[I wish to say here that I pray this prayer meaning "all sorts and conditions of men and women," and that when I am inconsistent in my usage of the generic and the gendered it simply reflects the shaky and transient grammatical and social grounds upon which each term is founded.]
O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for the holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all of those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate. [especially those for whom our prayers are desired]; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
What a massive prayer this is. The scope of it is so great that I would never think to pray it on my own, which I suppose is one reason that I’m so fond of this little book. I often pray for people of this country or other, or else I pray for those who are in this situation or other. But that is only a part of this prayer. Occasionally (not nearly often enough), I will pray for all the people in the world, but that too is something slightly less than all that is meant by this specific prayer.
We find here an intercession on three levels: individual, sorted, and comprehensive. In praying for men and women, we are praying for every man and woman. In praying for sorts and conditions, we lift up the groupings and cross-sections of mankind: vertical, horozontal, transversal. In praying for all, we bring them before the father in their entirety. It is so personal and yet so universal all at once, which, by the way, is always true of the greatest kind of greatness. We should realize from this last fact that what we pray for is so much an expression of how we understand our Father – that the great creator and preserver of all mankind creates and preserves not simply on the grand scale, but also on the intimate; not simply on intimate, but also on the grand. We find, then, in praying this prayer, a challenge to love mankind in [or in spite of] all it’s permutations and combinations, from the least to the greatest.
The general intercession for grace is also given two specific expressions: for the Church and for those who suffer.
With the first, so rightly does it connect the ideas of the governing of the Spirit and the unity of all those who profess Christ. It reminds us of our divisions and calls our attentions to their explanation. But even this is redeemable. For the Body is more than simply what it seems to us right now. That it is not perfect does say something about it, I admit. But, that it is being made perfect says so much more about it, I think.
Finally, we commend the suffering children to the goodness of the father, remembering the wonderful “how much more(!)” of the gospel which tells us how greatly our heavenly father desires to give us good things. We ask for the deliverance of the afflicted, and in doing so it is again right to remember how our prayers speak to the identity of the Father. When we pray this prayer, it is as if we are saying to him and about him:
We know that you love all men and each man; especially your bride; especially those who suffer.
Perhaps this is why it is so true that we beg all of this for Jesus Christ’s sake. It is his desire before it is even ours. May we always recognize within every prayer the challenge to become like him.
