Commontide

For Guidance

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Commontide
Absolution
Prayers

The Absolution (Compline)

Compline

May Almighty God grant us forgiveness of all our sins, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Provenance

Western Office, c. 1000; Anglican form 1979

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

The closing absolution at Compline distills a medieval Latin formula once used throughout the Western Divine Office, petitioning God for forgiveness and "the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit." Though Compline was absent from every Anglican prayer book until 1979, this condensed English version carries that ancient language forward as the communal close of the day's final office.