Collect taken from Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter.
Collect: O God, who restore human nature to yet greater dignity than at its beginnings, look upon the amazing mystery of your loving kindness, and in those you have chosen to make new through the wonder of rebirth may you preserve the gifts of your enduring grace and blessing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“O God, who restore human nature to yet greater dignity than at its beginnings, look upon the amazing mystery of your loving kindness“
– God not only overcame the Original Sin of Adam, but made us even more than Adam would be if he had never sinned. That is why the Easter Exsultet sings “O Happy Fault.” This powerful act of God’s love is the mystery of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. So, we ask God to look upon that mystery, e.g. upon Christ.
“and in those you have chosen to make new through the wonder of rebirth may you preserve the gifts of your enduring grace and blessing.”
– God calls us to grace and conversion, to baptism. Thus, we ask God to look upon those he has called to baptism and to continue to pour out his grace in the form of protection and preservation. The prayer is not asking because we deserve it, but because the Son of God desires it for us.
Questions & Advice: Did you attend the Easter Vigil and hear the Exsultet? How have you experienced rebirth in your life as a baptized Christian? Do you pray regularly for protection and the grace of perseverance?
Read the exsultet and spend some of your daily prayer time reflecting on God’s gift to us, giving him thanks for it. Learn about and pray for the gift of final perseverance, because we cannot assume we will persevere on our own.
