. It also puts us in mind of the connection between God’s past promises and present (and future) actions.
What it says about God
God’s presence is consistent through every moment of our lives.
Our knowledge of God deepens with time and experience.
Messages for how we live
Our prayer life illuminates and guides all aspects of our lives.
Our prayer, day by day, makes time sacred.
For more – Look up in the Prayer Book the Collect for Proper 17.