WE beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. There seems nothing very seasonal about this collect.  It makes no clear reference to the main themes of Passiontide.  Likewise, it makes no clear reference either to the epistle (with Paul’s allegorical interpretation of Genesis themes) or to the temple controversy in the gospel:  both of which can easily be connected with Passiontide. While not particularly seasonal, the collect is ..read more

Lent IV.  Florence, SC, 2024 Galatians iv, verse 22-23 – Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh: but he of the freewoman was by promise. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen. C.S. Lewis once said, speaking of modern Bible versions, that as the Bible was translated more and more it seemed to be read less and less.  We can’t assume any more that most people know what a prodigal son is or who Lazarus and Dives are.  Which makes an epistle such as ou ..read more

Theologians and churchmen often underestimate the importance of uncertainty and ignorance.  This ‘uncertainty factor’ can be as important in practical as in theoretical matters, particularly in practical ecumenical relations. In sacramental matters people often distinguish ‘validity’ and ‘invalidity’.  In practical terms in any given ecclesial body that distinction often reduces to a distinction between ‘recognizable’ and ‘unrecognizable’.  That is, a valid sacrament for a given Church or ecclesial body is a sacrament that the body in question recognizes as equivalent in most re ..read more

(In this article I consider narrowly the place of the Psalter in the daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer.  I do not consider here other important matters concerning the Psalter, including notably the translation thereof and its liturgical uses outside the Offices. All rights reserved by the author.) In the Anglican liturgical tradition, embodied in the classical editions of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the reading or singing of the Psalter is a very prominent element of the daily Offices of Morning Prayer (or Mattins) and Evening Prayer (or Evensong).  Precisely how promi ..read more

A recent conversation on a Continuing Anglican social media group concerned, among other things, the use of altar flowers during Pre-Lent (or the ‘Gesimas’ or Shrovetide, as you please).  The question drew much interest with answers including judgements that such flower use is Bad or Good or Somewhere Between.  ‘Between’ included the idea of greenery only, as a transition towards a flowerless Lent.  One laywoman suggested, tongue firmly in cheek I’m sure, the use of cacti as a semi-penitential altar decoration. At first glance the whole conversation reminded me of Archbishop Cah ..read more

LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. The address is as simple as possible:  ‘Lord’.  The petition similarly begins very simply (‘we beseech thee’), though it quickly becomes more complex.  The bulk of the petition falls into two main parts, which are divided by the first semicolon.  The first part of the petition is that God would ‘keep’ the Church ‘in continua ..read more

The way the Church works should follow from what the Church is.  The government, hierarchy, and legislative and judicial structures of the Church should reflect the doctrine of the Church.  Polity should follow ecclesiology. The Anglican Church historically had a problem regarding ecclesiology, and the development of the Anglican Communion over time did not resolve the problem.  The original problem under the Tudors was that the English Church many previous centuries had been part of a larger Church:  the two English Provinces, Canterbury and York, existed under the patriar ..read more

In the context of Victorian England Anthony Trollope might be called a Victorian liberal of a bipartisan sort.  He was indeed a member of the Liberal Party and even once ran for election to parliament as a candidate of that party.  But throughout Trollope’s writings there is a consistent appreciation for politicians and attitudes of differing political stripes – at least stripes within the English spectrum of the day.  Appealing characters in his novels range from the most reactionary, mossbacked Tories to the most advanced of Manchester radicals or libertarians.  In genera ..read more

‘Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope.’ – Queen Elizabeth II.  August 3, 2022. May she rest in peace.  The death on September 8th of Elizabeth II removes a fact of being that, as many commentators have noted, was simply a given for the entire lifetime of most of us.  Whether the queen was our head of state, as she was in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other lands, or simply a periodic presence in our news and our consciousness, she was there, part of the background of life year after year ..read more

Transfiguration. August 6, 2006.  Saint Barbara’s, Jacksonville, NC Saint Luke ix, verse 29 – And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen. Throughout the Old Testament the appearances of God to mankind have a double and seemingly contradictory character.  God appears in shining light, in brightness, in lightening, in fire.  To Abraham he appears as a flaming torch passing through the night in an uncanny vision.  To Moses he appears in a bu ..read more