The Prayer Book Litany

Lent always reminds me of the devotional value of saying or singing the Prayer Book Litany. Litanies or responsive prayers go back to the early days of Christian worship., and the earliest litanies were probably simple expansions of the Kyrie eleison. In Italy during the fifth and sixth centuries, more elaborate responsive and processional prayers developed. Such litanies continued to develop during the Middle Ages. As they became more elaborate over time, more and more of the intercessions were directed to the saints.

In 1529, Martin Luther revised a popular litany by emphasizing the work of Christ and removing the invocations of the saints. Borrowing from Luther's model, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer issued the first version of the English Litany in 1544 while Henry VIII still ruled. So the English Litany was the first official part of the English Liturgy. This Litany was later included in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The rubrics directed that the English Litany be said on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as included on Sundays between Matins and Holy Communion.

Most contemporary Anglicans spend less time in church than our sixteenth-century forebears. So we are not likely to see the whole Sunday array of services or find the Litany recited every Wednesday and Friday. However, the Litany is a valuable form of prayer, and its tone is particularly suitable for our Lenten devotions. It is appropriate to use it more frequently in Anglican parishes and to include it in private prayers. For example, one meaningful practice is to pray the Litany at midday on Fridays during Lent.