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WE beseech thee, O Lord, open to us thy heavens, and open our eyes to thee; that from thence thy gifts may descend to us and from hence our hearts look back to thee.
May thy treasuries be laid open to us, while we receive the benefits which we implore; may our minds be laid open to thee, while we offer thee the service which is enjoined to us.
Look down from heaven, O Lord, behold and visit this vine which thy right hand hath planted. Strengthen the weak, relieve the contrite, confirm the strong. Build them up in love, cleanse them with purity, enlighten them with wisdom, keep them with mercy.
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, who didst lay down thy life for the sheep, defend the purchase of thy Blood.
Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, seek the lost, convert the wandering, bind up that which is broken.
Put forth thine own hand from heaven, and touch the head of each one here. May they feel the touch of thy hand, and receive the joy of the Holy Spirit, and abide in thy peace for evermore. Amen.
from The Benedictional of St Ethelwold
Eucharistic Prayers from the Ancient Liturgies
Chosen and Arranged
by
Evelyn Underhill
Longmans, Green and Co.
1939
