For grace to spend our time well.
A Prayer for Diligent Stewardship
A petition to God for the grace to spend time wisely, resist temptation, and remain active in holy service.
O eternal God, who from all eternity behold and love your own infinite glories and perfections, and have created me to do the work of God in a human way, and to serve you in this generation according to my capacities: give me your grace, so that I may be a careful and prudent spender of my time, that I may best head off or resist every temptation, be useful to the Christian community, and by doing all my duty, glorify your name.1 Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and active spirit, and wisdom to choose my work; that I may do works fitting my person and the dignity of a Christian, and may fill every stretch of my time with acts of religion and charity; that when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle; and that my dearest Lord, at his sudden coming, may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and devout actions, improving the talent you entrusted to me, my Lord; that I may enter into the joy of my Lord and share his eternal happiness, for your mercy's sake, and for my dearest Savior's sake.✦ Amen.
Transition to Daily Devotion
An editorial introduction setting the stage for the specific devotional practices that follow.
What follows is the devotion for ordinary days, for the proper use of those portions of time that everyone must set aside each day for religion.
Read the original Latin
O eternal God, who from all eternity dost behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite, and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men, and to serve thee in this generation and according to my capacities, give me thy grace, that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be profitable to the Christian commonwealth, and, by discharging all my duty, may glorify thy name. Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an active spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment; that I may do works proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity; that, when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle; and my dearest Lord, at his sudden coming, may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent entrusted to me by thee, my Lord; that I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercy’s sake, and for my dearest Saviour’s sake. Amen.
Here follows the devotion of ordinary days, for the right employment of those portions of time which every day must allow for religion.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.25.14-Matt.25.30 — For it is like a man going on a journey, who called his own servants and entrusted his property to them. Matt.25.15 — And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability, and he went away immediately. Matt.25.16 — The one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five more. Matt.25.17 — In the same way, the one who had received two talents gained two more. Matt.25.18 — But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug in the ground and hid his master's silver. Matt.25.19 — After a long time the master of those servants comes and settles accounts with them. Matt.25.20 — And the one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, 'Lord, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.' Matt.25.21 — His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' Matt.25.22 — The one who had received the two talents also came forward and said, 'Lord, you entrusted two talents to me; see, I have gained two more.' Matt.25.23 — His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' Matt.25.24 — Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward and said, 'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.' Matt.25.25 — And being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours. Matt.25.26 — But his master answered him, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed. Matt.25.27 — Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back what was mine with interest. Matt.25.28 — So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Matt.25.29 — For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matt.25.30 — And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'curious' is the older sense 'careful, exact, attentive,' not inquisitive; rendered as 'careful.'
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