COLLECT
Incline a merciful ear to our cry, we pray, O Lord,
and, casting light on the darkness of our hearts,
visit us with the grace of your Son.
Found in both the Gelasian and Gregorian Sacramentaries, this was the Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent in the 1570 Missal. The latter part of the text in the manuscripts reads
. . . and illuminate the darkness of our minds with the grace of your visitation.
In the majority of manuscripts, this prayer is addressed to the Father, but in some, and in 1570, it is addressed to the Son.
In 1970 it is addressed to the Father, with mention of the Son. Literally translated, the 1970 text ends:
and illuminate the darkness of our hearts with the grace of your Son visiting us.
Thus the prayer retains its reference to Christ from 1570, but without being addressed to Christ.
‘hearts’ replaces ‘minds’
