St. Ambrose's Penitential Prayer (Mid-week Message)

St. Ambrose’s Penitential Prayer

St. Ambrose was bishop of Milan, Italy in the fourth century.  It was he who taught and converted St. Augustine.  One of the plainchant tones of the Church is named after him (Ambrosian chant) because he codified and simplified chant singing.  (Gregorian chant is named after Pope Gregory, who thought that Ambrose had a good idea and then set rules for chanting for the whole western church, not just Milan).    Ambrose is the author of the several hymns known and loved to this day.  Here is one of his penitential prayers.  It makes reference to the same passage from Ezekiel that I use as a prayer to start my homilies:  “I will take away your hearts of stone, and I will give you hearts of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Lord, you have mercy upon all.
Take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me this heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore you,
a heart to delight in you,
to follow and enjoy you, for Christ's sake, Amen. 

NOTE:  Remember that this Saturday at 7 pm, we will be celebrating one of the Church’s most beautiful and moving liturgies, Candlemas.  Its procession and blessings honor the presentation of our Lord in the Temple 40 days after his birth.  It is a celebration of light and coming spring.  Forty days after Christmas, it brings to a beautiful end the whole Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany liturgical cycle. 

Grace and Peace,

Fr. Tony+