Does it matter how we end our prayers?

Collects & their terminations

Over the centuries the Church in the West (as in the East) developed suitable ways of ending her Collects and Prayers. For example, the ending of the Eucharistic Prayer (Prayer of Consecration) addressed to the First Person of the Blessed Trinity is a fine example of a Christological, Doxological and Trinitarian ending:

"Through Christ our Lord, through whom thou createst all these things, ever good, and sanctifiest, quickenest, blessest, and givest them unto us. Through him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, God the Father Almighty, world without end. Amen."

Normally, endings were/are not so extensive in the Western Church.

Yet each Collect or Prayer has to have a termination which has both to sound right and to be (theologically & grammatically) right. Here is a typical, medieval example of the written Rules to be followed by Officiants & Celebrants in the Daily Offices & Services as to the proper way to end Prayers/Collects:

"If you address the Father in your prayer say [at the close] "through the Lord Jesus Christ."

"If you make mention of Christ [in the course of your prayer] you should say at the end, "through the same Lord Jesus Christ."

"If you address your prayer to Christ, remember to say at the end, "who livest and reignest with the Father."

"If Christ is mentioned at the end of a Collect, say "who with thee..."

"If you make mention of the Holy Ghost, say near the end, "of the same," [i.e. in the unity of the same].

In general, Archbishop Cranmer followed these rules in the creation of The Book of the Common Prayer (1549) and so did editors of later editions. It will be noticed that these terminations presuppose and propose the role of Jesus Christ as Mediator and the nature of God as One in Three and Three in One.

But let us investigate further the terminations of the Collects of the English Prayer Book.

First of all, when prayer is addressed to the Father we usually find what may be termed as a brief termination which recognizes absolutely that we approach God always and only through the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. Examples of this are many: "through Jesus Christ our Lord," "through Christ our Lord," "through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord," "through Jesus Christ our Mediator and Redeemer," "this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake," "for thy dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ our Lord," "for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ," "through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour," and "through the merits and meditation of thy blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

In the second place, when prayer is addressed to the Father we sometimes find a termination which both includes mediation and doxology. Examples of this include: "to whom [the L.J.C.] with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end" (General Thanksgiving); "through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end" (4th in Advent); "through the same Jesus Christ to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for evermore" (St Thomas); and "the Lord the righteous Judge, who liveth and reigneth one God with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end" (Consecration of Bishops).

Thirdly, there are occasions when the termination includes mediation, doxology and a specific expression of the Unity as well as Trinity of God. Examples include the four major Feast Days: "who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end" (Christmas); "through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end" (Easter); "who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end" (Ascension); and "through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end" (Whitsunday). Then there is the fine ending to the first post-Communion Prayer (BCP,1662): "through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be to thee, O Father Almighty, world without end."

It will be observed how critical is the use of prepositions (through, with, by, in etc.) in the composition of prayer, if it is to be doctrinally orthodox, and pleasing to the ear of God and of man.

The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon