O merciful Creator, hear;

In tender pity bow Thine ear:

Accept the tearful prayer we raise

In this our fast of forty days.

Each heart is manifest to Thee;

Thou knowest our infirmity:

Repentant now we seek Thy face;

Impart to us Thy pardoning grace.

Our sins are manifold and sore,

But spare Thou them who sin deplore;

And for Thine own Name’s sake make whole

The fainting and the weary soul.

Grant us to mortify each sense

By means of outward abstinence,

That so from every stain of sin

The soul may keep her fast within.

Blest Three in One, and One in Three

Almighty God, we pray to Thee,

That Thou wouldst now vouchsafe to bless

Our fast with fruits of righteousness.

Greg­o­ry I, 6th Cen­tu­ry Art