Prayer for the royal baby

I’m afflicted with acute Anglophilia whenever a major event, such as the birth of the prince of Cambridge, happens in the British royal family. I find nothing frivolous or ironic about Archbishop Cranmer’s interpretation of the birth.

The Queen must feel a great sense of great joy and fulfilment in witnessing the next three generations of the House of Windsor—the first monarch to do so since Queen Victoria. They are inculcated with a sense of duty and an understanding of consistency. We now have four supreme governors of the Church of England lined up very nicely, to be the guardians of the Church’s authoritative formularies, its polity and its confessional identity of affirmation and restraint. They provide ecclesial continuity, theological identity and doctrinal stability.

It’s a lot to ask of frail and sinful human beings, isn’t it? But I love that they’re duty-bound to try.

Regardless, here’s the official Prayer for the Royal Baby, from the actual archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby:

God our Creator,
who knows each of us by name
and loves us from all eternity:
we give you thanks for new life and human love.
Bless William and Catherine
as they welcome their son into the world.
Give them patience and wisdom
to cherish and love him as he grows.
Surround the family with the light of hope and the warmth of your love today and always; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.