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  • Litany of Penance: A Prayer of Repentance

Litany of Penance: A Prayer of Repentance

Joshua —  April 21, 2012 — 2 Comments

The Book of Common Prayer is not widely known by Baptists as we have no official religious book outside of the Bible. I believe it would serve all of us well to read other Christian texts beyond our denominational boundaries.

Not only do many non-Baptist Christian texts contain edifying truths, reading beyond one’s normal purview helps to keep a protestant from forgetting he/she is indeed a protester of the doctrinal corruption and false gospel of the Roman Catholic church.

Below is a beautiful prayer of repentance found in The Book of Common Prayer.

Litany of Penance

Most holy and merciful Father:
I confess that I have sinned by my own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what I have done, and by what I have left undone.

I have not loved you with my whole heart, and mind, and strength. I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I have not forgiven others, as I have been forgiven.
Have mercy on me, Lord.

I have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. I have not been true to the mind of Christ. I have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on me, Lord.

I confess to you, Lord, all my past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of my life.
I confess to you, Lord.

My self-indulgent appetites and ways, and my exploitation of other people,
I confess to you, Lord.

My anger at my own frustration, and my envy of those more fortunate than I,
I confess to you, Lord.

My intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and my dishonesty in daily life and work,
I confess to you, Lord.

My negligence in prayer and worship, and my failure to commend the faith that is in me,
I confess to you, Lord.

Accept my repentance, Lord, for the wrongs I have done: for my blindness to human need and suffering, and my indifference to indulgence and curelty,
Accept my repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward my neighbors, and for my prejudice and contempt towards those who differ from me,
Accept my repentance, Lord.

For my waste and pollution of your creation, and my lack of concern for those who come after us,
Accept my repentance Lord.
Restore me, good Lord, and let your anger depart from me,
Favorably hear me for your mercy is great.
Accomplish in me and all of your church the work of your salvation,
That I may show forth all your glory in the world.

By the cross of your Son, our Lord,
Bring me with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Source: The Book of Common Prayer

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Joshua

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I am a disciple of the risen Christ Jesus, husband to Libby, grad student, blogger.
  • Nathaniel

    Having gown up in the Episcopal church, I really appreciate the Book of Common Prayer and its wonderful prayers. Now that I am a Christian I can truly appreciate their depth. It’s unfortunate that most evangelicals and Baptists in particular ate ignorant or opposed to books like this.

    • thedailybleat

      Nathaniel,

      Thanks for stopping by! I agree with your appreciation of the Book of Common Prayer. It is unfortunate that most evangelicals do not have knowledge of, or regard for, books such as this.

      I suppose for Baptists it may be viewed as somewhat anti-Free Church. Many Baptists are hostile toward any traditions or literature from a non-Free Church background.

      However, I believe this will be changing in my generation as the internet gives all Christians easy and free access to broad Christian literature. I also believe my generation of Southern Baptists are not as sold out to one particular protestant movement. We recognize and embrace, as Southern Baptists, that we do not have a corner on truth or Christianity.

      Thanks again for stopping by!