Special Ash Wednesday Edition: George Ridding’s A Litany of Remembrance, modified by Reagan Cocke for use in Lent

O Lord, open my mind to see myself as you see me, or even as others see me and I see others; and from all unwillingness to know my infirmities, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From moral weakness of spirit, from timidity, from hesitation, from fear of others and dread of responsibility, strengthen me with the courage to speak the truth in love and self-control; and alike from the weakness of hasty violence and the weakness of moral cowardice, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From weakness of judgment, from the indecision that can make no choice and the irresolution that carries no choice into act, and from losing opportunities to serve you, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From infirmity of purpose, from want of earnest care and interest, from the sluggishness of indolence and the slackness of indifference, and from all spiritual deadness of heart, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From dullness of conscience, from a feeble sense of duty, from thoughtless disregard of consequences to others, from a low idea of the obligations of our Christian calling, and from all half-heartedness in our service for you, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From weariness in continuing struggles, from despondency in failure and disappointment, from an overburdened sense of unworthiness, from morbid fancies of imaginary backslidings, raise me to a lively hope and trust in your presence and mercy, in the power of faith and prayer; and from all exaggerated fears and vexations, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From self-conceit and vanity and boasting, from delight in supposed success and superiority, raise me to the modesty and humility of true sense and taste and reality; and from all the harms and hindrances of offensive manners and self-assertion, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From affectation and untruth, conscious or unconscious, from pretense and acting a part, which is hypocrisy, from impulsive self-adaptation to the moment in unreality to please persons or make circumstances easy, strengthen me to simplicity; and from all false appearances, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From love of flattery, from overready belief in praise, from dislike of criticism, from the comfort of self-deception in persuading myself that others think better than the truth of me, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From all love of display and sacrifice to popularity, from thought of myself and forgetfulness of you in worship, hold my mind in spiritual reverence; and in all my words and works from all self-glorification, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From pride and self-will, from the desire to have my own way in all things, from an overweening love of my own ideas and obliviousness to the value of others, enlarge the generosity of my heart and enlighten the fairness of my judgments; and from all selfish arbitrariness of temper, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From all jealousy, whether of equals or superiors, from grudging others’ success, from impatience of submission and eagerness for authority, give me the spirit of kinship to share loyally with fellow workers in all true proportions; and from all insubordination to law, order, and authority, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From all hasty utterances of impatience, from the retort of irritation and the taunt of sarcasm, from all infirmity of temper in provoking or being provoked, from love of unkind gossip, and from all idle words that may do hurt, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

In all times of temptation to follow pleasure, to leave duty for amusement, to indulge in distraction and dissipation, in dishonesty and debt, to degrade my high calling and forget my Christian vows, and in all times of frailty in my flesh, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

In all times of ignorance and perplexity as to what is right and best to do, direct me, O Lord, with wisdom to judge aright; order my ways and overrule my circumstances as you can in your good providence, and in my mistakes and misunderstandings, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

In times of doubts and questionings, when my belief is perplexed by new learning, new thought, when my faith is strained by creeds, by doctrines, by mysteries beyond my understanding, give me the faithfulness of learners and the courage of believers in you; alike from stubborn rejection of new revelations and from hasty assurance that I am wiser than my forebears, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

From strife and partisanship and division among your people, from magnifying my certainties to condemn all differences, from all arrogance in my dealings with others, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Give me knowledge of myself, my powers and weaknesses, my spirit, my sympathy, my imagination, my knowledge, my truth; teach me by the standard of your Word, by the judgments of others, by examination of myself; give me the earnest desire to strengthen myself continually by study, by diligence, by prayer and meditation; and from all fancies, delusions, and prejudices of habit, temper, or society, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Give me true knowledge of other people in their differences from me and in their likenesses to me, that I may deal with their real selves, measuring their feelings by my own but patiently considering their varied lives and thoughts and circumstances; and in all my relations to them, from false judgments of my own, from misplaced trust and distrust, from misplaced giving and refusing, from misplaced praise and rebuke, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Chiefly, O Lord, I beseech you, give me knowledge of you, to see you in all your works, always to feel your presence near, to hear and know your call. May your Spirit be my spirit, your words my words, and your will my will, and in all shortcomings and infirmities may I have sure faith in you, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Finally, O Lord, I humbly beseech you, blot out my past transgressions, heal the evils of my past negligences and ignorances, make me amend my past mistakes and misunderstandings; uplift my heart to new love, new energy and devotion, that I may be unburdened from the grief and shame of past faithlessness to go forth in your strength to persevere through success and failure, through good report and evil report, even to the end; and in all time of my tribulation, in all time of my prosperity, save me and help me, I humbly beseech you, O Lord.

Source: George Ridding, A Litany of Remembrance, Compiled for Retreats and Quiet Days for His Clergy (London: Bemrose and Sons, 1905)