The Great Prayers of the Church
St Richard of Chichester, 1197-1253
Regarding biographical details, a considerable amount is known about Richard, and any quick search will take you there. But one or two notes are worth noting here.
- He was educated at the University of Oxford, and after furthering his studies in Paris and Bologna—where he distinguished himself in his prowess with canon law—he returned to Oxford, where he was elected chancellor in 1235.
- He championed clerical reform and strongly opposed usury, corrupt clergy, and priests who mumbled the mass!
- In terms of his personal life, he was known for his rigid frugality and temperance and for his ‘hair shirt’ asceticism.
- Though the monarch, Henry III, was set against his appointment and conspired against him in the most Machiavellian ways, Richard was consecrated Bishop of Chichester in 1245.
- Interestingly, the tradition records an incident in which he dropped the chalice during the celebration of the sacrament, but not a drop of the wine was spilt, even though the chalice lay on its side. Make of that what you will.
But Richard is primarily known for his wonderful ‘Day by Day’ prayer—a prayer that was brought to life hundreds of years later in the 1971 rock gospel musical Godspell.
Thanks be to thee, our Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which you have given us,
for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.
Most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother.
may we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen.
Of course, any prayer – even though it be said in stuttering tones, though it is mispronounced, lacking in coherence and literary quality – rises to the heavenly place when offered, as the penitent tax collector’s prayer, in sincere humility (Luke 18:10-14).
But what a gift to the Church universal are those prayers that have stood the test of time and are as devotionally helpful today as the day they were first composed and uttered. A great mistake is made when we consign such prayers to the pages of history rather than appreciating their value today.
Could there be any better expression of that heartfelt, threefold longing that in our lives, we might come to know Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly? And could there be any better motivation for the Christian life and, therefore, for the life of prayer than that, we hope to deepen in our knowledge of Christ – the head – our love for Christ – the heart – and our serving of Christ – the hands?
The ‘day-by-day’ phrase shouldn’t be lost, though it comes right at the end. Living out our faith will surely involve mountain-top experiences at significant points along the way, but these are nothing if not accompanied by that daily devotion and discipline, that lifelong desire to grow closer to God and express that in how we live, which are, might we say, the bread and butter of lived faith.
What might happen if we began each day praying to know, love, and serve Jesus more fully?
