Keep us, oh God, from pettiness;
Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with faultfinding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face,
Without self-pity and without prejudice,
May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
Let us take time for all things;
Make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses,
Straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences,
That in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know
The great, common human heart of us all.
And, oh Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!
The collect was written as a personal prayer by Mary Stewart in 1904.
