Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [The BCP, 1662/1928]
The Epistle: Romans 12:16-21 The Gospel : St Matthew 8:1-13
This Prayer, like all the Collects, is only one sentence! But let us notice how much is confessed and asked for in this one sentence of supplication. We also need to hold in mind that we are in Epiphany when the Church ponders and adores the Manifestation of God to man, in particular the Incarnate God to man.
The Creator, Redeemer and Judge of the world is addressed as "Almighty" (having sovereign rule) and "everlasting" (being eternal and not conditioned by time and place), who is the changeless One. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, who is the Mediator, between God and man and the One through whom and in whose Name the supplication is offered. Thus the Church of God is his Household and Family - his adopted children.
In and of ourselves and by our own strength, even with the angels assisting us, we cannot cause our prayers to pass from time into eternity and from finitude into infinity, and thus to this Lord God. We are cut off from God by reason of our sinfulness and thus we approach him through his only Son, who having become man, is able to take what is ours and make them his and thus present them to his Father for us.
We ask God to hear us and look upon us in his mercy for we recognize that we only deserve his judgment and wrath. The reference to "our infirmities" is suggested by the Gospel which as an Epiphany [Manifestation] Gospel shows the Son of God manifesting his miraculous power over disease, leprosy and palsy .Further Isaiah is quoted as saying, "He himself took our infirmities" (Matthew 8). Today we read into the word "infirmities" such maladies of body and soul that impair our relation with God and one another.
Further, we ask God to exercise his eternal and infinite power, wisdom and judgment ("stretch forth thy right hand" - notice in the Gospel Jesus puts forth his hand, Matthew 8:3) in order to help us in all necessities (weaknesses of body and soul) and to defend us in all our dangers (from the world and the devil). Here each of us needs to insert what we know as the weaknesses of our position in this world and evil age so that the prayer is individualized. And if we are not sure what these weaknesses are, and how we ought to pray, then we can take comfort in the promise: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself make intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
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