May is the month traditionally associated with devotion to Mary the Mother of God. In many churches (of a catholic nature) devotions to Our Lady are made during public worship. I was speaking with a friend and colleague today whose parish says the Angelus each Sunday in May. It reminded me of a story I love.
Mary tends to make some Christians rather uncomfortable. In the 1960’s, Roman Catholics in Baltimore were in the midst of building an enormous new Cathedral dedicated to ‘Mary Our Queen.’ A youth group of one of the more prominent Presbyterian churches was planning to make a visit to the new building. Consequently a postcard was prepared to be sent to all the young families of the parish inviting them to participate in the visit to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. The senior pastor of the church, upon spying a copy of said postcard in the church office, was more than a bit perturbed that a publication of his church was about to be mailed out that contained the phrase, “Mary Our Queen.” After a somewhat tense conversation with the youth pastor, the church secretary was instructed to make a revision of the postcard. A few days later, the good Presbyterian children of Baltimore were invited to a tour of what was described in the postcard as, “The Cathedral of Mary Their Queen.”
Mary causes some anxiety among certain Christians, perhaps not because of who she is, but because of who she is not.
Mary is the God-bearer. She was termed Theotokos, God-bearer, by the Greek Fathers of the Church and was given the title officially by the Council of Ephesus in 431. She who was deemed worth to bear the Word-made-Flesh participates in the plan of salvation in a way completely unique to any other human being. Mary is a saint. A saint is a human being who has been grafted into the family of God. There are countless saints living and dead, some in this church even now. Mary is a model for Christians. In her willingness to say ‘yes’ to the divine will, she, physically, brought God into the world. It is the Christian vocation writ large. We are all called, in various ways, to participate in God’s will to bring forth God’s light into the world. Mary is our intercessor. She prays for us. This is where things get sticky between Christians. But we believe that saints, living and dead, are grafted together through the love of God in Christ. We regularly pray for our beloved ones who have departed this life and entered into the next one. And they pray for us. The relationships between saints living and dead is not broken by physical death. We also, sometimes, pray to saints. When I have conversations with my friend Adam who died three years ago, it is a form of prayer. I certainly do not believe that my friend is God, but I believe that our relationship is not broken. So it is also with the great saints of the Church.
So Mary is the God-bearer, a saint, a model for Christians, and an intercessor for us. This is the ancient Christian perspective on Mary, and it is very Anglican in its balance of catholic tradition and reformed thought and reason. She who was termed Theotokos, God-bearer, prays for us to bring her Son more and more into the world which cries out for Him in sighs too deep for words. May we, too, be bearers of God.
Holy Mary, pray for us! Amen.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Inclusivity and Rite One
Fr. Griffith has a wonderful post about radical inclusivity--even of those who actually like tradition!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Ad orientem
As Fr. Hunwicke's beautiful post explains, facing east during prayer was a significant action for the earliest Christians and remained so until very recently.
The Liturgical Movement and the Second Vatican Council sought to reform what they saw as (I can only presume) as a distant and remote liturgy by changing the direction the priest faced while presiding at the Eucharist. While the desire to create a stronger worshipping community was a laudable one, re-orienting the direction of the priest from facing east (toward the rising sun, and symbolically toward Christ) to facing the people also created an insidious form of clericalism. In other words, the action only became 'authentic' if the priest faced the people; the pattern changed from a gathered community all facing east (toward Christ) to a gathered community facing one another. The emphasis in worship moved ever so slightly from God to the community, and specifically to the liturgical leader of the community, the clergy. So worship became legitimate only if one could make eye contact with the clergy, which frankly, puts the priest in a dangerous position and invests in the priest a significance that should be reserved for God alone.
(I am not saying that a Mass celebrated versus populum--facing the people--is invalid or lacking. I have attended countless celebrations of the Holy Mysteries oriented this way and have been deeply moved and formed by them. But I do recognize from experience as both a lay person and now as a priest that an emphasis upon a personal relationship with the priest during worship can have unintended consequences that lead to clericalism and to de-emphasizing the transcendence of God.)
If you have ever had the chance to visit our wonderful parish church of St. Paul in Chester, you will know that both our High Altar and the Altar in the Chapel of the Ascension face liturgical East. When I or any other priest celebrate Mass at St. Paul's we do not have our backs to the people. Rather, we are joining with the people to face east toward the coming of Christ to His people. There is a wonderful equality in this arrangement. I may not be able to make constant eye contact with the people during the Canon of the Mass (the Eucharistic Prayer), but perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps it reminds us--priest and people alike--that it is to Christ we address our prayers, and only through the grace and self-offering of Christ that we are acceptable to God?
So if you have the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's and find this eastward orientation unusual or new, please know that it is an ancient orientation toward the beauty and joy of the coming Christ, whom we receive in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. And if you take the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's, please also know that it will be our privilege to welcome you into our community and look together toward the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the eternal light of the world.
The Liturgical Movement and the Second Vatican Council sought to reform what they saw as (I can only presume) as a distant and remote liturgy by changing the direction the priest faced while presiding at the Eucharist. While the desire to create a stronger worshipping community was a laudable one, re-orienting the direction of the priest from facing east (toward the rising sun, and symbolically toward Christ) to facing the people also created an insidious form of clericalism. In other words, the action only became 'authentic' if the priest faced the people; the pattern changed from a gathered community all facing east (toward Christ) to a gathered community facing one another. The emphasis in worship moved ever so slightly from God to the community, and specifically to the liturgical leader of the community, the clergy. So worship became legitimate only if one could make eye contact with the clergy, which frankly, puts the priest in a dangerous position and invests in the priest a significance that should be reserved for God alone.
(I am not saying that a Mass celebrated versus populum--facing the people--is invalid or lacking. I have attended countless celebrations of the Holy Mysteries oriented this way and have been deeply moved and formed by them. But I do recognize from experience as both a lay person and now as a priest that an emphasis upon a personal relationship with the priest during worship can have unintended consequences that lead to clericalism and to de-emphasizing the transcendence of God.)
If you have ever had the chance to visit our wonderful parish church of St. Paul in Chester, you will know that both our High Altar and the Altar in the Chapel of the Ascension face liturgical East. When I or any other priest celebrate Mass at St. Paul's we do not have our backs to the people. Rather, we are joining with the people to face east toward the coming of Christ to His people. There is a wonderful equality in this arrangement. I may not be able to make constant eye contact with the people during the Canon of the Mass (the Eucharistic Prayer), but perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps it reminds us--priest and people alike--that it is to Christ we address our prayers, and only through the grace and self-offering of Christ that we are acceptable to God?
So if you have the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's and find this eastward orientation unusual or new, please know that it is an ancient orientation toward the beauty and joy of the coming Christ, whom we receive in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. And if you take the opportunity to worship at St. Paul's, please also know that it will be our privilege to welcome you into our community and look together toward the coming of Jesus Christ, who is the eternal light of the world.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Islam and 'Sunday Christianity'
Before Holy Week, I spent a lot of time walking all over the City of Chester handing out flyers and inviting people to church. I got to meet a lot of people that way, but what impressed me the most were the young, devout, African-American Muslims. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "Thank you, Father, but we're Muslims."
Young men and women in the City of Chester are being attracted in droves to Islam. And the Islam they are practicing is not a religion for lazy people. They are praying five times a day. They are practicing their faith constanty, and it requires real sacrifices from them: sacrifices of time, money, energy, and ethical obligations.
Islam is requiring tremendous things from them. It demands a true conversion of life. And they are finding transformation through it.
One of the gravest mistakes Christianity has made in the 20th Century is to make it easy to be a 'Christian.' Want to be baptized? Come on! Just show up half an hour before the service on Sunday and we'll talk through it. Want to be confrimed? Sure! Come and take a class or two and we'll present you to the bishop. Want to get married but don't feel particularly 'religious?' No problem.
If our faith isn't worth a real, daily committment, how can we expect others to commit to it? If we are not experiencing true conversion of life, do we really expect others to? If we make new life in Christ seem that easy to come by, then of course people are going to think it isn't worth giving up a little free time to seek it out.
Christianity has been built on the lives of holy men and women who gave up everything for Christ. Christianity has been built on countless lives through the centuries completely given to prayer and self-sacrifice and to the building of the Kingdom of God on earth. But somehow, in the past sixty or so years, mainline denominations have taught by our laissez faire attitudes that perhaps Christianity isn't really worth a commitment. And now, we can see the results.
What we need is an Awakening. What we need now is a return to the daily life of prayer and service. What we need now is for our congregations to experience true and profound conversion of life. What we need now is to turn religious tourists into pilgrims (to borrow a phrase from Diana Bass, one of my seminary professors), starting with ourselves.
And with Christ, anything is possible.
Young men and women in the City of Chester are being attracted in droves to Islam. And the Islam they are practicing is not a religion for lazy people. They are praying five times a day. They are practicing their faith constanty, and it requires real sacrifices from them: sacrifices of time, money, energy, and ethical obligations.
Islam is requiring tremendous things from them. It demands a true conversion of life. And they are finding transformation through it.
One of the gravest mistakes Christianity has made in the 20th Century is to make it easy to be a 'Christian.' Want to be baptized? Come on! Just show up half an hour before the service on Sunday and we'll talk through it. Want to be confrimed? Sure! Come and take a class or two and we'll present you to the bishop. Want to get married but don't feel particularly 'religious?' No problem.
If our faith isn't worth a real, daily committment, how can we expect others to commit to it? If we are not experiencing true conversion of life, do we really expect others to? If we make new life in Christ seem that easy to come by, then of course people are going to think it isn't worth giving up a little free time to seek it out.
Christianity has been built on the lives of holy men and women who gave up everything for Christ. Christianity has been built on countless lives through the centuries completely given to prayer and self-sacrifice and to the building of the Kingdom of God on earth. But somehow, in the past sixty or so years, mainline denominations have taught by our laissez faire attitudes that perhaps Christianity isn't really worth a commitment. And now, we can see the results.
What we need is an Awakening. What we need now is a return to the daily life of prayer and service. What we need now is for our congregations to experience true and profound conversion of life. What we need now is to turn religious tourists into pilgrims (to borrow a phrase from Diana Bass, one of my seminary professors), starting with ourselves.
And with Christ, anything is possible.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter Sermon
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is raised indeed. Alleluia.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Resurrection changes everything. In Matthew’s Gospel, the resurrection causes the earth itself to tremble. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb, burdened with grief, they could never have expected the greeting they receive: “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said (Matthew 28: 5b-6a).” And when Jesus himself finally appears to them, he gives them three commandments: first, Rejoice (the word translated ‘greetings’ in our gospel literally means rejoice); second, do not be afraid; and third, share the message.
Rejoice. Do not be afraid. Share the message. These are the commandments we are called to live by as children of Christ’s resurrection. In our baptism, Christ enters every particle of our selves, souls and bodies, and makes us members of his glorious body. We become ministers of his undying, overflowing, all-consuming love. And the love we are brought into knows no bounds: it pulls us out of the things that entomb us and brings each of us—and all of creation—into a new existence. Resurrection life is glorious, but it is also unsettling.
There is an Orthodox Icon, or holy image, of the resurrection called “The Harrowing of Hell.” In it, the resurrected Christ is depicted in front of a tomb: the tomb of our first parents Adam and Eve. Christ grasps them by their wrists and pulls them out of the tomb. It is not a gentle pull, either. Christ yanks them up out of their dusty resting place, a resting place that is maybe strangely comfortable. It is a state of being they are familiar with and it doesn’t present them with challenges. But they are called into resurrection, and Christ tugs on them until they are dislodged from the earth and brought into new life.
Jesus does the same for us. Easter pulls us out of our tombs and brought into a world that is completely new and different from the world we have known in the past. Easter is about new life. Not even life after death, but new life now. You can wait to experience resurrection after you die, but I don’t recommend it. And I don’t think that’s what God wishes for us, either. You can practice resurrection this very day—if you are brave enough. A phone call can work miracles, or just a hello, or an “I love you.” Or better yet, call someone from whom you are estranged. Pull the pins out of the proverbial voodoo doll. You don’t even have to say sorry. (You may not be sorry, and he may not be sorry, either.) It doesn’t matter. Call him, wish him Happy Easter, and ask him how he is. Not that this is guaranteed to go smoothly. But you will experience a taste of resurrection. All you need to do is rejoice, do not be afraid, and share the message. It might be unsettling, yes, but it is how we share in the new life of Christ and extend it into the world. It is now we experience resurrection now.
There is an ancient sermon for Easter Day, whose author has been lost, where Christ addresses Adam and Eve, freshly yanked out of their dusty rest: “O order you, O sleepers, to awake. I did not create you to be held prisoners in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, you who are the work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you, and we cannot be separated. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you for all eternity.”
Today Jesus rescues us from the power of death and limitation. Today the world is different and new. Today we are pulled out from the tombs of limitation and sin and death. Today Christ gives us limitless and overflowing life. Rejoice! Do not be afraid. Share the message.
And so let us say again, and let us say for ever:
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
The Lord is raised indeed. Alleluia.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Resurrection changes everything. In Matthew’s Gospel, the resurrection causes the earth itself to tremble. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb, burdened with grief, they could never have expected the greeting they receive: “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said (Matthew 28: 5b-6a).” And when Jesus himself finally appears to them, he gives them three commandments: first, Rejoice (the word translated ‘greetings’ in our gospel literally means rejoice); second, do not be afraid; and third, share the message.
Rejoice. Do not be afraid. Share the message. These are the commandments we are called to live by as children of Christ’s resurrection. In our baptism, Christ enters every particle of our selves, souls and bodies, and makes us members of his glorious body. We become ministers of his undying, overflowing, all-consuming love. And the love we are brought into knows no bounds: it pulls us out of the things that entomb us and brings each of us—and all of creation—into a new existence. Resurrection life is glorious, but it is also unsettling.
There is an Orthodox Icon, or holy image, of the resurrection called “The Harrowing of Hell.” In it, the resurrected Christ is depicted in front of a tomb: the tomb of our first parents Adam and Eve. Christ grasps them by their wrists and pulls them out of the tomb. It is not a gentle pull, either. Christ yanks them up out of their dusty resting place, a resting place that is maybe strangely comfortable. It is a state of being they are familiar with and it doesn’t present them with challenges. But they are called into resurrection, and Christ tugs on them until they are dislodged from the earth and brought into new life.
Jesus does the same for us. Easter pulls us out of our tombs and brought into a world that is completely new and different from the world we have known in the past. Easter is about new life. Not even life after death, but new life now. You can wait to experience resurrection after you die, but I don’t recommend it. And I don’t think that’s what God wishes for us, either. You can practice resurrection this very day—if you are brave enough. A phone call can work miracles, or just a hello, or an “I love you.” Or better yet, call someone from whom you are estranged. Pull the pins out of the proverbial voodoo doll. You don’t even have to say sorry. (You may not be sorry, and he may not be sorry, either.) It doesn’t matter. Call him, wish him Happy Easter, and ask him how he is. Not that this is guaranteed to go smoothly. But you will experience a taste of resurrection. All you need to do is rejoice, do not be afraid, and share the message. It might be unsettling, yes, but it is how we share in the new life of Christ and extend it into the world. It is now we experience resurrection now.
There is an ancient sermon for Easter Day, whose author has been lost, where Christ addresses Adam and Eve, freshly yanked out of their dusty rest: “O order you, O sleepers, to awake. I did not create you to be held prisoners in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, you who are the work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you, and we cannot be separated. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you for all eternity.”
Today Jesus rescues us from the power of death and limitation. Today the world is different and new. Today we are pulled out from the tombs of limitation and sin and death. Today Christ gives us limitless and overflowing life. Rejoice! Do not be afraid. Share the message.
And so let us say again, and let us say for ever:
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Collect
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Collect
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Holy Saturday
The Collect
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Maundy Thursday
The Collect
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wednesday in Holy Week
This day is also commonly known as Spy Wednesday in rememberance of Judas' betrayal of Jesus, which is the Gospel appointed for Mass on this day.
The Collect
O Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his back to
the smiters and hid not his face from shame: Grant us grace
to take joyfully the sufferings of the present time, in full
assurance of the glory that shall be revealed; through the same
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Collect
O Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his back to
the smiters and hid not his face from shame: Grant us grace
to take joyfully the sufferings of the present time, in full
assurance of the glory that shall be revealed; through the same
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday in Holy Week
The Collect
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Monday in Holy Week
The Collect
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Before the reforms of the Book of Common Prayer 1979, the Sunday of the Passion was a week before Palm Sunday. The current prayer book combines these themes into one day, as do the modern Roman, Lutheran, and other rites. I sometimes wish we kept them as separate commemorations, but alas, I am not on the Standing Liturgical Comission!
Collect at the Liturgy of the Palms
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our
salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation
of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and
immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect at the Mass
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the
human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take
upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross,
giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant
that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share
in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Collect at the Liturgy of the Palms
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our
salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation
of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and
immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect at the Mass
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the
human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take
upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross,
giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant
that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share
in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Grant him eternal rest.
The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, the saintly Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul (Iraq) has been found buried in a roadside grave. He was kidnapped on February 29th and had not been heard from since.
The native Christian minority once enjoyed relative peace and protection in Iraq, but are now in constant danger.
Of your charity, pray for the soul of Archbishop Paulos, and for the safety of the Chaldean Christians of Iraq.
The native Christian minority once enjoyed relative peace and protection in Iraq, but are now in constant danger.
Of your charity, pray for the soul of Archbishop Paulos, and for the safety of the Chaldean Christians of Iraq.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Thought of the Day
The Governor of New York has been caught in sexual misconduct and illegal activity.
The same day that story broke five of our soldiers died in Iraq.
I think the former is grevious, but it grieves me even more that we heard virtually nothing about the latter.
The same day that story broke five of our soldiers died in Iraq.
I think the former is grevious, but it grieves me even more that we heard virtually nothing about the latter.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Contemplation
Assist us mercifully with thy help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby thou hast given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-- The Book of Common Prayer
This collect is appointed for the Liturgy of the Palms at the beginning of the Palm Sunday liturgy in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. I think it is an appropriate entreaty to God at the beginning of such a time as Holy Week. For the clergy and for those who assist in worship, Holy Week is the busiest time of the Church Year and does not afford much opportunity for contemplation.
I know many people who count as their conversion experience the liturgies of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum, the three holy days which begin with Maundy Thirsday and culminates with the Great Vigil of Easter. Indeed, I count them as mine as well, remembering my baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter in 1997.
Entering with joy upon the contemplation of the acts of our salvation requires us to be present; not only physically but spiritually. It requires us to give ourselves the prayerful space to allow God to speak to our souls in a new way. For me, it means being prepared enough to be able to approach the sacred mysteries without a mind swimming with undone tasks. Whether clergy or lay, truly participating in the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter is a real sacrifice of time and attention, but its rewards are immense.
Our Holy Week and Easter schedule at St. Paul's can be found here. I invite you to join us in this sacred time, and to experience the transformation of Christ's life, death, and resurrection!
-- The Book of Common Prayer
This collect is appointed for the Liturgy of the Palms at the beginning of the Palm Sunday liturgy in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. I think it is an appropriate entreaty to God at the beginning of such a time as Holy Week. For the clergy and for those who assist in worship, Holy Week is the busiest time of the Church Year and does not afford much opportunity for contemplation.
I know many people who count as their conversion experience the liturgies of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum, the three holy days which begin with Maundy Thirsday and culminates with the Great Vigil of Easter. Indeed, I count them as mine as well, remembering my baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter in 1997.
Entering with joy upon the contemplation of the acts of our salvation requires us to be present; not only physically but spiritually. It requires us to give ourselves the prayerful space to allow God to speak to our souls in a new way. For me, it means being prepared enough to be able to approach the sacred mysteries without a mind swimming with undone tasks. Whether clergy or lay, truly participating in the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter is a real sacrifice of time and attention, but its rewards are immense.
Our Holy Week and Easter schedule at St. Paul's can be found here. I invite you to join us in this sacred time, and to experience the transformation of Christ's life, death, and resurrection!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Rubber Room
This American Life had a fascinating segment on the 'Rubber Room,' the nickname for the New York City Department of Education's suspension process for teachers who have been removed from their classrooms for reasons ranging from allegations of misconduct to disagreements with their principal. It's well worth a listen. Also, a production company has made a film called The Rubber Room and you can view the trailer and other features here.
It's a powerful example of (a) the frightening results of bureaucracy gone bad, and (b) the deep problems of New York City's public education system.
Check it out.
It's a powerful example of (a) the frightening results of bureaucracy gone bad, and (b) the deep problems of New York City's public education system.
Check it out.
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Domestic Church
The basic unit of Christian community is a household, in whatever form it may be. We tend to think of being in Christian community as members of a parish church, but the domestic church—the church of the home—should be our primary place of prayer. The home as well as the parish should be active agents in the Christian formation of adults and children. We must create a Christian culture in our home; a culture of prayer, and worship, and joy, and true fellowship, and love. Where the Church is lacking, it is usually true that Christian homes are lacking also.
Starting where we are usually means starting from scratch. We want our homes to be places of Christian practice, but it can be difficult to know how to begin. Here are some ideas:
(1) Pray together. It sounds easy, but it is often the most difficult thing to begin. Start simple. Say a quick blessing before meals. Pray with each other before bed, or before or after dinner. Say the Lord’s Prayer, and some other prayers as convenient. Look in the Book of Common Prayer on page 136 for some short orders of prayer for individuals and families. If you’d like a longer form of prayer that includes readings from scripture, turn to the Orders for Morning and Evening Prayer, which is found in the prayer book in both Rites One and Two. Many people pray these offices daily, and they have been the life blood of holy men and women since the time of the earliest Christians.
(2) Study Holy Scripture together. Ask your priest how to use the Daily Office Lectionary if you’d like selections for each day, or simply bring home your Sunday bulletin and study the lessons appointed for the week. When you get into the habit of praying together, you can begin to include readings for each day.
(3) Set up a household Altar. Make a place in your home that is set up specifically for prayer. Having a prayerful focus helps keep families praying together. The household Altar doesn’t need to be complicated, either. You could use a small table against the wall and add a holy image, like an Icon of Our Lord or the Blessed Virgin, or a crucifix. Make sure your household Altar has a prayer book (or several), a bible, and perhaps some candles to be lit during the daily prayers. Some household Altars have a small font for holy water and a censer to burn incense. If you don’t have much space, you only need a corner or even a shelf. (Mine is in a room that doubles as a guest bedroom as well as an office!)
(4) Have your home blessed by a priest. Most parish priests (me included) would be delighted to bless your home. You don’t need to make it a large production, either. Traditionally, homes are blessed annually at Epiphany each January, but any time of the year is appropriate.
(5) Observe the Feasts and Fasts of the Church year. On Holy Days, have special prayers at your household Altar and celebrate with a special dessert or a fun activity. Deepen your household devotion with special prayers and observances in each season of the Church year, like the Advent Wreath. Make the life of your family reflect the rhythm of the church year.
(6) Observe Name Days and baptismal anniversaries. Since my patron is Saint Timothy, commemorated on January 26th, I always make sure to celebrate the day in some way. I was baptized at the Great Vigil of Easter, and give thanks each year on Easter Eve with special prayers. Some churches give the family a baptismal candle when a child is baptized. Burn it on the household Altar on special days to remember the gift of our baptism.
The domestic church is at the heart of being formed as a Christian. We can never expect our children to continue in the faith unless we make our faith a real, daily commitment and practice it together as part of our regular round of activities. More than that, the domestic church begins to infuse all the other household activities with the joy and peace of prayerfulness, transforming our families and our lives into the true light of Christ.
Starting where we are usually means starting from scratch. We want our homes to be places of Christian practice, but it can be difficult to know how to begin. Here are some ideas:
(1) Pray together. It sounds easy, but it is often the most difficult thing to begin. Start simple. Say a quick blessing before meals. Pray with each other before bed, or before or after dinner. Say the Lord’s Prayer, and some other prayers as convenient. Look in the Book of Common Prayer on page 136 for some short orders of prayer for individuals and families. If you’d like a longer form of prayer that includes readings from scripture, turn to the Orders for Morning and Evening Prayer, which is found in the prayer book in both Rites One and Two. Many people pray these offices daily, and they have been the life blood of holy men and women since the time of the earliest Christians.
(2) Study Holy Scripture together. Ask your priest how to use the Daily Office Lectionary if you’d like selections for each day, or simply bring home your Sunday bulletin and study the lessons appointed for the week. When you get into the habit of praying together, you can begin to include readings for each day.
(3) Set up a household Altar. Make a place in your home that is set up specifically for prayer. Having a prayerful focus helps keep families praying together. The household Altar doesn’t need to be complicated, either. You could use a small table against the wall and add a holy image, like an Icon of Our Lord or the Blessed Virgin, or a crucifix. Make sure your household Altar has a prayer book (or several), a bible, and perhaps some candles to be lit during the daily prayers. Some household Altars have a small font for holy water and a censer to burn incense. If you don’t have much space, you only need a corner or even a shelf. (Mine is in a room that doubles as a guest bedroom as well as an office!)
(4) Have your home blessed by a priest. Most parish priests (me included) would be delighted to bless your home. You don’t need to make it a large production, either. Traditionally, homes are blessed annually at Epiphany each January, but any time of the year is appropriate.
(5) Observe the Feasts and Fasts of the Church year. On Holy Days, have special prayers at your household Altar and celebrate with a special dessert or a fun activity. Deepen your household devotion with special prayers and observances in each season of the Church year, like the Advent Wreath. Make the life of your family reflect the rhythm of the church year.
(6) Observe Name Days and baptismal anniversaries. Since my patron is Saint Timothy, commemorated on January 26th, I always make sure to celebrate the day in some way. I was baptized at the Great Vigil of Easter, and give thanks each year on Easter Eve with special prayers. Some churches give the family a baptismal candle when a child is baptized. Burn it on the household Altar on special days to remember the gift of our baptism.
The domestic church is at the heart of being formed as a Christian. We can never expect our children to continue in the faith unless we make our faith a real, daily commitment and practice it together as part of our regular round of activities. More than that, the domestic church begins to infuse all the other household activities with the joy and peace of prayerfulness, transforming our families and our lives into the true light of Christ.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
God Spake These Words
On the Fourth and Fifth Sundays in Lent, we at St. Paul's will be reciting the Decalogue as part of the opening devotions of our worship. The Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, are the historic presentation of the ethical Law of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai. As Christians, they show us the righteousness of Christ: when we say that Jesus Christ was perfect God and perfect man, we are saying that he perfectly obeyed His Father's law. He never put any god above God His Father. He never made anything an idol or took God's name in vain. He kept the sabbath day holy (despite arguments to the contrary from the religious elite of his day). He honored his mother and father, and so on. In this way, the Decalogue shows us what Jesus was like; it shows us his perfection both as God and human being.
The Decalogue also shows us our need for Christ. When we recite these commandments, we are confronted by the reality of our sin and our inability to keep the Law. The Decalogue shows us who we are apart from the saving love of Christ, and our deep and tremendous need of Christ's offering of Himself to fulfill the Law, allowing us to be the redeemed people of God.
Jesus' life, death, and resurrection demonstrate the love of God for we who continually miss the mark. The Decalogue reminds us, as we need constantly to be reminded, that Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to us as the perfecter and redeemer for we who are imperfect and in such need of His redemption.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee!
The Decalogue also shows us our need for Christ. When we recite these commandments, we are confronted by the reality of our sin and our inability to keep the Law. The Decalogue shows us who we are apart from the saving love of Christ, and our deep and tremendous need of Christ's offering of Himself to fulfill the Law, allowing us to be the redeemed people of God.
Jesus' life, death, and resurrection demonstrate the love of God for we who continually miss the mark. The Decalogue reminds us, as we need constantly to be reminded, that Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to us as the perfecter and redeemer for we who are imperfect and in such need of His redemption.
Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Absalom Jones
Episcopal Life Online has a good article on the relationshiop between Absalom Jones, the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church, and Benjamin Wynkoop, the man who legally owned him for thirty-eight years of his life. You can read it here.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thoughts on worship.
As I have been preparing to instruct those who assist in worship this coming Saturday morning, a thought has occurred to me: what I consider to be fairly simple instructions (not much different from the way we already do it), would be considered far too fussy by many. In many places, we in the contemporary church have confused authenticity with sloppiness.
The problem goes far beyond the out-moded "High Church/Low Church" identifications, or even the "traditional/contemporary" divide. As a graduate of VTS, I have seen both low church and contemporary worship executed with dignity, simplicity, and reverence. It might not be my cup of tea, but I can respect it. What sets me on edge is worship that fails to communicate beauty and reverence as an offering to God and a reflection (albeit imperfect) of God's love for us.
St. Jean Vainney said, "If we truly knew what happens in the Eucharist, we would die--not of fear, but of love." The Eucharist is God's offering of Himself for us and within us; a gift we receive each time we approach the Altar. God's gift in Jesus Christ merits our very best, our praise, joy, adoration, reverence, love: our all.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: O come, let us adore Him!
The problem goes far beyond the out-moded "High Church/Low Church" identifications, or even the "traditional/contemporary" divide. As a graduate of VTS, I have seen both low church and contemporary worship executed with dignity, simplicity, and reverence. It might not be my cup of tea, but I can respect it. What sets me on edge is worship that fails to communicate beauty and reverence as an offering to God and a reflection (albeit imperfect) of God's love for us.
St. Jean Vainney said, "If we truly knew what happens in the Eucharist, we would die--not of fear, but of love." The Eucharist is God's offering of Himself for us and within us; a gift we receive each time we approach the Altar. God's gift in Jesus Christ merits our very best, our praise, joy, adoration, reverence, love: our all.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: O come, let us adore Him!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Washing Off the Ashes
Fr. Chris wrote an interesting post on the issue of washing off the ashes after Ash Wednesday. I happened to preach on exactly the same thing at our Ash Wednesday Masses at St. Paul's. Here are some excerpts from my homily:
Ash Wednesday is uncomfortable for some people. I suspect it has a lot to do with today’s Gospel and it’s warning, “Beware of practicing your piety before others,” and the fact that we are then sent out with the visible sign of the cross on our foreheads. One church I know goes so far as to have moist towelettes available at the door!
But Ash Wednesday is uncomfortable for other reasons, too. My first few years as an Episcopalian I cringed each time the priest marked my forehead with ashes and told me to “Remember that you are dust, and to dust shall you return.”
But as my life changed, I heard Ash Wednesday differently. When I began to deal with the death of loved ones, this reminder of mortality changed for me. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust shall you return.” It became a sort of comfort to remember that I was—am—dust, to be reminded that it is the way of all flesh to return to the earth, and finally, to our Creator.
Lent, and especially Ash Wednesday, keeps us honest. We can’t hide from the fact that we are mortal, formed of the earth, and that we will return to the dust. We can’t hide from the fact that Scripture warns us against being pious for the sake of being seen, and at the same time expects us to practice our faith and to not be ashamed of it. The Christian faith is full of tension. Our Lord said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” but he also said, “He who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Ash Wednesday brings the tension of the Christian faith to the forefront of our minds. The three Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving force us to ponder these things. What are our obligations as Christians, and as a Christian community? What do we need to take on and what do we need to let go? How do we live the life of faith? These are the questions Lent brings, questions steeped in tension and complexity, and we need to take them seriously.
The Good News for us is that even though Lent brings tensions and questions about how we are called to live out our faith, it also brings us the promise that through all the spiritual work—and because of that work—we eventually come to resurrection, deep in the heart of God.
Ash Wednesday is uncomfortable for some people. I suspect it has a lot to do with today’s Gospel and it’s warning, “Beware of practicing your piety before others,” and the fact that we are then sent out with the visible sign of the cross on our foreheads. One church I know goes so far as to have moist towelettes available at the door!
But Ash Wednesday is uncomfortable for other reasons, too. My first few years as an Episcopalian I cringed each time the priest marked my forehead with ashes and told me to “Remember that you are dust, and to dust shall you return.”
But as my life changed, I heard Ash Wednesday differently. When I began to deal with the death of loved ones, this reminder of mortality changed for me. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust shall you return.” It became a sort of comfort to remember that I was—am—dust, to be reminded that it is the way of all flesh to return to the earth, and finally, to our Creator.
Lent, and especially Ash Wednesday, keeps us honest. We can’t hide from the fact that we are mortal, formed of the earth, and that we will return to the dust. We can’t hide from the fact that Scripture warns us against being pious for the sake of being seen, and at the same time expects us to practice our faith and to not be ashamed of it. The Christian faith is full of tension. Our Lord said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light,” but he also said, “He who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Ash Wednesday brings the tension of the Christian faith to the forefront of our minds. The three Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving force us to ponder these things. What are our obligations as Christians, and as a Christian community? What do we need to take on and what do we need to let go? How do we live the life of faith? These are the questions Lent brings, questions steeped in tension and complexity, and we need to take them seriously.
The Good News for us is that even though Lent brings tensions and questions about how we are called to live out our faith, it also brings us the promise that through all the spiritual work—and because of that work—we eventually come to resurrection, deep in the heart of God.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The 'Other' Blog
If you'd like to keep up with events happening at my church, do check out News from St. Paul's Church!
The Second Day of Lent
Now quit your care and anxious fear and worry;
for schemes are vain and fretting brings no gain.
Lent calls to prayer, to trust and dedication;
God brings new beauty nigh; reply, reply,
Reply with love to love most high!
To bow the head in sackcloth and in ashes,
Or rend the soul, such grief is not Lent’s goal;
But to be led to where God’s glory flashes,
His beauty to come near: make clear, make clear,
Make clear where truth and light appear.
- Percy Dearmer
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Carmelite Vocation
Tonight I am sleeping in the guest house of a convent; specifically, a Carmelite monastery for women: Episcopal Carmel of St. Teresa. I have been a friend of the community ever since my friend John (an Oblate) introduced me to it two years ago. I have been a Priest Associate of the community for a little over a year. (An Associate is basically an "Official Friend" of the community and a member of the extended family. Oblates are men and women who live in the world but live the Rule of the community at the same time; in specific paths of daily prayer, study, and support.) Today I was elected to the Board of Directors. That means, basically, that I continue to do what I have been doing: supporting the community in prayer and in tangible ways as I am able. The vocation of a Carmelite nun is to be a hidden, silent missionary praying for the church, and in a sense, being the prayerful heart of the church. It's a wonderful thing to know that I and my parish are prayed for each day at the Carmel. Carmelite nuns are contemplative, enclosed women who strive to be best friends of one another by loving one another as Christ loves us. They're pretty awesome.
This community is the first of its kind outside the Roman Catholic church, which is doubly awesome. We desparately need people whose ministry is to pray for the church. In the Anglican Communion--and specifically in the Episcopal Church--we need it now more than ever.
Of your charity, pray for Sister Teresa Irene, OCD, the foundress of the community; and for women to be drawn into the Carmelite life of prayer and contemplation, joy and praise, to the Glory of God. Amen.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Candlemas
For most people, Christmas is over on December 26th. However, in the Christian tradition, Christmas is a season that lasts twelve days, concluding with the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. The full cycle of feasts related to Christmas lasts forty days, only ten days less than the season of Easter. The Christmas cycle concludes today with Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. This day is traditionally the day candles are blessed for use in the church for the rest of the year, giving the day the name Candlemas, meaning the "candle Mass."
The feast commemorates Mary and Joseph's visit to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law of Moses stated that each firstborn male was to be presented in the Temple as holy to the Lord. The Law also stated that ritual sacrifice must be made forty days after birth in order for the mother to be purified.
It is difficult to imagine that Mary would need to be purified from such a birth as the birth of the world’s Savior. What can we say of this birth except that it ennobles Mary and elevates her, "higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim," and makes her the queen of saints and Bearer of God? But come to the Temple she did, and with St. Joseph her spouse, presented the Messiah to those who waited for Him so passionately. The aged Simeon and Anna recieved Jesus in the Temple, and recognised Him as the Christ, the Messiah, who brings light to the world. When Simeon takes the infant Jesus into his arms from the hands of Mary, he says,
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2: 29-32)
A hymn prescribed for the Vespers of this feast in the Orthodox Church says:
Today the gate of heaven swings open,
for the Word of the Father,
who has no beginning,
has had a beginning in time,
without any loss of his divinity:
offered by a Virgin Mother,
as a child of forty days,
to the Temple of the Law.
Today we commemorate the coming of light into the world in the form of the infant Messiah, Jesus. As the candle's flickering light pierces the darkness, Christ illuminates our lives. We follow that divine light and present ourselves in the temple, following a promise far more beautiful and complete than any other: the promise of new and everlasting life through Christ’s own life, and death, and resurrection.
The Collect of the Day
Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only‑begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The feast commemorates Mary and Joseph's visit to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law of Moses stated that each firstborn male was to be presented in the Temple as holy to the Lord. The Law also stated that ritual sacrifice must be made forty days after birth in order for the mother to be purified.
It is difficult to imagine that Mary would need to be purified from such a birth as the birth of the world’s Savior. What can we say of this birth except that it ennobles Mary and elevates her, "higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim," and makes her the queen of saints and Bearer of God? But come to the Temple she did, and with St. Joseph her spouse, presented the Messiah to those who waited for Him so passionately. The aged Simeon and Anna recieved Jesus in the Temple, and recognised Him as the Christ, the Messiah, who brings light to the world. When Simeon takes the infant Jesus into his arms from the hands of Mary, he says,
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2: 29-32)
A hymn prescribed for the Vespers of this feast in the Orthodox Church says:
Today the gate of heaven swings open,
for the Word of the Father,
who has no beginning,
has had a beginning in time,
without any loss of his divinity:
offered by a Virgin Mother,
as a child of forty days,
to the Temple of the Law.
Today we commemorate the coming of light into the world in the form of the infant Messiah, Jesus. As the candle's flickering light pierces the darkness, Christ illuminates our lives. We follow that divine light and present ourselves in the temple, following a promise far more beautiful and complete than any other: the promise of new and everlasting life through Christ’s own life, and death, and resurrection.
The Collect of the Day
Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only‑begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Welcome to my corner of cyberspace!
I am excited to be at the beginning of the new enterprise that is this blog!
I will be writing about my daily thoughts, the goings-on of our beloved parish, and the life of faith. I hope you will join me and the rest of our community at St. Paul's in our search to live in the love of Jesus Christ.
This morning I told our intrepid secretary Cindy that I was going into the church to "do some strange things." Without much surprise (she's used to this sort of thing), she said, "okay," and I went into the church and began to chant the oldest piece of liturgy to have been written in the English language: The Great Litany.
The Great Litany was originally written by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) for use during wartime. A litany is a form of prayer which contains of a series of petitions, usually sung by a leader with the people singing a response after each petition. The word comes from the Latin litania, meaning "prayer" or "supplication." In the Anglican tradition of which Episcopalians are a part, Cranmer's 'Great' (meaning large) Litany was once used very regularly during the year, sung in procession on Sundays and Holy Days, especially during Lent. We will be singing the Great Litany at St. Paul's on the First Sunday in Lent, February 10th, at the 10:00am service. It will be a great opportunity to experience this historic form of prayer and to lift our hearts to our loving Creator.
As I paced around the church this morning practicing the Litany, I wondered how many others before us have sung these beautiful and meaningful words. The worship of the church connects us not only to God, but to those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. The Great Litany shows Christians at our best, I think: a procession of faithful in every generation offering to God our prayer and praise.
I will be writing about my daily thoughts, the goings-on of our beloved parish, and the life of faith. I hope you will join me and the rest of our community at St. Paul's in our search to live in the love of Jesus Christ.
This morning I told our intrepid secretary Cindy that I was going into the church to "do some strange things." Without much surprise (she's used to this sort of thing), she said, "okay," and I went into the church and began to chant the oldest piece of liturgy to have been written in the English language: The Great Litany.
The Great Litany was originally written by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) for use during wartime. A litany is a form of prayer which contains of a series of petitions, usually sung by a leader with the people singing a response after each petition. The word comes from the Latin litania, meaning "prayer" or "supplication." In the Anglican tradition of which Episcopalians are a part, Cranmer's 'Great' (meaning large) Litany was once used very regularly during the year, sung in procession on Sundays and Holy Days, especially during Lent. We will be singing the Great Litany at St. Paul's on the First Sunday in Lent, February 10th, at the 10:00am service. It will be a great opportunity to experience this historic form of prayer and to lift our hearts to our loving Creator.
As I paced around the church this morning practicing the Litany, I wondered how many others before us have sung these beautiful and meaningful words. The worship of the church connects us not only to God, but to those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. The Great Litany shows Christians at our best, I think: a procession of faithful in every generation offering to God our prayer and praise.
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