Hear, Lord, my prayer; let not my soul faint under Thy discipline, nor let me faint in confessing unto Thee all Thy mercies whereby Thou hast drawn me out of all my most evil ways, that Thou mightest become a delight to me above all the allurements which I once pursued; that I may most entirely love Thee, and clasp Thy hand with all my affections, and Thou mayest yet rescue me from every temptation, even unto the end. For lo, O Lord, my King and my God, for Thy service be whatever useful thing my childhood learned; for Thy service that I speak, write, read, reckon. For Thou didst grant me Thy discipline while I was learning vanities; and my sin of delighting in those vanities Thou hast forgiven. In them, indeed, I learnt many a useful word, but these may as well be learned in things not vain; and that is the safe path for the steps of youth. Amen. —Augustine.
For Light
O let the Light, the Truth, the Light of my heart, not mine own darkness, speak unto me. I fell off into that, and became darkened; but even thence, even thence I loved Thee. I went astray, and remembered Thee. I heard Thy voice behind me, calling me to return, and scarcely heard it, through the tumultuousness of the enemies of peace. And now, behold, I return in distress and panting after Thy fountain. Let no man forbid me! of this will I drink, and so live. Let me not be mine own life; from myself I lived ill, death was I to myself; and I revive in Thee. Do Thou speak unto me, do Thou discourse unto me. I have believed Thy Books, and their words be most full of mystery. Amen. —Augustine.
Communion with God
O how shall I call upon God, my God and Lord, since, when I call for Him, I shall be calling Him into myself? And what room is there within me, whither my God can come into me? Whither can God come into me, God who made heaven and earth? Is there, indeed, O Lord my God, aught in me that can contain Thee? Do, then, heaven and earth, which Thou hast made, and wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? Or, because nothing which exists could exist without Thee, doth therefore whatever exists contain Thee? Since, then, I too exist, why do I seek that Thou shouldest enter into me, who were not, wert Thou not in me? Why? Because I am not gone down in hell, and yet Thou art there also. For if I go down into hell, Thou art there. I could not be, then, O my God, could not be at all, wert Thou not in me; or rather, unless I were in Thee, of whom are all things, by whom are all things, in whom are all things! Even so, Lord, even so. Whither do I call Thee, since I am in Thee? Or whence canst Thou enter into me? For whither can I go beyond heaven and earth, that thence my God should come into me, who hath said, “I fill the heaven and the earth”?
O God, the vessels which Thou fillest uphold Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out, on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us; Thou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us.... Amen. —Augustine.
Rest in Thee
O Lord God, give peace unto us (for Thou hast given us all things): the peace of rest, the peace of the Sabbath, which hath no evening: Yea, give us rest in Thee, the Sabbath of eternal life. For Thou shalt rest in us, as now Thou workest in us; and Thy rest shall be through us, as Thy works are through us. Amen. —Augustine.
For Light
O Lord, who art the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life; in whom there is no darkness, error, vanity, or death—the Light without which there is darkness; the Way without which there is wandering; the Truth without which there is error; the life without which there is Death; say, Lord, let there be Light, and I shall see Light, and eschew Darkness; I shall see the way and avoid wandering; I shall see the Truth and shun error; I shall see Life and escape Death: Illuminate, O illuminate my blind soul which sitteth in darkness and the shadow of Death; and direct my feet into the way of peace. Amen. —Augustine.