The Divine Liturgy of St James. A few prayers from the beautiful Maronite rite (2)

Jesus established His Church for two reasons - 

Salvation and Sanctification - and it is by reception 

of  His Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, 

that Jesus sanctifies His followers:

1st Peter

 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers dispersed through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect,  2 According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, unto the sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.  3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that can not fade, reserved in heaven for you,  5 Who, by the power of God, are kept by faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time... 16 Because it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy. 

2nd Peter

1:4. .  4 By whom he hath given us most great and precious promises: that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature:

https://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/s?q=salvation&b=drb&t=0&r=1

https://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/s?q=sanctification&x=0&y=0&b=drb&t=0

You have united, O Lord...is a beautiful and necessary congregational  hymn because we must ever keep in mind that it is via His Holy Eucharist that God sanctifies us - makes us Holy - and nothing that is unholy ever enters Heaven.

After reception of The Holy Eucharist I pray an ancient prayer once read at The Holy Holocaust by a Bishop and then I add my own prayer;

O Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I believe though hast humbled thyself to come into my heart and my soul as pure light; I pray your pure light extinguishes all darkness and shadow of sin in my heart and my soul  and I pray that you complete your work in me so I may become the Mick Jagger you desire I be instead of the Mick Jagger I have always chosen to be.

I use my real name.

I don't actually say Mick Jagger because that is just the screen name of this crummy blog.