The Litany in Our Prayers

If ever in your prayers, you have the need for extended intercessions and thanksgivings, you may wish to use "The Litany." While the phrase The Litany has a variety of meaning among our Christian traditions, The Litany, generally understood, is basically a sequence of petitions, thanksgivings, or praises that help the Church widen and deepen her prayer life. The Great Litany in the Book of Common Prayer (148-155) may be "said or sung, kneeling, standing, or in procession; before the Eucharist or after the Collects of Morning or Evening Prayer; or separately especially in Lent and on Rogation days." Among Orthodox Christians, "every liturgical service of the Orthodox Church, as well as virtually all sacraments and special services, start with the Great Litany, sometimes after the reading of psalms. The petitions of this litany address the basic and general needs of every community and its members." In the Lutheran tradition, The Litany, which Luther often called the greatest of prayers, is now spoken or sung to a Byzantine chant; it is typically reserved for Evening Prayer and frequently prayed during Lent.

In our Evening Prayers June and I do not always use The Litany; rather, we usually ask one another "For whom shall we pray?" and then make our intercessions accordingly. Sometimes, however, we find it wholesome to use some form of The Litany, and I have composed one, adapted and edited from our Lutheran and Episcopal traditions but edited so as to include additional intercessions. Here it is:

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For our home and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For our pastors and priests, for all deacons, bishops, district supervisors, elders, missionaries, evangelists, monks and sisters, especially the Benedictines living at The Dwelling Place Monastery, for all seminarians, and teachers, for all servants of the Church, and for all people, let us pray to the Lord:

Lord, have mercy.
For our public servants, especially for the President of the United States, for the government and those who protect us in this and every place, that they may be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who work to bring peace (especially for . . .), let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who work to promote justice (especially for . . .), let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who are ministers of healing (especially for . . .), let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For our enemies, for those who personally dislike us, for those who hate us in this and every country (especially for . . .) , let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For persecuted peoples throughout the world, for our Christian sisters and brothers suffering for their faith (especially for . . .) , let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who do good works in our families and congregations, those who toil, those who sing, and all people who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who need and/or who have asked for our intercessions (especially for . . .) , let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For our children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers, our parents, and all in our family, let us pray to the Lord:

These dear ones, O Lord, bless and keep in every place wherever they are.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For the faithful who have gone before us and are at rest, let us give thanks to the Lord:
Thanks be to God.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Silence for meditation

In communion with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, and with all the saints, (especially . . . whom we remember today), let us rejoice and commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord:

To you, O Lord. Amen.

By praying this or a similar litany every few days, June and I are able to expand our awareness of the needs of friends, individuals, small groups of people, larger communities, the global Church, and the world. The Litany is a wonderful resource which the Church has bequeathed to us. If you would like for me to email you the text of this litany, please do so by addressing your request to andrew.harnack@eku.edu, and I'll be glad to send it to you as a Word document (.doc).