[[Liturgical Studies]] / Collect Structure and Form > [!note] New - 2026-03-26 ![[assets/covers/collect-structure-and-form.jpg]] A collect follows a disciplined five-part structure that moves from address to justification, creating a logical progression in prayer. Each element builds on the previous one, establishing first whom we address, then why our petition is warranted, then what we ask and what we hope to achieve, and finally on what grounds we make our petition. ## The Five Parts The structure begins with an **address** that establishes who is being spoken to: ‘O God.’[^bray-common-prayer-p47] This is followed by an **acknowledgement** of some fact about God or ourselves that serves as the rational basis for the petition to follow. The acknowledgement reveals something of God’s character or his relationship to us; the collect for the Fourth Sunday after [[Trinity]] acknowledges ‘the protector of all who trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy.’[^bray-common-prayer-p47] This is not incidental flourish but the necessary ground on which the petition rests. The **petition** itself comes third, stating directly what is being asked. In the example given, this is ‘Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy.’[^bray-common-prayer-p47] The correspondence between acknowledgement and petition creates theological coherence: we ask for mercy precisely because God has revealed himself as the protector of those who trust in him. Fourth comes the **aspiration**, which expresses the purpose of the petition or its desired result. This [[Spiritual Formation through Liturgy|orients the prayer toward ultimate spiritual ends]] rather than immediate temporal benefits. The aspiration for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity states: ‘That, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal.’[^bray-common-prayer-p47] The conjunction ‘that’ makes clear this is not a separate request but the reason and aim of the petition. Finally comes the **pleading** of Christ’s name and merits, which provides the ground of confidence for the entire petition. This may be as brief as ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord,’ or more elaborate, as in the fourth collect’s ‘Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our Lord.’[^bray-common-prayer-p47] It grounds the prayer in Christ’s intercession and redemptive work, making it a fundamentally Christological act. ## Selected passages > ‘It begins by **addressing** **God:** “O God.”’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 47 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p47.jpg|🖼️]]) > ‘Then comes the **petition:** “Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy.”’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 47 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p47.jpg|🖼️]]) ## Appearances - *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane - 4. Praying, p. 47 ## Related [[Liturgical Prayer]] . [[Elements of Prayer]] . [[Structure and Freedom in Prayer]] . [[Liturgical Structure and Consistency]] . [[Prayer as Essential Practice]] . [[Morning Prayer]] . [[Intercession]] . [[Liturgical Language]] . [[Book of Common Prayer]] [^bray-common-prayer-p47]: [[How to Use the Book of Common Prayer: A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy]], p. 47 ([[data/bray-common-prayer/source-images/p47.jpg|🖼️]]) . ‘**Consider** **the** **collect** **for** **the** **Fourth** **Sunday** **after** **Trinity** **A** **(p.** **168).** **It** **begins** **by** **addressing** **God:** **”O** **God.”** **Next** **it** **acknowledges** **a** **fact** **about** **God** **or** **ourselves** **that** **is** **the** […]’