An Irishman's Mugs, Mettles, and Meanderings

Heaven's Bells

2012-01-09T05:18:00.000-05:00

Sanctus Bells
The History of Bells (and Trumpets) in Worship

Sanctus bells derive their name from being rung first during the the part liturgy formally called the Sanctus:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts,

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory,

Glory be to thee, O Lord most high.

Bells have been rung as part of the celebration of the Holy Communion in the Church for more than eight hundred years and they signify many significant and rich intentions with regard to our worship. Their primary function is to announce the holy and draw attention to some extraordinary aspects of our worship: our ascension into heaven when we join all the saints of God around the heavenly throne, and the mystery of the bread and wine becoming the body and blood of Christ at the moments of consecration.

Trumpets in the Bible
Why are we mentioning trumpets in a discussion about bells? Because the historic reasons for the use of bells in the Church largely encompass the very same kinds of reasons the LORD decrees the use of trumpets in the Old Covenant.

In Exodus 19:13,16,19; 20:18 the trumpet is blown to signal that Israel may now approach the mountain God, Mt. Sinai, where the special presence of the holy God is. The trumpet sounds continuously to announce the special presence of the Lord.
Application: In the part of the service signifying our real (not just symbolic) ascension in worship (the Sursum Corda). For us it signifies our arrival in the special presence of our holy God and all the company of heaven as we join them in singing the heavenly chorus.
Leviticus 25:9 “Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.” Here the trumpet announces the great annual Day of Atonement. The trumpets are blown on the first day of the seventh month in the Feast of Trumpets to announce the coming of the Lord to judge His people. The Day of Atonement covers the sins of the entire nation and what follows is the great celebration in the Feast of Booths.
Application: We ascend in our liturgy after the confession and absolution of our sins and of to celebrate the finished atoning work of Christ on our behalf (this is my blood...)
Numbers 10:1-10 shows several reasons of significance:
1) To gather the whole assembly together around the Tent of Meeting – the place in the midst of the people where God's special presence was.

2) “And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.”

3) On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

Applications: 1) We join with the entire assembly of saints and heavenly hosts around the throne of God in Holy Communion. 2) We are exalting and worshiping the Lord enthroning Him who has vanquished His enemies. Worship is warfare. 3) The sacrifices (literally 'near-bringings') are the burnt offering (literally the ascension near-bringing) and the peace (also called fellowship or communion offering) signify our drawing near to offer the memorial of death in the Holy Eucharist and to again offer ourselves as a reasonable holy and living sacrifice to Him and the real truth that we are reconciled and at peace with God.

Bells in the Bible

And now to bells proper. The use of bells is mentioned four times in the Old Covenant.

1) Exodus 28:33-35 describes the vestments worn by the high priest Aaron as he approached the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies:

On its skirts you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, around its skirts, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, round about on the skirts of the robe. And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord, and when he comes out, lest he die.

2) Exodus 39:25-26 This description of Aaron's extremely ornate priestly vestments is repeated and we find a similar passage in the deutero-canonical Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 45:9 :

And he encircled him with pomegranates, with very many golden bells round about, to send forth a sound as he walked, to make their ringing heard in the temple as a reminder to the sons of his people.

The bells were connected to the ministry of the High Priest as he approaches the Holy Presence of the Lord who sits 'enthroned between the Cherubim' in the Most Holy Place.

Application: Again we see the association with priestly ministry before the special presence of God. The bells remind us of our Great High Priest Jesus Christ who entered the Holy Place not made with hands and made atonement that we too might approach boldly the throne of grace for help in time of need. We as a royal priesthood enter that heavenly realm with Him Who went before us.

3) Zechariah 14:20

And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the Lord". And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar.

Application: While we will not take up the meaning of Zechariah's vision here, we may but note that the bells are again connected to the idea of holiness.

4) Psalm 150:5-6 This last reference seems less direct. The ancient cymbals mentioned here are believed by some to have resembled water pitchers with wide open necks, similar to the bells of today:

Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Application: Bells accompany us in our grand exultation of the Holy Trinity in the Sanctus - “Holy, Holy, Holy....”

Origin of Bells in Churches

The first use of bells used to summon the saints to worship is generally place in the fifth century (400s) when Saint Paulinus, the Bishop of Nola, introduced them as a means to summon monks to worship. Many references to the use of bells are made in sixth century Church writings and Constitutions. They had become widely used in the Celtic and Irish traditions at this time. The Venerable Bede, an English saint of the eighth century, is credited with the introduction of bell ringing at Requiem Masses. By the ninth century the use of bells had spread to even the small parish churches of the western Roman Empire and by mid century began to be used by eastern churches.

It wasn't until the thirteenth century (1200s ) that outdoor tower bells began to be rung as "Sanctus bells" during the Mass. It is interesting to note that tower bells are still used today as Sanctus bells at the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican and a great many other historic churches and cathedrals. A close look at many of these older structures will often reveal a series of sighting holes (and sometimes mirrors) that were once used by bell-ringers to monitor the celebration of the Mass from bell-lofts so that the bells could be rung at the proper time. Many churches, particularly in England, later placed small Sanctus bells atop the rood screen (between the chancel and the nave of the church) as a refinement of using large, outdoor tower bells. These tower bells were rung at the consecration and presentation of the Eucharist.

First and foremost, the Sanctus bells were rung during the Mass to create a joyful noise (often in conjunction with select musical instruments such as the lyre) to the Lord as described in Psalm 98:4:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

Ringing the steeple bells also gave notice to those unable to attend Holy Communion (the sick, slaves, outside guards, etc.) that something divine and miraculous was taking place inside of the church building. The voice of the bell would allow people to stop what they were doing to offer an act of adoration to God. Additionally, the bells helped to focus the attention of the faithful inside the church on the miracle that was taking place in the consecration of the bread and wine.

Eventually, hand-held bells, sanctuary-based chimes and sacring rings or "Gloria wheels" (commonly used in Spain and during the Mission Period in Alta California) began to replace the tower bells rung during Mass -- largely for convenience.

Additionally, in eastern churches, many censers (or thuribles) have either twelve or thirteen bells attached to their support chains that sound when the censer is swung. The twelve bells represent the twelve apostles. (In some cases a thirteenth bell, one that is incapable of producing a sound, is added to represent Judas Iscariot.) The sound of the censer bells, in addition to making a "joyful noise", also helps to draw the congregation's attention to the activity at the altar.

Ringing the Sanctus Bells
The majority of Sanctus bells being rung during Holy Communion today are of the hand-held variety. Bronze Sanctus bells, while quite expensive (typically $200-400/set) are sonically far superior to their brass or cast iron counterparts. Sanctus bells are traditionally kept on the epistle (left) side of the credence table during the Service, and ringing them has long been the responsibility of the instituted acolyte or altar server.

The bells are rung at three to four points during the celebration of the Mass:

Sanctus bells are first rung three times when we sing the Tersanctus or Trisagion... Holy, Holy, Holy. This marks the completion of our ascension into the heavenly presence of Holy Trinity with the angels and archangels. Three short bursts are said to represent the three persons of the Holy Trinity.
The bells are rung a second time as the priest elevates and presents the Body of Christ.
The bells are rung a third time as the celebrant elevates and presents the chalice filled with the Blood of Christ.
In some Churches they are rung prior to the consecration at the epiclesis when the priest asks the Lord “to bless and sanctify with Thy Word and Holy Spirit these Thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine.”

Not all parishes use bells. In fact, in the last century they have fallen into much disuse but today there is a growing desire to restore them. There certainly is no command in Holy Scripture and there is no ecumenical conciliar decree regarding their use. However, if we have benefited by this brief study we can understand how we might profitably make use of them as many Christians have for centuries as a small part of our Eucharistic devotion. In the end it is not our desire for aesthetics or beauty in worship that should govern our decisions in these regards. What matters when all is said and done each Lord's Day is not our pleasure but this: Did we worship well, and was God pleased?

Advent - A Very Brief History

2011-12-23T23:10:00.000-05:00

My Dear Brethren in Christ,

The observance of and Advent Season is very old. Its beginnings appear to be in the the 4th century (AD 300's) Celtic Monks in Gaul (modern France) which combined their intentions of observance with a similar three to six week period of fasting before Christmas already observed in the city of Rome (a season when new Christians studied in preparation for baptism.) This Gallic fast began at sundown on November 11th. The observance of Advent as a time of preparation and fasting grew and was well established in Western practice at the beginning of the 7th century (600s). The Celtic and Roman practice was was then widely adopted by Eastern Sees in the eighth century (700's) and the beginning date was everywhere modified to begin on the 15th of November (actually sundown on the 14th.) It ended on sundown on the Eve of the Nativity (Christmas Eve) making the total number of days forty. It was observed as a kind of 'second Lent' but the expectation of Fasting was less severe and seen as a time of cleansing and preparation.

The Western Advent tradition was altered in the eleventh century by the Bishop of Rome (Gregory the VII) from five to four Sundays which were to be counted from the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew. The first Sunday in Advent then served to mark the beginning of the new Christian year.

For all Christians the season of Advent (from the Latin adventus meaning 'coming') focuses on the theme of the Lord's coming:

1. The Nativity when the Incarnate Christ is born, He 'arrives' visibly to all, and this in fulfillment of of His many and great promises in Scripture.

2. The daily coming of Christ and His Kingdom into the world especially through the Church.

3. The Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Age.

The arrival of the Lord always means salvation and judgment. The coming Lord will subdue and destroy His enemies in both within men and in nations. He will also bring deliverance, salvation, and healing to body and soul to both men and nations.

So, the basic character of Advent is generally more penitential and a season of some measure of abstinence from rich, and 'pleasure' foods. The English and Celtic traditions (and most of the West) exercised some measure of abstinence except Sundays because the Lord's Day is always a celebration and considered inappropriate for fasting.

The modern Church has largely let the penitential and fasting aspects of Advent fall into disuse. It is interesting to note that the jollity and feasting we commonly see before the Nativity were virtually non-existent even 150 years ago. Trees and houses were decorated on or close to Christmas Eve, and The Twelve Days following the Nativity through the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th were the times for visiting, gifts, merriment, and fun.

February 2nd, Candlemas, or The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, was the last revealing or showing of Christ as an infant to others and serves as the official end of the 'Light Season' of Nativity and Epiphany.

May the Lord bless our Advent intentions.

Blessings,

Fr. Wayne

2011-12-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Brethren,

Some practical thoughts for this Friday's fast via Elisabeth Eliot-Gren:

To fast is to abstain in some significant way from food and possibly from drink. It may aid us in the recalibration of our relationship to food and hunger.

Fasting is a powerful means by which we become clearly aware of how gratification-oriented and, in the words of Elisebeth Elliot-Gren, “how vastly indulgent we truly are.” Often within hours we notice how much our peace depends on the pleasures of eating. We discern how we use food pleasure to take the edge off the discomforts of our bodies body and souls. We may try to numb the pain of loneliness or relational struggles, to quiet an impoverished sense of our worth and significance, to drown the demonic voice that whispers our work is meaningless, to mask the absence of a sense of purpose. We might even try to fill the bodies wants because of the lack of rest and exercise.

Food is a serious question of discipline in a wealthy, “civilized”, self-absorbed country. We are too often given to overeating but even worse we consume far too many of the wrong things. During our fasts we will remember again how dependent we sometimes are on things like soft drinks, candy, junk foods, etc. Diet and discipline with regard to our bodies, especially with regard to fasting, will make us more energetic, more clear-headed, and therefore more efficient and fruitful in our labor for the Lord.

Our gracious Lord, be pleased to bless our faithful intentions to offer you a holy fast. Bring the innumerable benefits of Christ's death and passion, His resurrection and ascension more and more to the world. Amen.

Blessings,

Fr. Wayne

Fasting and Waiting

2011-12-23T22:49:00.000-05:00

Dear Brethren of Christ the King,

I offer one humble Advent thought and perhaps our final lesson from the Garden fast of Adam and Eve. It is connected to Advent waiting.

One aspect of Adam's sinful eating is that he failed to trust God for his future. The serpent convinced Adam God was holding out on Him. Adam lacked imagination for a greater future if he would patiently wait.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13

Fasting forces us in a small way to forgo fulfilling desire for a future of greater good. It adds substance to our requests and intercessions to accomplish God's good for us. And perhaps, by the Lord's grace, we can transfer this discipline to the rest of life. Saying 'no' to desire will cultivate an internal disposition and habit of not grasping in impatient and inappropriate ways for what we need and desire having faith that our God, the Lover of mankind, will manage our life and blessing in the right way at the best time as may be most expedient for us. This is a great discipline to possess and will serve us well in all of life.

May our faithful abstinence and fasting this day help the desert to bloom! Even so, come. Lord Jesus!

Blessings,

Fr. Wayne

Litany in Response to Abortion

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-04:00

In the Wake of Life Chain 2011:

LITANY IN RESPONSE TO ABORTION

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father, Creator of the world, have mercy upon us.
RESPONSE: Have mercy upon us!

God the Son, through Whom all things were made,
God the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life,
Lord Jesus, the Beginning and the End,
Lord Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Lord Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life,
Lord Jesus, Eternal Word of Life,
Lord Jesus, living in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
Lord Jesus, Lover of the poor and weak,
Lord Jesus, Defender of the helpless,
Lord Jesus, Bread of Life,
For every sin against life,
For the sin of abortion,
For the daily killing of innocent babies,
For the bloodshed throughout our land,
For the silent screams of Thy children,
For the killing of Thy future disciples,
For the exploitation of women by abortion,
For the silence of Thy people,
For the apathy of Thy people,
For the co-operation of Thy people in this tragedy,

For our pre-born brothers and sisters killed by abortion,
RESPONSE: Lord, hear our prayer.

For our pre-born brothers and sisters threatened by abortion,
For our brothers and sisters who have survived abortion,
For mothers who have had abortions,
For mothers tempted to have abortions,
For mothers pressured to have abortions,
For mothers who have refused to have abortions,
For the fathers of aborted babies,
For the families of aborted babies,
For the families of those tempted to have abortions
For abortionists,
For all who assist and cooperate in abortions,
For doctors and nurses, that they may nurture life,
For government leaders, that they may defend life,
For the clergy, that they may speak up for life,
For the pro-life movement,
For those who speak, write, and work to end abortion,
For those who help provide alternatives to abortion…
For those who promote adoption,
For national and local pro-life groups,
For unity in the pro-life movement,

For courage and perseverance in pro-life work,
For those who suffer ridicule and rejection for their stand for life,
For those imprisoned for defending life,
For those who have been injured and mistreated for defending life,
For legal professionals,
For courts and judges,
For police officers,
For educators,
For media professionals,

In thanksgiving for the babies saved from abortion,
In thanksgiving for the mothers saved and healed from abortion,
In thanksgiving for the former abortion providers who have become pro-life,
In thanksgiving for all those who take a stand against abortion,
In thanksgiving for the call to be part of the pro-life movement,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

graciously hear us,
O Lord, Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

have mercy upon us.

Let us pray.

Almighty and ever-living God, Thou hast created all things through Thy Son Jesus Christ. He trampled the power of death by His Paschal Mystery. May all who acknowledge Thee promote the sacredness of life and always serve Thee faithfully, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

by Fr. Frank A. Pavone, International Director, Priests for Life

The Lorica or Breastplate of St. Patrick

2011-10-11T03:22:00.000-04:00

Here is what seems to be a very good translation.

The Breastplate of

St. Patrick
also known as

The Lorica

The Lorica is an ancient Gaelic prayer attributed to St. Patrick and is an invocation to the Holy Trinity, usually recited in the morning. In the early Irish Church loricas were numerous; some were written in Gaelic and some in Latin. The word Lorica is Latin meaning shield or breastplate. Since prayer is a spiritual shield these Irish loricas were prayed for protection against spiritual evils, but also from physical ones; the loricas came into being when the Gaelic pagans converted to Catholicism: the loricas were the replacement for the old incantations, which the new Christians discarded.

I.
I bind unto myself today
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

II.
I bind unto myself today
The might of the Incarnation of Christ
with that of His Baptism,
The might of His Crucifixion with that of His Burial,
The might of His Resurrection with that of His Ascension.
The might of of His Coming on the Judgment Day.

III.
I bind unto myself today
The power in the love of the Seraphim,
In the obedience of the Angels,
In the ministration of the Archangels,
In the hope of Resurrection unto reward,
In the prayers of the Patriarchs,
In the predictions of the Prophets,
In the preaching of the Apostles,
In the faith of the Confessors,
In the purity of the holy Virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

IV.
I bind unto myself today
The power of Heaven,
The brightness of the Sun,
The whiteness of Snow,
The splendor of Fire,
The speed of Lightning,
The swiftness of the Wind,
The depth of the Sea,
The stability of the Earth,
The firmness of Rocks.

V.
I bind unto myself today
God's Power to pilot me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to guide me,
God's Eye to look before me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to speak for me,
God's Hand to guard me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me.
    Against the snares of demons,
    Against the seductions of vices,
    Against the lusts of nature,
    Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

VI.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul.
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths and Druids,
Against every knowledge that blinds the soul of man.

VII.
Christ protect me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
That I may receive abundant reward.

VIII.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ when lying down, Christ in sitting,
Christ in rising up.

IX.
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

X.
I bind to myself today
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

XI.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of Christ;
May Thy salvation, O Lord, be with
us forever.

IN THE ORIGINAL ALL THE VERSES BUT THE LAST WERE IN GAELIC, THE LAST BEING IN LATIN. TRANSLATION FROM THE IRISH LIBER HYMNORUM, J. H. BERNARD, D.D. AND R. ATKINSON, LL.D., 1898

McNamara's Band

2011-09-21T05:40:00.000-04:00

And here is a set of lyrics - a few what seem to be original and a couple of apparently newer ones on the end:

MacNamara's Band

My name is MacNamara,
I'm the leader of a band,
And though we're small in number,
We're the best in all the land.
Of course I'm the conductor
And I've often had to play
With all the fine musicians
That you read about today.

Chorus:
The drums they bang, the cymbals clang,
The horns they blaze away,
MaCarthy puffs the ould bassoon,
Doyle (And I) the pipes does play.
Hennessey tuteily tootles the flute,
The music is something grand,
And a credit to ould Ireland's boys
Is MacNamara's Band.

Whenever an election's on
We play on either side,
And the way we play the fine ould airs
Fills every heart with pride.
If dear Tom Moore was living now
He'd make them understand
That none can do him justice
Like ould MacNamara's Band.

 Chorus.

We play for fairs or weddings
And for every County Ball,
And at any great man's funeral
We play "The Dead March in Saul."
When General Grant to Ireland came
He shook me by the hand,
And said he never heard the like
Of ould Macnamara's Band.

 Chorus.

Just now we are practicing
For a very grand affair,
It's an annual celebration,
All the gentry will be there.
The girls and boys will all turn out
With flags and colours grand,
And in front of the procession
Will be MacNamara's Band.

___________________________________

Oh me name is Uncle Yulas (sp) 
and from Sweeden I have come
To play with MacNamara's band 
and beat the big base drum
And when I march along the streets, 
the lady think I'm grand,
They shout their Uncle Yulas 
playing with the Irish Band.

Oh I wear a bunch of Shamrocks, 
and a uniform of Green,
And I'm the funniest looking Sweed 
that you have ever seen,
There's O'Brians and Ryans, 
and Sheehans (sp) and mehans (sp),
they come from Ireland,
But by yiminie I'm the only Sweed 
in MacNamara's Band.

Also, while I am not sure it is complete there is the Wikipedia article:

McNamara's Band Wikipedia

The agonie - Herbert

2011-09-01T02:56:00.000-04:00

George Herbert (1593–1633) See bio after the poem.

The agonie

Philosophers have measur’d mountains,
Fathom’d the depths of seas, of states, and kings,
Walk’d with a staffe to heav’n, and traced fountains:
But there are two vast, spacious things,
The which to measure it doth more behove:
Yet few there are that sound them; Sinne and Love.

Who would know Sinne, let him repair
Unto mount Olivet; there shall he see
A man so wrung with pains, that all his hair,
His skinne, his garments bloudie be.
Sinne is that presse and vice, which forceth pain
To hunt his cruell food through ev’ry vein.

Who knows not Love, let him assay
And taste that juice, which on the crosse a pike
Did set again abroach; then let him say
If ever he did taste the like.
Love in that liquour sweet and most divine,
Which my God feels as bloud; but I, as wine.

Born to a noble family in Wales, George Herbert was only three when his father died, leaving his mother (a friend and patron of John Donne) to raise him and his nine siblings. After graduation from Cambridge, he served the university as its “Public Orator,” an important post in which he gave voice to the university sentiments on public occasions. Later elected to Parliament, Herbert anticipated a distinguished career in politics and public service, but that was not to be. When King James I, some important patrons, and then his mother all died, he gave up his political ambitions to enter the parish. His friends objected, suggesting that the life of a pastor was beneath his dignity and skills as a scholar and statesman. To this Herbert replied,

It hath been formerly judged that the domestic servants of the King of Heaven should be of the noblest families on earth. And though the iniquity of the late times have made clergymen meanly valued, and the sacred name of priest contemptible; yet I will labour to make it honourable, by consecrating all my learning, and all my poor abilities to advance the glory of that God that gave them. . . . And I will labour to be like my Saviour, by making humility lovely in the eyes of all men, and by following the merciful and meek example of my dear Jesus.

In 1629 Herbert became the rector at Bemerton, a small village near Salisbury, where he spent the rest of his short life. In Bemerton he preached, wrote poetry, served the pastoral needs of his people with loving distinction, cared for the poor, and even helped to rebuild the church using his own resources. By all accounts Herbert was a deeply pious man, known in his village as “Holy Mr. Herbert.” His book, A Priest to the Temple (1652), offers practical advice to country pastors. Four years later, a month before his fortieth birthday, Herbert died of tuberculosis.

None of Herbert's poems had been published when he died, but upon his deathbed he gave them to his friend Nicholas Ferrar, asking them to be published only if they might help “any dejected poor soul.” This “little book,” as he called it, contained “a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have passed betwixt God and my soul, before I could subject mine to the will of Jesus my Master: in whose service I have found perfect freedom.” Ferrar did publish the poems under the title The Temple, and they became an enormous success. Published in 1633, by 1680 the book had gone through 13 editions. The poems reflect his lifelong struggle between his privileged background and worldly ambitions as a Member of Parliament and the Cambridge faculty, and his choice to live as a poor country cleric in rural England. Today scholars esteem Herbert as one of the most skilled and important poets of his day, some even suggesting that his work surpasses that of John Donne.

St. Basil's rule

2011-09-01T02:30:00.000-04:00

St. Basil`s Rule.

St Basil was born into a wealthy family about 330 AD, and ordained a priest of the Church of Caesarea in 364 AD. He became bishop of Caesaria in 370 AD. He later took up an ascetic life, retiring to a life of study and self discipline. But in this time he began to establish several monasteries and presided over one himself which was situated amongst a complex of hospitals and hostels that he helped to fund. His monasteries became schools for holy teaching and he was in the habit of visiting nearby towns to preach. St Basil`s particular importance to monasticism is that he changed it from a solitary to a social and united system; and moreover a system that focussed on community and love.

The coming together of the monasteries soon led to the establishment of societies and it became necessary to frame some basic rules for the sake of good order. The earliest rules were those framed by St Basil which followed the Scriptures in that they sought to maintain a duty to God as well as to fellow man. Time would vary the rules, as an ascetic life became a monasticism which included convenience as well as a true devotional feeling. In his short but fruitful life ( he died in 379 AD) St Basil was also responsible for giving precise terms for the Trinity which he defined as - one substance and three persons.

His Rule:

The rule. which more particularly apply to monasteries are contained in twenty-five chapters, totalling some ninety five individual rules.

The first chapter enjoins the monks to live together for the sake of mutual help. comfort, instruction, exercise of virtue, efficacy of prayer. and security from danger.

2. That none without trial, should be admitted into their fraternity.

3. That they should dispose of their wealth to the poor and needy.

4. That children, with the consent of their parents, in presence of witnesses. may be admitted.

5. That stinted measure be appointed for eating and drinking.

6. That their apparel be plain and decent, and that they wear a girdle.

7. That, next to God, they be obedient to their superior.

8. Declares the good qualities which their superiors ought to have.

9. That the superior of the monastery first reprove the offenders with meekness and gentleness; but if they prove obstinate, and will not be reclaimed, then he is to account them as heathens and publicans.

10. That he suffer not the least offence to pass unreproved.

11. That they confess their faults to those who are the dispensers of holy mysteries.

12. That they should possess all things in common.

13. That men of estates render to their kindred what is their due, and the remainder to the poor.

14. That none that are entered return to their parents’ houses, unless to give them instructions and that is to be done by permission of their superiors.

15. That whosoever defames, or patiently hears his brother defamed, be excommunicated.

16. That no man do his own will in the monastery, or the least thing, without the superior’s leave.

17. That they debar no man from entering into the convent upon trial, or give him any offence.

18. That the measure of eating and, fasting be set by the superior.

19. That he who scorns to receive a garment, when presented to him, ought not to receive it when he afterwards asks for it.

20. That those who by their own fault do not come to dinner at the fixed time, ought not to eat till the next day, at the same hour.

21. That none ought to give the least thing to the poor, but by the hands of those who are ordained for that office.

22. That they should be careful of the utensils appertaining to the monastery, no less than if they were the holy vessels belonging to the altar.

23. That they must apply themselves to handy crafts, that so they may be helpful to others.

24. That, as a token of humility, they wear sackcloth, and speak with moderation.

25. That the monks are not to discourse alone with women.

Besides these twenty-five chapters, there is another which is wholly monastic, and appertains to him who is the director of the nuns - That when he confesses a nun, or a recluse, he ought to do so with decency, in the presence of the abbess.

These are St. Basil’s monastic institutes which, with different modifications, formed the basis of the monastic rules by which the earliest monasteries were governed.

The monks who kept the Rule were partly priests and partly laymen. As an Order it flourished in the East.

An idea of their austere life is given by St Basil himself, writing to a colleague St Gregory Nazianzene in which he states that the food consisted of bread and water, and herbs, and was limited to one meal a day. He only allowed them to sleep until midnight when they were required to rise for prayer. Cookery he described as `idle` - "no knife is familiar with blood; our daintiest meal is vegetables with coarsest bread, and vapid wine"

At his death St Gregory gave an account of his friend who practiced what he had preached, saying that he had but one inner and outer garment; his bed was the ground; little sleep; no bath; his food bread and salt; his drink the running stream."

The Rule of St. Augustine

2011-09-01T02:24:00.000-04:00

Chapter I
Purpose and Basis of Common Life

Before all else, dear brothers, love God and then your neighbor, because these are the chief commandments given to us.

1. The following are the precepts we order you living in the monastery to observe.

2. The main purpose for you having come together is to live harmoniously in your house, intent upon God in oneness of mind and heart.

3. Call nothing your own, but let everything be yours in common. Food and clothing shall be distributed to each of you by your superior, not equally to all, for all do not enjoy equal health, but rather according to each one's need. For so you read in the Acts of the Apostles that they had all things in common and distribution was made to each one according to each one's need (4:32,35).
4. Those who owned something in the world should be careful in wanting to share it in common once they have entered the monastery.

5. But they who owned nothing should not look for those things in the monastery that they were unable to have in the world. Nevertheless, they are to be given all that their health requires even if, during their time in the world, poverty made it impossible for them to find the very necessities of life. And those should not consider themselves fortunate because them have found the kind of food and clothing which they were unable to find in the world.

6. And let them not hold their heads high, because they associate with people whom they did not dare to approach in the world, but let them rather lift up their hearts and not seek after what is vain and earthly. Otherwise, monasteries will come to serve a useful purpose for the rich and not the poor, if the rich are made humble there and the poor are puffed up with pride.

7. The rich, for their part, who seemed important in the world, must not look down upon their brothers who have come into this holy brotherhood from a condition of poverty. They should seek to glory in the fellowship of poor brothers rather than in the reputation of rich relatives. They should neither be elated if they have contributed a part of their wealth to the common life, nor take more pride in sharing their riches with the monastery than if they were to enjoy them in the world. Indeed, every other kind of sin has to do with the commission of evil deeds, whereas pride lurks even in good works in order to destroy them.And what good is it to scatter one's weath abroad by giving to the poor, even to become poor oneself, when the unhappy soul is thereby more given to pride in despising riches than it had been in possessing them?

8. Let all of you then live together in oneness of mind and heart, mutually honoring God in yourselves, whose temples you have become.

Chapter II
Prayer

1. Be assiduous in prayer (Col 4:2), at the hours and times appointed.

2. In the Oratory no one should do anything other than that for which was intended and from which it also takes its name. Consequently, if there are some who might wish to pray there during their free time, even outside the hours appointed, they should not be hindered by those who think something else must be done there.

3. When you pray to God in Psalms and hymns, think over in your hearts the words that come from your lips.

4. Chant only what is prescribed for chant; moreover, let nothing be chanted unless it is so prescribed.

Chapter III
Moderation and Self-Denial

1. Subdue the flesh, so far as your health permits, by fasting and abstinence from food and drink. However, when someone is unable to fast, he should still take no food outside mealtimes unless he is ill.

2. When you come to table, listen until you leave to what is the custom to read, without disturbance or strife. Let not your mouths alone take nourishment but let your hearts too hunger for the words of God.

3. If those in more delicate health from their former way of life are treated differently in the matter of food, this should not be a source of annoyance to the others or appear unjust in the eyes of those who owe their stronger health to different habits of life. Nor should the healthier brothers deem them more fortunate for having food which they do not have, but rather consider themselves fortunate for having the good health which the others do not enjoy.

4. And if something in the way of food, clothing, and bedding is given to those coming to the monastery from a more genteel way of life, which is not given to those who are stronger, and therefore happier, then these latter ought to consider how far these others have come in passing from their life in the world down to this life of ours, though they ahve been unable to reach the level of frugality common to the stronger brothers. Nor should all want to receive what they see given in larger measure to the few, not as a token of honor, but as a help to support them in their weakness. This would give rise to a deplorable disorder - that in the monastery, where the rich are coming to bear as much hardship as they can, the poor are turning to a more genteel way of life.

5. And just as the sick must take less food to avoid discomfort, so too, after their illness, they are to receive the kind of treatment that will quickly restore their strength, even though they come from a life of extreme poverty. Their more recent illness has, as it were, afforded them what accrued to the rich as part of their former way of life. But when they have recovered their former strength, they should go back to their happier way of life which, because their needs are fewer, is all the more in keeping with God's servants. Once in good health, they must not become slaves to the enjoyment of food which was necessary to sustain them in their illness. For it is better to suffer a little want than to have too much.

Chapter IV
Safeguarding Chastity, and Fraternal Correction

1. There should be nothing about your clothing to attract attention. Besides, you should not seek to please by your apparel, but by a good life.

2. Whenever you go out, walk together, and when you reach your destination, stay together.

3. In your walk, deportment, and in all actions, let nothing occur to give offense to anyone who sees you, but only what becomes your holy state of life.

4. Although your eyes may chance to rest upon some woman or other, you must not fix your gaze upon any woman. Seeing women when you go out is not forbidden, but it is sinful to desire them or to wish them to desire you, for it is not by tough or passionate feeling alone but by one's gaze also that lustful desires mutually arise. And do not say that your hearts are pure if there is immodesty of the eye, because the unchaste eye carries the message of an impure heart. And when such hearts disclose their unchaste desires in a mutual gaze, even without saying a word, then it is that chastity suddenly goes out of their life, even though their bodies remain unsullied by unchaste acts.

5. And whoever fixes his gaze upon a woman and likes to have hers fixed upon him must not suppose that others do not see what he is doing. He is very much seen, even by those he thinks do not see him. But suppose all this escapes the notice of man - what will he do about God who sees from on high and from whom nothing is hidden? Or are we to imagine that he does not see because he sees with a patience as great as his wisdom? Let the religious man then have such fear of God that he will not want to be an occasion of sinful pleasure to a woman. Ever mindful that God sees all things, let him not desire to look at a woman lustfully. For it is on this point that fear of the Lord is recommended, where it is written: An abomination to the Lord is he who fixes his gaze (Prv. 27:20)

6. So when you are together in church and anywhere else where women are present, exercise a mutual care over purity of life. Thus, by mutual vigilance over one another will God, who dwells in you, grant you his protection.

7. If you notice in someone of your brothers this wantonness of the eye, of which I am speaking, admonish him at once so that the beginning of evil will not grow more serious but will be promptly corrected.

8. But if you see him doing the same thing again on some other day, even after your admonition, then whoever had occasion to discover this must report him as he would a wounded man in need of treatment. But let the offense first be pointed out to two or three so that he can be proven guilty on the testimony of these two or three and be punished with due severity. And do not charge yourselves with ill-will when you bring this offense to light. Indeed, yours in the greater blame if you allow your brothers to be lost through your silence when you are able to bring about their correction by your disclosure. If you brother, for example, were suffering a bodily wound that he wanted to hide for fear of undergoing treatment, would it not be cruel of you to remain silent and a mercy on your part to make this known? How much greater then is your obligation to make his condition known lest he continue to suffer a more deadly wound of the soul.

9. But if he fails to correct the fault despite this admonition, he should first be brought to the attention of the superior before the offense is made known to the others who will have to prove his guilt, in the event he denies the charge. Thus, corrected in private, his fault can perhaps be kept from the others. But should he feign ignorance, the others are to be summoned so that in the presence of all he can be proven guilty, rather than stand accused on the word of one alone. Once proven guilty, he must undergo salutary punishment according to the judgment of the superior or priest having the proper authority. If he refuses to submit to punishment, he shall be expelled from your brotherhood even if he does not withdraw of his own accord. For this too is not done out of cruelty, but from a sense of compassion so that many others may not be lost through his bad example.

10. And let everything I have said about not fixing one's gaze be also observed carefully and faithfully with regard to other offenses: to find them out, to ward them off, to make them known, to prove and punish them - all out of love for man and a hatred of sin.

11. But if anyone should go so far in wrongdoing as to receive letters in secret from any woman, or small gifts of any kind, you ought to show mercy and pray for him if he confesses this of his own accord. But if the offense is detected and he is found guilty, he must be more severely chastised according to the judgment of the priest or superior.

Chapter V
The Care of Community Goods and Treatment of the Sick

1. Keep your clothing in one place in charge of one or two, or of as many as are needed to care for them and to prevent damage from moths. And just as you have your food fromthe one pantry, so, too, you are to receive your clothing from a single wardrobe. If possible, do not be concerned about what you are given to wear at the change of seasons, whether each of you gets back what he had put away or something different, providing no one is denied what he needs. If, however, disputes and murmuring arise on this account because someone complains that he received poorer clothing than he had before, and thinks it is beneath him to wear the kind of clothing worn by another, you may judge from this how lacking you are in that holy and inner garment of the heart when you quarrel over garments for the body. But if allowance is made for your weakness and you do receive the same clothing you had put away, you must still keep it in one place under the common charge.

2. In this way, no one shall perform any task for his own benefit but all your work shall be done for the common good, with greater zeal and more dispatch than if each one of you were to work for yourself alone. For charity, as it is written, is not self-seeking (1 Cor 13:5) meaning tht it places the common good before its own, not its own before the common good. So whenever you show greater concern for the common good than for your own, you may know that you are growing in charity. Thus, let the abiding virtue of charity prevail in all things that minister to the fleeting necessities of life.

3. It follows, therefore, that if anyone brings something for their sons or other relatives living in the monastery, whether a garment or anything else they think is needed, this must not be accepted secretly as one's own but must be placed at the disposal of the superior so that, as common property, it can be given to whoever needs it. But if someone secretly keeps something given to him, he shall be judged guilty of theft.

4. Your clothing should be cleaned either by yourselves or by those who perform this service, as the superior shall determine, so that too great a desire for clean clothing may not be the source of interior stains on the soul.

5. As for bodily cleanliness too, a brother must never deny himself the use of the bath when his health requires it. But this should be done on medical advice, without complaining, so that even though unwilling, he shall do what has to be done for his health when the superior orders it. However, if the brother wishes it, when it might not be good for him, you must not comply with his desire, for sometimes we think something is beneficial for the pleasure it gives, even though it may prove harmful.

6. Finally, if the cause of a brother's bodily pain is not apparent, you make take the word of God's servant when he indicates what is giving him pain. But if it remains uncertain whether the remedy he likes is good for him, a doctor should be consulted.

7. When there is need to frequent the public baths or any other place, no fewer than two or three should go together, and whoever has to go somewhere must not go with those of his own choice but with those designated by the superior.

8. The care of the sick, whether those in convalescence or others suffering from some indisposition, even though free of fever, shall be assigned to a brother who can personally obtain from the pantry whatever he sees is necessary for each one.

9. Those in charge of the pantry, or of clothing and books, should render cheerful service to their brothers.

10. Books are to be requested at a fixed hour each day, and anyone coming outside that hour is not to receive them.

11. But as for clothing and shoes, those in charge shall not delay the giving of them whenever they are required by those in need of them.

Chapter VI
Asking Pardon and Forgiving Offenses

1.Your should either avoid quarrels altogether or else put an end to them as quickly as possible; otherwise, anger may grow into hatred, making a plank out of a splinter, and turn the soul into a murderer. For so you read: Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer (1 Jn 3:15).

2. Whoever has injured another by open insult, or by abusive or even incriminating language, must remember to repair the injury as quickly as possible by an apology, and he who suffered the injury must also forgive, without further wrangling. But if they have offended one another, they must forgive one another's trespasses for the sake of your prayers which should be recited with greater sincerity each time you repeat them. Although a brother is often tempted to anger, yet prompt to ask pardon from one he admits to having offended, such a one is better than another who, though less given to anger, finds it too hard to ask forgiveness. But a brother who is never willing to ask pardon, or does not do so from his heart, has no reason to be in the monastery, even if he is not expelled. You must then avoide being too harsh in your words, and should they escape your lips, let those same lips not be ashamed to heal the wounds they have caused.

3. But whenever the good of discipline requires you to speak harshly in correcting your subjects, then, even if you think you have been unduly harsh in your language, you are not required to ask forgiveness lest, by practicing too great humility toward those who should be your subjects, the authority to rule is undermined. But you should still ask forgiveness from the Lord of all who knows with what deep affection you love even those whom you might happen to correct with undue severity. Besides, you are to love another with a spiritual rather than an earthly love.

Chapter VII
Governance and Obedience

1. The superior should be obeyed as a father with the respect due him so as not to offend God in his person, and, even more so, the priest who bears responsibility for you all.

2. But it shall pertain chiefly to the superior to see that these precepts are all observed and, if any point has been neglected, to take care that the transgression is not carelessly overlooked but is punished and corrected. In doing so, he must refer whatever exceeds the limit and power of his office, to the priest who enjoys greater authority among you.

3. The superior, for his part, must not think himself fortunate in his exercise of authority but in his role as one serving you in love. In your eyes he shall hold the first place among you by the dignity of his office, but in fear before God he shall be as the least among you. He must show himself as an example of good works toward all. Let him admonish the unruly, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, and be patient toward all (1 Thes 5:14). Let him uphold discipline while instilling fear. And though both are necessary, he should strive to be loved by you rather than feared, ever mindful that he must give an account of you to God.

4. It is by being more obedient, therefore, that you show mercy not only toward yourselves but also toward the superior whose higher rank among you exposes him all the more to greater peril.

Chapter VIII
Observance of the Rule

1. The Lord grant that you may observe all these precepts in a spirit of charity as lovers of spiritual beauty, giving forth the good odor of Christ in the holiness of your lives: not as slaves living under the law but as men living in freedom under grace.

2. And that you may see yourselves in this little book, as in a mirror, have it read to you once a week so as to neglect no point through forgetfulness. When you find that you are doing all that has been written, give thanks to the Lord, the Giver of every good. But when one of you finds that he has failed on any point, let him be sorry for the past, be on his guard for the future, praying that he will be forgiven his fault and not be led into temptation.

This translation by Robert Russell, O.S.A., is based on the critical text of Luc Verheijen, O.S.A., (La regle de saint Augustin, Etudes Augustiniennes, Paris, 1967). Two sentences not contained in the critical text have been included to conform with the official text published with the Constitutiones Ordinis Fratrum S. Augustini (Rome 1968). They are the opening sentence of the Rule and the following one from Chapter VI: "But if someone secretly keeps something given to him, he shall be judged guilty of theft."
Copyright 1976, Brothers of the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thomas a Kempis - A Prayer

2011-08-25T20:27:00.000-04:00

Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)

Prayer

Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,
To love what I ought to love,
To praise what delights thee most,
To value what is precious in thy sight,
To hate what is offensive to thee.
Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
Nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
But to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,
And above all, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of thy will.

Words to Decribe That Special Woman in Your Life

2011-08-25T04:24:00.000-04:00

Brilliant
Hilarious
Incredible
Breathtaking
Enigmatic
Heart-stopping
Passionate
Riveting
Fiery
Gorgeous
Tempestuous
Dazzling
Exhilarating
Courageous
Hypnotic

Things to Do With Tradition

2011-08-09T08:49:00.001-04:00

Here is the article reprinted here:

SCRIPTURE, TRADITION AND THE DEPOSIT OF FAITH

by Fr. Victor E. Novak
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
August 5, 2011

"Let us look at the very tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church which the Lord gave, the Apostles preached and the Fathers preserved" - St. Athanasius

THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED

It is often said that Protestants accept the Bible as the only standard of revealed truth, while Roman Catholics consider the Bible and Tradition to be equal sources of divine revelation. But which view is correct? Or is there a third way? These are vital questions for all serious Christians, with enormous consequences for the individual and for the Church.

Anglican theologian Richard Hooker wrote, "Two opinions therefore there are concerning sufficiency of Holy Scripture, each extremely opposite unto the other, and both repugnant unto truth. The schools of Rome teach Scripture to be so unsufficient, as if, except traditions were added, it did not contain all revealed and supernatural truth, which absolutely is necessary for the children of men in this life to know that they may in the next be saved. Others justly condemning this opinion grow likewise unto a dangerous extremity, as if Scripture did not only contain all things in that kind necessary, but all things simply, and in such sort that to do any thing according to any other law were not only unnecessary but even opposite unto salvation, unlawful and sinful" (The Laws of ecclesiastical polity, Book II, Chapter. viii; Works, ed. John Keble, Vol. I, pp 335 f., italics added).

The Holy Scriptures themselves speak of tradition. In fact, they speak of two types of tradition: apostolic tradition and the traditions of men. Christians are commanded by the Apostle Paul to "keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you" (I Cor. 11:2); while also warning Christians, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men" (Col. 2:8). Many texts of Scripture could be quoted that speak of apostolic tradition ( Phil. 4:9, 2 Thess. 2:15, 2 Thess. 3:6, 2 Tim. 2:2), and others that warn against the traditions of men (Matt. 15:2-3, Mk. 7:9, Col. 2:8).

Likewise, an early Church Father, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 130-200), wrote, "It is not necessary to seek the truth among others, for it is easy to obtain it from the Church. That is because the apostles, like a rich man [depositing money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most lavishly all things pertaining to the truth. Therefore, every man, whosoever will can draw from her the water of life."

Regarding the traditions of men, another early Church Father, St. Cyprian of Carthage (martyred AD 258) wrote, "Custom without truth is simply the antiquity of error;" and St. Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 150-215) warned about the danger of being like the Pharisees of Christ's day who "rebelled from the Law by introducing human teachings."

APOSTOLIC TRADITION

Christians are commanded to reject human tradition, but to embrace apostolic tradition. But what is apostolic tradition? The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church says, "In the early Christian Fathers, tradition means the revelation made by God and delivered by Him to His faithful people through the mouth of His prophets and apostles...the tradition was first called 'apostolic', because delivered by the apostles to the Churches which they founded, and later also 'ecclesiastic', because delivered again in each generation by the Church's teachers to their people. Its substance was held to consist of the central facts and beliefs crystalized in the creeds of the great orthodox bishoprics. From the 3rd cent[ury] the tradition was sometimes expressly identified with the Gospel record contained in Scripture" (c. 1983, p 1388).

The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology describes how Eastern and Western Christendom originally held essentially the same understanding of apostolic tradition, but that Western Christendom drifted from the commonly held view in the centuries following the Great Schism of AD 1054:

"The Eastern Orthodox came to define tradition as the whole of the church's witness, based on Scripture, but expressed chiefly in the seven ecumenical councils, the writings of the fathers, and liturgical worship... During most of the Middle Ages, the Western view differed only slightly, placing somewhat greater emphasis upon written Scripture as fundamental and an ever-increasing emphasis upon the papacy (rather than councils) as the normative spokesman of apostolic tradition. But in the fourteenth century the realization that certain doctrines...could not be proved even remotely from Scripture, together with theologians' increased sophistication about their sources, inspired several of them to posit tradition as a separate, unwritten source, handed down by apostolic succession, especially through an infallible papacy. The Protestant revolt...transformed this view, despite protests, into the church's official position at the Council of Trent: The truths and discipline of the gospel are contained in written Scripture and unwritten traditions given to the Church by Christ or the Spirit through the apostles, and both deserve equal respect" (Baker Books, c. 1984, p. 1105).

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church describes the growth and finally the acceptance of the view that Scripture and unwritten tradition are equal sources of authority by the Roman Church. "In the Reformation era the relation of unwritten tradition to the Scriptural revelation was the subject of acute controversy between Protestants and [Roman] Catholics. As against the Protestant belief in the sole sufficiency of the Bible, the Council of Trent (Sess. iv. 8; 8 Apr. 1546) laid down that Scripture and tradition were to be received as of equal authority (pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia)" (p. 1389).

The Great Schism was caused by the ever increasing papal claims made by Rome; and once separated from the Eastern Churches the evolution and acceptance of dogmas that "could not be proved evenly remotely from Scripture" led to the Protestant Reformation of 1517. Reacting to charges made by the Reformers that a number of medieval beliefs and practices had no warrant in Scripture, the Roman Church finally officially adopted the novel teaching that Scripture and unwritten tradition are equal sources of authority at the Council of Trent in 1546.

Unfortunately, much of Continental Protestantism reacted too far in the other extreme and rejected all apostolic tradition except Scripture, with some anabaptists rejecting even that. For the first 1,000 years of Christianity there was essentially one Church. For more than four and a half centuries after the Great Schism there were two. But after centuries of increasingly serious doctrinal errors and ecclesiastical corruption, Western Christendom finally exploded in the 16th century. With the rejection of apostolic tradition and the acceptance of the "principle" of private interpretation of the Scriptures by many Protestants, confusion and sectarianism reigned, leaving Protestant Christianity with more than 25,000 competing and squabbling denominations today.

Things were not much better in Rome however. While the Roman Church remained united due to the ever increasing power of the papacy, theological controversy continued to erupt. If Scripture and unwritten tradition are equal sources of Christian truth, how does one know what tradition consists of? No one could be sure due to the very fact that it is unwritten. The disputes between various theologians, theological schools and religious orders became so serious that Pope Pius IX finally sought to settle matters by declaring "I am tradition", and during his pontificate the First Vatican Council met in 1870 and declared the dogma of Papal Infallibility. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology describes the final result of the Tridentine doctrine of Scripture and unwritten tradition being equal sources of truth in this way: "Vatican I completed this line of thought when it declared the church's teaching office to be centered in an infallible papacy" (p. 1105).

The Council of Trent declared Scripture and unwritten tradition to be equal sources of authority. Reacting against this novel claim, much of protestantism rejected the clear Scriptural teaching on apostolic tradition, leading to the private interpretation of Scripture (also condemned in Scripture), which has resulted in sectarianism and ever increasing divisions among Christians.

But if tradition is "unwritten" how can anyone ever be sure of what it is? The answer is that apostolic tradition is not "unwritten." Tradition means what is handed down or handed over. At one time, the entire deposit of faith was unwritten apostolic tradition, but that is no longer the case. The Church existed for as much as a decade before the first book of the New Testament was written, and for more than six decades before the last Gospel was penned. During that time the Faith was handed down orally. When the evangelists finally did write their Gospels they simply wrote down what they had been teaching orally for years. The Church Fathers record that St. Mark was the scribe of the Apostle Peter and that he wrote his Gospel from what he heard St. Peter preach and teach. St. Paul and the other apostles had been preaching and teaching long before they wrote their epistles, and their letters reflect the faith that they had long been proclaiming orally.

Many things Christians believe and do date back to the earliest Church, but are not specifically commanded in Scripture. However, these beliefs and practices can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers and in the universal practice of the Catholic Church. While they are not commanded in Scripture, they have always been accepted and universally used, do not contradict the letter of Scripture, conform to its spirit, and part of the apostolic tradition.

St. Basil the Great writes, "For instance, who has taught us in writing about the sign of the cross...to turn to the east in prayer...to invoke the Holy Spirit at the Eucharist when the bread and the cup of blessing are displayed?" (On the Holy Spirit). The origins of these practices are found in the unwritten life of the earliest Church and are not commanded in the Scriptures, yet they are part of apostolic tradition and can now be found without dissent in the writings of the early Church Fathers and the universal practice of the primitive Church.

The great Caroline divine, Archbishop John Bramhall (1594-1663) of Armagh writes, "We receive not your [late Roman] upstart suppositious traditions, nor unwritten fundamentals; but we admit genuine, universal, Apostolical traditions; as, the Apostles Creed, the perpetual Virginity of the Mother of God, the anniversary Festivals of the Church, the Lenten Fast... We believe Episcopacy...may be proved out of Scripture without Tradition; but to such as are froward, the perpetual practice and tradition of the Church renders the interpretation of the text more authentic, and proof more convincing" (Answer to M. De La Militiere, Oxford, p. 53).

These teachings are "unwritten" only in the sense that they are not commanded in the Bible, but they are, "derived from the Apostles, and delivered unto us by the manifest testimony of the primitive Church, being agreeable to the Holy Scriptures" writes Archbishop Bramhall (Schism Guarded, Oxford, p. 382, italics added).

Writing at the command of King Charles I, the Royal Martyr, to clarify the position of the Anglican Church and confute it's opponents, Bishop Francis White (1564-1638) of Ely wrote, "REFORMED [meaning Anglican] Churches reject not all Traditions, but such as are spurious, superstitious, and not consonant to the prime Rule of Faith, to wit, the Holy Scripture. Genuine Traditions agreeable to the Rule of Faith, subservient to piety, consonant with Holy Scripture, derived from Apostolical times by a successive current, and which have the uniform testimony of pious Antiquity, are received and honoured by us. Now such are these which follow: The historical tradition concerning the number, integrity, dignity, and perfection of the Books of Canonical Scriptures, The Catholic exposition of many sentences of Holy Scripture, The Holy Apostles' Creed, The Baptism of Infants, The perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The religious observation of the Lord's Day and of some other Festivals, as Easter, Pentecost, etc., Baptizing and administration of the Holy Eucharist in public assemblies and congregations, The Service of the Church in a known language, The delivering of the Holy Communion to the people in both kinds, The superiority and authority of Bishops over Priests and Deacons in jurisdiction and power of Ordination, etc." (A Treatise of the Sabbath day, italics added).

Dr. Martin Luther in his struggle to reform the Church in Germany stressed Sola Scriptura in his debates with Roman theologians who were teaching that Scripture and their unwritten "traditions" were equal sources of authority, but he did not reject the universal testimony of the Church. Far from it. In his conflict with the Zwinglians who denied the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, Luther strongly endorsed authentic tradition: "This testimony of the universal holy Christian Church, even if we had nothing else, would be a sufficient warrant for holding this article [on the Real Presence] and refusing to suffer or listen to a sectary, for it is dangerous and fearful to hear or believe anything against the unanimous testimony, belief, and teaching of the universal holy Christian Churches, unanimously held in all the world from the beginning until now over fifteen hundred years."

Apostolic tradition was long ago recorded in the Holy Scriptures, the writings of the Fathers, the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the Creeds, and the liturgical worship of the Church, and has been handed down to all Christians and is accessible to all.

THE GREAT SCHISM AND ANGLICAN REFORMATION

What many Christians do not realize is that the Great Schism was not really a cleavage between Eastern and Western Christendom. It was a schism of the Roman Patriarch from union with the four other ancient Patriarchates (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem) of the Church; and not all Western Christians fell away in the schism. For instance, a Benedictine monastery remained on Mount Athos until vocations from the West finally dried up two centuries later. Most importantly, Ecclesia Anglicana, the Anglican Church, remained committed to the Orthodox Faith. This led to the Bishop of Rome blessing William, the Duke of Normandy, to invade England, seize the throne and force the Church there into submission to the Roman See. The Norman invasion took place in 1066, and after conquering the country William replaced all but one of the native British bishops with Normans. For the next four and a half centuries the English Church maintained an uneasy, sometimes beneficial and sometimes stormy, relationship with the See of Rome.

In 1534 the Anglican Church was finally able to renounce papal supremacy and end centuries of papal control that had been uncanonically established by force of arms. Convocation, the governing body of the Church of England, declared that "the Bishop of Rome hath not, by Scripture, any greater authority in England than any other foreign bishop." Thus began the English Reformation. The English Reformation was very different from what was happening on much of the Continent. In England the Reformation was not a revolution, but a real movement of reform carried out by the bishops themselves. No new Church was founded; the ancient Anglican Church was simply cleansed and reformed in light of the Word of God and the primitive Church.

In 1562, Anglican Bishop John Jewel wrote, "We have returned to the Apostles and the old Catholic Fathers. We have planted no new religion, but only preserved the old that was undoubtedly founded and used by the Apostles of Christ and other holy Fathers of the primitive Church.

Likewise, in 1563, Queen Elizabeth I said, "We and our people - thanks be to God - follow no novel and strange religions, but that very religion which is ordained by Christ, sanctioned by the primitive and Catholic Church and approved by the consentient mind and voice of the most early Fathers."

Bishop John Pearson (1613-1686) taught, "Search how it was in the beginning; go to the fountainhead; look to antiquity." And the saintly Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711) said, "I die in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith, professed by the whole Church, before the disunion of East and West."

Bishop Charles Edward Cheney, a 19th century Reformed Episcopal bishop, described the Anglican position this way: "If I build my house, I will consult an architect. The architect will present me with the latest style, the most modern ideas. But our Church has done exactly the opposite and presented the earliest ideas. Why? Because the water very near the fountainhead is the purist...I do not believe a thing is better simply because it is old. But in Christianity, the nearer I get to Christ's own day, the more assured I can be."

APOSTOLIC TRADITION IN ANGLICANISM AND EASTERN ORTHODOXY

There have been friendly and warm relations between the Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Churches for centuries, but for more than a century now there has been regular dialogue at the highest levels. The Dublin Agreed Statement of 1984, was the result of eight years of discussions between leaders of Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism; "important agreements" were reached between the two Communions "on the mystery of the Church, on faith in the Trinity, on prayer and holiness, and on worship and tradition" (Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue, c. 1985, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press).

The Dublin Agreed Statement says, "Both Anglicans and Orthodox see in their fidelity to tradition a mutual bond, and a strong incentive to closer co-operation in witness and service to the world" (ibid, p. 30). The Agreed Statement goes on to say, "We agree likewise in our view of the fundamental relationship between Scripture and tradition: they are not two sources, but correlative. We agree that the Church cannot define dogmas which are not grounded both in Scripture and in tradition. We agree that the mind of the Fathers is of lasting importance for our understanding of the Christian faith...both our delegations accept that there exist freedom and variety within the one tradition of the Church" (ibid, p. 43).

Anglicanism, when it is true to itself, is Western Orthodoxy; and that was recognized to a significant degree in The Dublin Agreed Statement of 1984: "Our divisions do not destroy but they damage the basic unity we have in Christ, and our disunity impedes our mission to the world as well as our relationships with each other. Anglicans are accustomed to seeing our divisions as within the Church: they do not believe that they alone are the one true Church, but they believe that they belong to it." The Orthodox, "see Anglicans as brothers and sisters in Christ who are seeking with them the union of all Christians in one Church" (p.11).

APOSTOLIC TRADITION EXPRESSED

Now, let us look at the various forms in which the apostolic tradition is expressed: Holy Scripture followed by the Ecumenical Councils, the Creeds, the Church Fathers, Liturgical Worship, and even, though in a lesser degree, in the Canons and Religious art (iconography) of the Church.

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

The Christian Church is a Scriptural Church. The Bible is the supreme expression of God's revelation to mankind, and Christians must always be people of the Book. Fr. Carroll Simcox, a former editor of The Living Church magazine, while speaking at the great St. Louis Church Congress in 1977 said, "Anglicanism when true to itself is Biblical Catholicism. Whatever is received, believed, taught, and enjoined...as essential doctrine or as Christian morality must be rooted and grounded in Holy Scripture."

Fr. Simcox was simply echoing the Church Fathers. St. Athanasius wrote, "The holy and inspired Scriptures are fully sufficient for the proclamation of the truth" (Against the Heathen). St. John Chrysostom said, "Regarding the things I say, I should supply even the proofs, so I will not seem to rely on my own opinions, but rather, prove them with Scripture, so that the matter will remain certain and steadfast" (Homily 8 On Repentance and the Church). In his famous Catechetical Lectures, St. Cyril of Jerusalem taught, "For concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell you these things, give not absolute credence, unless you receive the proof of the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which we believe depends not on ingenious reasoning, but on the demonstration of the Holy Scriptures." And in his Commonitorium, St. Vincent of Lerins writes, "the canon of Scripture is complete, and is in itself abundantly sufficient." Finally, St. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that, "the established authority of Scripture must outweigh every other" (Reply to Faustus the Manichean).

The Holy Scriptures are the supreme expression of God's revelation to mankind, the chief part of the apostolic tradition. The Anglican-Orthodox Moscow Agreed Statement of 1976 says: "The Scriptures constitute a coherent whole. They are at once divinely inspired and humanly expressed. They bear authoritative witness to God's revelation of Himself in creation, in the Incarnation of the Word and in the whole history of salvation, and as such expresses the Word of God in human language.

"We know, receive, and interpret Scripture through the Church and in the Church. Our approach to the Bible is one of obedience so that we may hear the revelation of Himself that God gives through it" (ibid, , Anglican-Orthodox Dialogue, pp. 50-51).

Recognizing that the Holy Scriptures are the supreme expression of God's revelation and therefore the chief part of the apostolic tradition, Anglicanism affirms with the Church Fathers that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation (Article VI, Thirty-nine Articles)." The Anglican Church does not say "all things", but "all things necessary to salvation." With the Moscow Agreed Statement, Anglicans, "know, receive and interpret Scripture through the Church and in the Church." Dr. E.B. Pusey, the Great 19th century Anglican theologian wrote, "What is matter of faith must be capable of being proved out of Holy Scripture; yet not according to the private sense of individuals, but according to the uniform teaching of the Church" (The Rule of Faith, p. 36).

THE CHURCH: A WITNESS AND KEEPER OF HOLY WRIT

Although, "The holy and inspired Scriptures are fully sufficient for the proclamation of truth" as St. Athanasius says (Against the Heathen); St. Vincent of Lerins reminds Christians that, "because of the very depth of Scripture all men do not place one identical interpretation upon it. The statements of the same writer are explained by different men in different ways" (Commonitorium).

The Church preceded the New Testament and set its canon. The Bible is the Church's book; and as Article XX of the Thirty-nine Articles says, "the Church be a witness and keeper of Holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not enforce anything to be believed for necessity of salvation."

In his famous Commonitorium (AD 434), St. Vincent of Lerins (France) gives us a detailed explanation as to why although "the canon of Scripture is complete, and is in itself abundantly sufficient," to it must be joined the interpretation of the Church. St. Vincent also describes in detail how to properly interpret the Holy Scriptures:

"I have therefore continually given the greatest pains and diligence to inquiring, from the greatest possible number of men outstanding in holiness and in doctrine, how I can secure a kind of fixed and, as it were, general and guiding principle for distinguishing the true Catholic Faith from the degraded falsehoods of heresy. And the answer that I always receive is to this effect; that if I wish, or indeed if anyone wishes, to detect the deceits of heretics that arise and to avoid their snares and to keep healthy and sound in a healthy faith, we ought, with the Lord's help, to fortify our faith in a two-fold manner, firstly, that is, by the authority of God's Law [Scripture], then by the tradition of the Catholic Church.

"Here, it may be, someone will ask, Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and is in itself abundantly sufficient, what need is their to join to it the interpretation of the Church? The answer is that because of the very depth of Scripture all men do not place one identical interpretation upon it. The statements of the same writer are explained by different men in different ways, so much so that it seems almost possible to extract from it as many opinions as there are men...Therefore, because of the intricacies of error, which is so multiform, there is great need for the laying down of a rule for the exposition of Prophets and Apostles in accordance with the standard interpretation of the Catholic Church.

"Now in the Catholic Church itself we take the greatest care to hold THAT WHICH HAS BEEN BELIEVED EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS AND BY ALL.

"That is truly and properly 'Catholic,' as is shown by the very force and meaning of the word, which comprehends everything almost universally. We shall hold to this rule if we follow universality, antiquity, and consent. We shall follow universality if we acknowledge that one Faith to be true which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is clear that our ancestors and fathers proclaimed; consent, if in antiquity itself we keep following the definitions and opinions of all, or certainly nearly all, bishops and doctors alike.

"What then will the Catholic Christian do, if a small part of the Church has cut itself off from the communion of the universal Faith? The answer is sure. He will prefer the healthiness of the whole body to the morbid and corrupt limb.

"But what if some novel contagion try to infect the whole Church, and not merely a tiny part of it? Then he will take care to cleave to antiquity, which cannot now be led astray by any deceit of novelty.

"What if in antiquity itself two or three men, or it may be a city, or even a whole province be detected in error? Then he will take the greatest care to prefer the decrees of the ancient General Councils, if there are such, to the irresponsible ignorance of a few men.

"But what if some error arises regarding which nothing of this sort is to be found? Then he must do his best to compare the opinions of the Fathers and inquire their meaning, provided always that, though they belonged to diverse times and places, they yet continued in the faith and communion of the one Catholic Church; and let them be teachers approved and outstanding. And whatever shall find to have been held, approved and taught, not by one or two only but by all equally and with one consent, openly, frequently, and persistently, let him take this to be held by him without the slightest hesitation" (Commonitorium, AD 434).

The Church is "a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ." The Bible is the Church's book, and is to be interpreted according to apostolic tradition; but the Church is not above the Holy Scriptures and may not "decree anything against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of salvation" (Article XX). The teachings of an individual Church Father, Saint, Doctor, Reformer, theologian, clergyman, teacher, or writer must be evaluated in light of the Vincentian Canon: what has been believed everywhere, always and by all in the undivided Church.

THE SEVEN GENERAL OR ECUMENICAL COUNCILS

The doctrinal definitions of an Ecumenical Council are infallible. When a General or Ecumenical Council is held, the bishops from all across the Catholic Church come together to state what they have always believed in their local Churches. These conciliar declarations must later be ratified by their acceptance throughout the Catholic Church. Thus, the whole Church can declare authoritatively what has been believed in the Church everywhere, always and by all. No new doctrine is established, but the Catholic doctrine is explained authoritatively.

It is interesting to note that the fifth century Vincentian Canon does not say a word about the Bishop of Rome or papal authority, but it does speak about the authority of General (Ecumenical) Councils. Eastern Orthodox theologian Fr. Michael Azkoul writes, "The Christian Faith may be handed down in the churches through the episcopate, but when it is challenged by heretics, some people, even bishops, are not always able to distinguish as the Latin Father, St. Vincent of Lerins (France) says, between Orthodoxy and 'the degraded falsehoods of heresy.' Thus, he sought in his famous Commonitories (chapters 3-4) to lay down a 'rule' or 'canon' by which to make such a determination" (The Teachings of the Holy Orthodox Church, Dormition Skete Publications, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, c. 1986, p.17).

Fr. Michael Azkoul continues, "The 'catholic and universal doctrine' remains, St. Vincent adds, 'one and the same through all successive ages in the uncorrupted tradition of truth' (ch. 24). The Holy Spirit lends the Church His presence, but also such checks and balances - especially the Holy Bible or 'the divine oracles' and the Holy Fathers or 'the harps of the Spirit' - so as to prevent deviation from His will" (ibid, p. 21).

There have been seven General or Ecumenical Councils in the history of the Church, the first in AD 325, and the last in AD 787. There also have been many regional, provincial and local (diocesan) councils or synods held throughout the Church's long history. In fact, diocesan synods are generally held annually. However, while the doctrinal decisions of an Ecumenical Council are considered authoritative, binding, and infallible, those of lesser councils or of individual bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, are always liable to error; but if their decisions are accepted by the rest of the Church, then they come to acquire Ecumenical authority similar to doctrinal statements of an Ecumenical Council.

How many General or Ecumenical Councils does the Anglican Church accept? The Anglican Church accepts all seven Councils. The first four Councils dealt with critical issues relating to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and to christology, and are generally considered to be the most important. St. Gregory the Great, the man who commissioned St. Augustine (of Canterbury) as the leader of a mission team to England, likened the first four Councils to the four Gospels. Because St. Gregory the Great played such an important part in the re-evangelization of England, his teaching on the four Councils sank down deep in the English psyche. The fifth and sixth Councils dealt with clarifying certain christological teachings of previous Councils; and the seventh Council met over controversies regarding the use of religious art (iconography) caused to a great degree by the rise of Islam.

Although there is a great deal written about the first four General Councils in Anglican literature over the centuries, the Anglican Church accepts all seven. The fifth and six Councils are recognized in the Book of Homilies (e.g., the homily 'Against the Peril of Idolatry'), an official formulary of the Anglican Church, and the controversial seventh Council has been accepted as well. The seventh Council was not controversial because of its condemnation of iconoclasm and teaching regarding the use of religious art, but because of a mistranslation of the Greek decrees into Latin.

Anglican theologian Dr. Peter Toon writes, "Little was known of it [the seventh Ecumenical Council] in the West in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and where it was known, it was known in a misleading translation - e.g., proskunesis was rendered adoratio, which meant that the fine distinction of meaning in the Greek text between genuine worship (latreia - adoration) of God as God and veneration (proskunesis) of icons of Jesus, the Angels and the Saints was lost in translation." (Yesterday, Today and Forever).

The Dublin Agreed Statement of 1984 says, "The decrees of the Seventh Ecumenical Council were not properly understood in the West owing to the unfortunate translation of the Greek Word proskunesis (veneration) by the Latin word adoratio (worship). The subsequent uncontrolled development of visual imagery later in the Middle Ages in the West led to strong reactions, above all at the time of the Reformation...In fact a distinctive Anglican tradition of religious art developed. During the last hundred years increasing contact with the Orthodox Churches and a fuller knowledge of their tradition have brought new light to this question.

"In the light of the present discussion the Anglicans do not find any cause for disagreement in the doctrine stated by St. John of Damascus: 'In times past, God, without body and form could in no way be represented. But now since God has appeared in flesh and lived among men, I can now depict that which is visible of God. I do not venerate the matter, but I venerate the creator of matter, who became matter for me, who condescended to live in matter, and who through matter accomplishes my salvation; and I do not cease to respect the matter through which my salvation is accomplished" (pp. 38-39).

A question is sometimes raised about Article XXI of the Thirty-nine Articles: "And when they [General or Ecumenical Councils] be gathered together, (forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all be not governed by the Spirit and Word of God) they may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God." This Article is not speaking of the seven Ecumenical Councils that have universal acceptance in the Catholic Church. In addition to these seven Councils others have met, declared themselves to be Ecumenical Councils, and issued decrees, but their authority was never recognized by the universal Church. Such councils met in antiquity before the Great Schism, and were later denounced as false or robber councils. Western Councils that met between the Great schism and the Reformation, though they called themselves Ecumenical, are only received by the Anglican Church as regional Councils, with post-Reformation Councils (Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II) having no authority whatsoever.

THE CREEDS

The Nicene Creed is authoritative because it was produced by two Ecumenical Councils, Nicea in AD 325 and Constantinople in AD 381, the Apostles' and Athanasian Creeds are authoritative because they have been accepted as orthodox by the whole Catholic Church, East and West. Article VIII of the Thirty-nine Articles says, "The Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and that which is called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Scripture."

The Anglican Church considers the Nicene Creed to be the most important of the three Creeds, reciting it at every Sunday and holy day celebration of the Holy Eucharist. While the Apostles' Creed is usually used at the Divine Office, the Nicene Creed may be used in its place. The Athanasian Creed may replace the Apostles' Creed at Morning Prayer on Trinity Sunday and on certain other feasts.

THE CHURCH FATHERS

The Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers go together. There are Greek Fathers, Latin Fathers, Syriac Fathers, Celtic Fathers, Slavic Fathers, and Fathers from other ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, but they are all Fathers of the Church. While they were great theologians, their greatness is not in their originality. They were not original thinkers, promoting personal views in doctrine and private interpretations of Scripture. They witness to the faith that has been believed "everywhere, always and by all." No teaching of the Church originates with them, but they sought to faithfully teach and pass on what they had received. They did not draw "on their own resources," St. Maximus the Confessor writes, "but learned these things from the Scriptures and charitably taught us" (Theological and Polemical Works). They did not "invent new ideas as our opponents charge," St. Maximus continues, but affirm "the statements of the [earlier] Fathers" (ibid).

Although holy and learned, the Church Fathers are not infallible. They sometimes disagreed with one another and sometimes were in error. St. Vincent of Lerins wrote, "he must do his best to compare the opinions of the Fathers and inquire their meaning,...And whatever he shall find to have been held, approved and taught, not by one or two only but all equally and with one consent, openly, frequently and persistently, let him take this as to be held by him without the slightest hesitation" (Commontorium).

That this is also the position the Anglican Church is abundantly clear. The Convocation that adopted the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion also passed a canon directing clergy: "to be careful that they never teach ought in a sermon, to be religiously held and believed by the people, except what is agreeable to the doctrine of the Old and New Testaments, and what the Catholic Fathers and ancient bishops have collected out of the same doctrine."

In his book, The Anglican Spiritual Tradition, Bishop John Moorman of Ripon writes, "As far back as 1549, when the first English Prayer Book was produced, the compilers gave as their authority 'the ancient fathers' to whom they refer over and over again... The writers were all familiar with the patristic texts, and regarded 'antiquity as the best Expositor of the Faith'. Writing of the seventeenth century Dean Addleshaw says: 'The Anglicans are thinking and working the whole time in terms of patristic thought, more especially that of the Greek fathers'; and as trade with the East expanded, so grew closer communication with the Orthodox Church... Episcopacy, Creeds, a written Liturgy, a regular use of the sacraments, a dignified appearance of churches and ministers, all these had come down from the distant past and were accepted and approved by the early Christian writers, of both East and West. A Church which clung to these things could well claim to be in continuity with the apostles" (Templegate Publishers, c. 1983, pp. 105-106).

THE LITURGY

It has been sometimes said that the Anglican notion of tradition is little more than the Bible and the Prayer book. While that is not completely true, there is a lot of truth to it. Attend an Anglican church and get to know the historic Book of Common Prayer and a visitor will soon learn what Anglicans believe. How? Because the liturgical life of the Church expresses the faith of the Church. Lex orandi lex credendi, the rule of worship is the rule of belief. In a very real way the liturgical rites of the Church express and teach the faith of the Church. The historic Book of Common Prayer contains the primary worship services of the Anglican Church, including the Eucharistic Liturgy, the rites for the administration of the Sacraments, the three Creeds, the Divine Office, a lectionary for reading the Holy Scriptures, the Decalogue, ancient Collects and prayers, two Offices of Instruction, and a Catechism. What is more, the Anglican Usage of the Western Rite has been authorized for use in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, giving it Ecumenical (universal) recognition in Catholic Christendom. The same cannot be said for the Novus Ordo of the Roman Church.

Bishop Kallistos Ware writes, "The inner Tradition 'handed down to us in a mystery' is preserved above all in the Church's worship. Lex orandi lex credendi: our faith is expressed in our prayer. Orthodoxy has made few explicit definitions about the Eucharist and the other Sacraments, about the next world, the Mother of God, the saints, and the faithful departed: our belief on these points is contained mainly in the prayers and hymns used at services" (The Orthodox Church, Penguin, c. 1993, p. 205). These words apply equally to Anglicanism.

CANON LAW

The doctrinal definitions of the Ecumenical Councils possess an absolute and unalterable validity because doctrinal definitions deal with eternal truths. Church canons on the other hand deal with the earthly life of the Church where conditions are constantly changing, and the canons therefore do adapt to changing needs and conditions of the Church.

While the canons do adapt organically as the conditions and needs of the Church change, they also demonstrate the unchanging and unchangeable nature of the Catholic Church itself: that it is made up of national and regional Churches bound together by a common doctrine, ministry and sacraments; that it is episcopal and conciliar in government; organized into dioceses and parishes, and more. This is all part of the apostolic tradition.

ICONOGRAPHY (RELIGIOUS ART)

Religious art has been used by Christians from the very beginning of the Church as can be seen in the ancient catacombs. Rather than mere decorations for churches and homes, religious art (iconography) has a christological foundation. As explained by the seventh Ecumenical Council, God can now be depicted because He has appeared as a man. Depictions of the Son of God actually demonstrate the Church's faith in the Incarnation, a fundamental dogma of Christianity.

In addition, religious art serves as holy reminders to Christians. St. John of Damascus writes, "Just as in the Bible we listen to the word of Christ and are sanctified...in the same way through painted icons we behold the representation of his human form...and likewise are sanctified" (On Holy Icons III).

The Seventh ecumenical Council teaches, "The more frequently they (icons) are seen, the more those who behold them are aroused to remember and desire the prototypes and to give them greeting and veneration of honour; not indeed true worship which, according to our faith, is due to God alone."

In his exposition of the Church catechism, Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711) prays, "give me grace to pay religious, suitable veneration to all sacred persons or places or things which are thine by solemn dedication and separated for the uses of divine love, and the communications of thy grace, or which may promote the decency and order of worship, or the edification of faithful people" (The Practice of Divine Love).

Apostolic tradition is made up of the Holy Scriptures, the ancient Creeds, the dogmatic teachings of the seven Ecumenical Councils, the consensus of the Fathers of the Church, the Liturgy of the Church, and even the canons and artwork of the Church. Apostolic tradition has been handed down to all Christians and is accessible to all. There are not two sources of revelation, Scripture and tradition, but only one containing all. The various aspects of apostolic tradition can be distinguished but they cannot be separated or contrasted, for they make up a coherent whole, with each part being understood in light of the rest.

TRADITION AND CUSTOM

There is a great difference between apostolic tradition and traditional customs, sometimes called "little 't' traditions." Customs, or little "t" traditions are "adiaphora" - things indifferent. Sometimes customs become so ingrained that they are taken as apostolic tradition and become causes of needless controversy, division or ecclesiastical stagnation.

Bishop Kallistos Ware writes, "Not everything from the past is of equal value, nor is everything received from the past necessarily true. As one of the bishops remarked at the Council of Carthage in 257: 'The Lord said, I am truth. He did not say, I am custom.' There is a difference between 'Tradition' and 'traditions': many traditions which the past has handed down are human and accidental - pious opinions (or worse), but not part of the one Tradition, the fundamental Christian message...The task of discrimination is never easy" (ibid, p. 197).

Speaking of these traditions or customs, Article XXXIV of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion says, "It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like; for at all times they have been divers, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men's manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word." But also warns, "Whosoever, through his private judgement, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, (that others may fear to do the like) as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church..."

APOSTOLIC TRADITION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE

Apostolic tradition is "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3,). It is the deposit of faith that St. Paul instructed St. Timothy to "guard" - "O Timothy. Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge - by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith" (I Tim. 6:20-21).

St. Athanasius of Alexandria, the opponent of Arianism and the champion of the Faith of the Council of Nicea, wrote to Bishop Serapion saying, "In accordance with the Apostolic Faith delivered to us through the tradition of the Fathers, I have delivered the tradition without innovation, without adding anything extraneous to it. What I learned, I have written, keeping in mind always the Holy Scriptures."

Likewise, St. Sophronios of Jerusalem, in his Synodal Epistle, read during the eleventh session of the sixth Ecumenical Council, wrote, "An apostolic and ancient tradition has prevailed in the Holy Churches throughout the world so that those who are consecrated into the hierarchy of the Church sincerely refer everything they think or believe to those who have been bishops before them...All their activity would be pointless if any change were to be made in their faith."

"We do not change the everlasting boundaries which our fathers have set," wrote St. John of Damascus in his book On Icons, "but we keep the Tradition, just as we received it."

The Canon of St. Vincent of Lerins, already quoted from his Commonitorium, was the rule of the undivided (pre-AD 1054) Church, and remains the rule in Anglicanism and Eastern Orthodoxy today: "Now in the Catholic Church itself we take the greatest care to hold THAT WHICH HAS BEEN BELIEVED EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS AND BY ALL." Since the division of Christendom at the beginning of the second millennium of Christianity, this means the consensus of the first millennium: the teachings of the undivided Church.

The Catholic faith is changeless, and the bishops and priests of the Church are to be stewards of the deposit of faith, the faith once for all delivered to the saints, keeping and teaching the apostolic tradition, neither adding anything to it, nor taking anything away from it.

Unfortunately, a different direction was taken in Western Christendom after the Great Schism. The Great Schism was caused by a novel teaching coming from Rome - that of papal supremacy. Once this doctrine was added to the faith in the West, a precedent was set, and the doctrine of the Roman Church continued to evolve and to grow. Soon other new dogmas were added, such as a punitive purgatory, supererogation, and indulgences. As the doctrine of the Roman Church continued to evolve, the Church drifted farther and farther from the consensus of the first millennium and grew more and more in conflict with the Holy Scriptures.

There were those who resisted the idea of the development of doctrine in the West. St. Albert the Great reminded the Church that, "Development is the progress of the faithful in the faith, not of the faith within the faithful." In his famous Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas opposed the notion of the Immaculate Conception, a novel theory that had begun to be promoted in his day by the Franciscans. Echoing St. Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas wrote regarding the source of Christian truth: "It should be noted that though many might write concerning Catholic truth, there is this difference that those who wrote the canonical Scripture, the Evangelists and Apostles, and the like, so constantly assert it that they leave no room for doubt. That is what he means when he says 'we know his witness is true.' Galatians 1:9, 'If anyone preach a gospel to you other than that which you have received, let him be anathema.' The reason is that only canonical Scripture is a measure of faith. Others however so wrote of the truth that they should not be believed save insofar as they say true things" (Commentary on the Gospel of John; italics added).

Unfortunately, these voices largely went unheeded, leading to an explosion in 1517. Later, the Council of Trent justified the innovations that had entered the Western Church after the Great Schism and opened the door for further doctrinal development by declaring that Scripture and unwritten tradition were equal sources of authority.

Even after the Reformation there were voices in the Roman Church warning against the trajectory that the Church was on. St. John of the Cross, the great Spanish Carmelite mystic and reformer, wrote that after the apostles passed away, "there are no more articles to be revealed to the Church about the substance of our faith" (Ascent of Mount Carmel). Later, a revival of Augustinian theology and Gallicanism (the concept of national Churches and conciliarism) began, centered around the Cistercian monastery of Port Royal in France. St. Augustine had taught, "the true and right Catholic faith" is taken, "not from the opinions of private judgement, but from the witness of the Scriptures; it is not subject to the fluctuations of heretical rashness, but grounded upon Apostolic Truth" (Sermon XXXIV). And he reminded the Church: "Neither dare one agree with Catholic bishops if by chance they err in anything, but the result that their opinion is against the canonical Scriptures of God" (De unitate ecclesiae).

Sadly, St. John of the Cross was persecuted by his own religious order, and while he did finally have some success in reforming the Carmelites, his teaching about the deposit of faith went unheeded. Likewise, the Augustinian revival was opposed by the Jesuits, condemned by Rome, and literally crushed, leaving the notion of the development of doctrine triumphant. In 1854 the Immaculate Conception was declared by Pope Pius IX to be a dogma necessary for salvation. Sixteen years later the Bishop of Rome was declared to be infallible by the first Vatican Council.

Rather than contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, Roman Catholicism is constantly evolving. Even today there are many voices in Rome calling loudly for Our Lady to be declared "co-redemptrix" and "mediatrix of all graces." Cardinal John Henry Newman, in his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, sought to explain Roman Catholic teachings that could not be proven from Scripture or found in antiquity. He taught that all living things develop, and the new teachings were the logical consequences of this development, making explicit that which was implicit.

Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism strongly disagrees. "However, this theory [doctrinal development] has no patristic support. The Fathers never taught that the Christian Faith evolves so that the Church today does not believe exactly what the Apostles gave to our first century ancestors to hold and pass on to succeeding generations. There is only one kind of "development of dogma" for the Orthodox Church: the accumulation of formulations or definitions which clarify and defend the unchangeable Apostolic Tradition.

"Moreover, the reason for these new definitions of 'the faith once delivered to the saints' was not philosophical speculation, the reception of foreign ideas, unexpected revelations, but a response to the challenge of heretics" (Azkoul, ibid, pp, 10-11).

In his famous treatise, The Three Religions: Protestantism, Romanism and Catholicism, the holy Anglican Bishop, Charles Grafton, explains and contrasts the "Rule of Faith" of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Catholicism, showing the error of the Roman concept of the development of doctrine.

Bishop Grafton writes, "The third Rule is that of Catholicism. The word 'Catholic' means universal. A Catholic believes that the Holy Ghost descended at Pentecost to abide permanently in the Church. He came, not to reveal new truths, but to lead the Apostles into all truth; by bringing to their remembrance all things Christ had told them, and enlightening them to the full understanding of His Gospel.

"They were enabled to say, 'We have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God.' The Faith, thus once delivered, has been preserved by the Apostolically-descended churches throughout all the ages. What the whole Church has, from the beginning, held and taught, and holds today, that we know must be the mind of Christ. For we cannot suppose that a Divine Teacher would have so badly taught His doctrine, and that the Holy Ghost so failed in His office of preserving it, as that the whole Church should go, on points essential, radically wrong.

"We find this teaching authoritatively declared in the universally-received Ecumenical Councils, guarded by the Creeds, set forth in action in its Apostolically-descended governments, witnessed by the Sacraments, and by the common consent of undivided Christendom" (The Works of the Rt. Rev. Charles C. Grafton, Vol. 8).

Unfortunately, the erroneous belief in the "development of doctrine" has given liberal-modernists and other innovators in Rome, the Anglican Communion and even in Eastern Orthodoxy an excuse to support and promote such heresies as the "ordination" of women and same-sex "marriage", as well as liturgical experimentation, and doctrinal, moral, ecclesiastical and spiritual compromises that undermine the apostolic tradition. At the same time, it has given many "Traditionalists" (Roman and Anglo-papalist) falsely so called, an excuse to embrace every innovation that came into the Church after the Great Schism, to add dogma after dogma to the deposit of Faith which Scripture says "was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), and to hold and teach doctrines that "could not be proved even remotely from Scripture" or shown to be held universally in antiquity. As it has been said, if at the beginning of the third millennium of Christianity, Christians are to overcome the divisions of the second millennium, they must return to the consensus of the first millennium - to the faith of the undivided Church.

"Now in the Catholic Church itself we take the greatest care to hold THAT WHICH HAS BEEN BELIEVED EVERYWHERE, ALWAYS AND BY ALL" - The Canon or Rule of St. Vincent of Lerins (AD 434). To this Rule, every faithful Anglican can say, Amen.

+ + +

Scripture citations from: The Holy Bible, New King James Version; c. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. c. 2011,

---Rev. Victor E. Novak. Fr. Novak is the rector of Holy Cross Anglican Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and a priest of the Diocese of Mid-America of the Reformed Episcopal Church/Anglican Church in North America. His parish website is: www.holycrossomaha.net He can be reached by phone at: (402) 573-6558; or by e-mail at: venovak@hughes.net

Friday Fasting Meditation

2011-07-29T10:31:00.000-04:00

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…” 1 Timothy 2:1-6

Covering is a prominent theme in Scripture. Coverings are related to glory and beauty. Skin, hair, clothing, authority, clouds, blood some coverings mentioned. When skin is torn or diseased, when hair is damaged, shorn, or lost, when clothing is filthy or tattered there is a loss of glory.

Spiritually speaking, sin has torn the fabric of our souls and of life. There is a loss of integrity. We feel shame because our glory as creatures made in the image of God has been damaged, lost, compromised. The likeness of God is disfigured and lost. The blood covering of the OC sacrifices and blood covering of the spotless Lamb of God are intended to remove the dirtiness and defilement, the wounded-ness of our lives. Our old covering is torn or diseased, Our robes are stained and tattered. What we need and long for is a new, clean, spotless robe. We wish to exchange our shame for glory, our brokenness for wholeness and healing.

Too often we find sin alive and well in the kingdom where it should never have place. The sin Christ died to free us from enslaves us again and embitters us, our relationships, and the life we live together as the people of God. When serious breaches of faithfulness take place in the Scriptures we see men tearing their robes, fasting, mourning, covering their heads with dust (the curse mediator) and ashes (burning’s remains), and their interceding, asking for God’s response as covenant Lord and Lover of His people. The rending of clothes symbolizes the rending of the soul and the fabric of covenant life in the kingdom and acknowledges the commensurate loss of glory and need for God to act.

Now to our Friday fasting. We have spoken much about fasting as a spiritual discipline, one that benefits us by increasing our capacity to effectively hear and respond to the Lord’s call to serve. In particular, it can be one way to express our grief and mourning over glory stealing sin we see in ourselves, the Church, and the world. Our fasting leads us to a focused consideration of and intercession for the sin diseased situations in our worlds. It adds a point to our prayers asking the eternal Lover of all mankind to end sin’s night and tyranny, its salting of our fields, its poisoning of our waters.

Today may our fasting be acceptable in Messiah’s sight and be reason for His triumph over the devil and his minions, over sin and bondage, over death and hell, to reach ever more deeply into our own lives and the life of the world.

Accept, O Lord, our intercessions for all mankind. Restore lost glory to mankind and evermore increase the light and glory of Thy gospel in the world. Amen.

Blessings,

Fr. Wayne

Invocation of the Saints

2011-07-21T12:58:00.000-04:00

What seems to be a well reasoned article regarding invoking the Saints:

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae (Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.)

Of all the words we associate with the invocation of saints, these are the best known and most often said. A friend of mine, questioned by critics who assumed he was committing some sort of idolatry, answered that he was not praying to Mary, but asking her to pray for him. As such, he was not treating her as a deity, but as another person whose prayers, unhindered by the weakness of the flesh, could be a great aid in helping him against the perils of this world.

This whole subject begs genuine and sincere questions. Anglicans have no set doctrine on the matter of addressing specific saints, but a wide range of practice and points of view. On the subject of saintly intercession, it seems unthinkable that, for example, the same St. Paul who wrote the following words, has ever ceased to pray for those yet enduring the battle of the Church Militant:

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, etc. (Col. 1:9f)

The writer to the Hebrews tells us, concerning those who have gone before us with the mark of faith, "we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses." (Heb. 12:1) To expect their intercession is to understand that saintly spirits cannot be devoid of charity. The question, however, is one of invocation. When did this practice begin, and what was it in the earliest days? But, first, we must consider the word "saint" itself.

The word simply means "holy." In the famous "Hail Mary" devotion, "Holy Mary" means "Saint Mary" (Sancta Maria). Some have insisted on translating "the communion of saints" (communio sanctorum) as "Holy Communion," to make it speak of the sacrament. But, this is not the sense of the phrase in the Apostle's Creed as Christian writers have recorded the Church's general understanding. Generally, it has been understood to mean that the Church is one in Christ, so much so that death is no real barrier to fellowship or κοινωνία (koinōnia).

It is, however, quite obvious that the Bible does not use the word "saint" the same way that people have been generally using it for the last several centuries. To some people it may be shocking that every Christian is called to be a saint, as St. Paul wrote. For example in Romans 1:7 and in I Corinthians 1:2, he tells everyone in the Church that each one of them (that is, of us) is called to be a saint, using the same word that he used in both of these openings of his Epistles to say that he, Paul, was called to be an Apostle. The word is "κλητός" (klētos). It is an invitation, a calling, and by usage, a vocation such as Paul's own Apostolic vocation. The meaning is clear: Each and every Christian is called to be a saint, ἅγιος (hagios), called to holiness, no matter what other calling one may have. It is the New Testament word that corresponds to the Hebrew word חָסִיד (Hasid), as in Hasidic Judaism.

The Bible does not restrict the word "saint" to those who have died and who have been canonized. According to the Bible, the Church has saints both militant and triumphant. Living people, not yet departed, are called saints in the Scriptures, made holy and set apart to God by baptism, and sanctified in life by the Holy Spirit Who provides them with virtues. We need to be aware of this, because in modern usage it is reserved to the departed and canonized individuals whose names are known. We need to recover the older and Biblical meaning in order to understand the Scriptures, and to gain the proper view both of what God calls us to, and what He by His grace can make of each one of us.

It took time for the word "saint" to acquire its modern usage, and even longer for that usage to be taken for the only working definition of the word. An elaborate system of canonization has evolved over many centuries, especially in the Church of Rome. Today, a departed and very special person goes through stages of beautification, and is tested supposedly by working miracles and having his reputation endure a trial. At this trial "The Devil's Advocate" lists all the reasons why said person is not a saint. If all goes well, the canonization goes through, with the Pope declaring the person a saint as an infallible teaching, in each case, of the Church. The meaning, due to the evolution of ideas (today called "Doctrinal Development"), is that the canonized "saint" has been allowed directly into the presence of God to behold the Beatific Vision (Matt. 5:8), without suffering the pains of a punitive Purgatory.

It is all very inspiring and grand to some people. But, if you were to ask me to justify this elaborate system with the Bible, or even with the witness of the Fathers of the Church, I would have to answer that the task is impossible. It is not from the Bible, and was not known in the ancient centuries of the Church. It has grown over the years. No such process of canonization was known in Antiquity, and I can make no case for it now, especially with its dependence on doctrinal innovations such as Purgatory.

But, that saints of the Church Triumphant, who possess the virtue of charity, pray for those yet in the Church Militant, surrounding them in a cloud of witnesses , I do not doubt. Certainly, Heaven is all around us, the glory of it hidden from our mortal eyes to protect us from a sight we cannot endure in this fallen condition. We are not ready to see the glory of God all around us (Isaiah 6:3).

What then of invocation? Did any Ecumenical Council establish a doctrinal and authoritative dogma about it? No. A dogma about invocation does not exist. What does exist is very old practice, practice that is mostly devotional. The questions that arise generally are about whether or not the practice is dangerous, or whether or not it contradicts the Gospel. Does it amount to idolatry when Christians ask those who have departed, but who surround them in the great cloud of witnesses, to pray as intercessors? Does it make those departed saintly spirits into extra mediators, as if we needed more than the One Mediator Himself?

The answer to these questions is no; no more than my asking you to pray for me, or you asking me to pray for you. It would not be idolatry, obviously, nor is it logical to treat simple intercession as if it were equal to Divine-human Mediation, which only one Man, Jesus Christ, may do (I Tim. 2:5). I do ask you to pray for me. St. Paul, in his Epistles, both said he prayed for his children in the Faith and asked them to pray for him. No one can suggest, with any plausibility, that this amounts to anything that diminishes the unique role of our Lord and Savior.

I recall a very well known theologian, possibly the only real theologian in the Charismatic Movement during the 1970s, named W.J. Ern Baxter. He told a story about how his grandmother always prayed for him in the early days of his preaching ministry, and that when she died he felt a great loss because she could pray for him no longer. His story would end by telling how other people volunteered to pray in her place, and everyone would feel good inside. With all due respect for the man, a very learned man, why did he assume that his grandmother could no longer pray for him? Is death such a boundary as all that? The Lord Jesus told us, "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him." (Luke 20:38)

I cannot promise, however, that specific saints hear specific requests, for though the Church has long practiced calling on departed saints by name, each one is still a limited, finite being who waits to be clothed again in the resurrection. We must not imagine that they have become omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent. Like the angel who spoke to John on Patmos, they are our fellow servants. Nor can I recommend endless learning about specific saints, as if that constituted necessary religious instruction, in place of learning the Bible and the substance of our Faith. Nor can I accept the judgments of the Church of Rome about every person they recognize in the manner in which they use the word "saint."

Yet, knowing that the cloud of witnesses surrounds us, I can say as a devotion the words from the Gospel of Luke that constitute the Hail Mary (Luke 1:28, 42,43) and follow them with Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. I cannot promise anyone that she herself hears all those requests for prayer, having no chapter and verse to point to. After all, she is only human. But, I cannot doubt that she, along with St. Paul and so many others, pray for those of us who have yet more to endure in this battle, before we too may rest a while.

We Covet Your Prayers

2011-06-25T14:41:00.000-04:00

Dear People of God,

On behalf of all who are ordained to the sacred ministry of Christ's Church, I humbly beg of you your prayers. As weak and unworthy men we covet your faithful and earnest intercessions which are in truth a very great gift for which we are deeply thankful.

Blessings,

Fr. Wayne

A Litany for Bishops and Priests

God the Father,
Son,
And Holy Spirit,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Jesus, our High Priest,
Sacrifice,
And Teacher,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Bless our Holy Fathers,
Our bishops,
And priests,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Give them the strength of Thy grace,
And the love of Thy Heart,
And the spirit of sacrifice of Thine Own Divine life,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Make them firm in faith,
Holy in conduct,
And faithful in Thy service,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Fill them with the zeal of the Apostles,
With the courage of the Martyrs,
With the spirit of the Confessors,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Grant that they may convert the sinners,
Correct the erring,
Teach the ignorant,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Strengthen them with joy in their labors,
With patience in their sufferings,
With endurance in their struggles,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Preserve them in love for the little ones,
In zeal for the education of youth,
In loyalty to people and country,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Bless their words in the pulpit,
Their instructions in school,
Their admonitions in the Confessional and at the sickbed,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Preserve them from the temptations of the wicked enemy,
From the hostile plots of unscrupulous men,
From all occasions of sin,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Make us one with them in faith,
Loyal in Divine service,
And holy in life,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Give us holy bishops,
Holy priests,
Holy missionaries,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Canticle of the Sun

2011-06-01T23:16:00.000-04:00

Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226)

Canticle of the Sun (or Praise of the Creatures)

Most High, all powerful [omnipotent], good Lord!
All praise is Thine, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To Thee, alone, Most High, do they belong.
And no man worthy [fit] to mention Thee [pronounce Your Name.]

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] with [through] all Thy creatures,
especially through my lord [to my worshipful] Brother Sun,
who lights up [brings] the day; and brightness [light] Thou dost give through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant with splendor great [in all his splendor]!
Of Thee, Most High, signification gives [he bears the likeness.]

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] with [through] sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens Thou hast formed them clear [bright] and precious and beautiful [fair].

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] for [through] Brother Wind and for Air,
and clouds and fair [storms], and all weather [every kind of weather],
by [through] which you give your creatures sustenance [nourishment].

Be praised, My Lord, [Praised be my Lord] through sister Water;
she is very useful [greatly helpful], and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] through Brother Fire,
by [through] whom [which] Thou dost brighten [lighten] the night.
And He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful [mighty] and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] through [for] our sister mother Earth,
who feeds [the which sustains] us and rules [keeps] us,
and produces [brings forth] diverse fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] through those who forgive for Thy love;
and bear [endure] sickness and tribulation [trial].

Blessed [Happy] those who shall endure in peace,
for by Thee, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, [Praised be my Lord] through our sister Bodily Death,
From the which no man living can escape [from whose embrace no living person can flee].
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed [Happy] who shall find themselves in [those she finds doing] Thy most holy will.
For the second death shall do them no ill .

Praise ye and bless ye my Lord, and give Him thanks,
and serve [be subject to] Him with great humility.

Fixing Our Eyes

2011-05-05T05:48:00.000-04:00

John Donne (1572–1631), Holy Sonnet I

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it t'wards hell doth weigh;
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour my self I can sustain;
Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart.

Initial Stress Derived Nouns

2011-05-04T05:10:00.000-04:00

Initial-stress-derived noun

Initial-stress derivation is a phonological process in English, wherein verbs become nouns or adjectives when the stress is moved to the first syllable from a later one — usually, but not always, the second.

absent - abstract - accent - addict - address - affect - affix - alloy - ally - annex - assay - attribute - augment - belay - bombard - combat - combine - commune - compact - complex - compost - compound - compress - concert - conduct - confect - confine(s) - conflict - conscript - conserve - consist - console - consort - construct - consult - content - contest - contract - contrast - converse - convert - convict - costume - decrease - default - defect - desert - detail - dictate - digest - discard - discharge - discount - discourse - dismount - document - escort - essay - excise - exploit - export - extract - finance - foretaste - foretoken - forward - frequent - gallant - impact - implant - implement - impound - import - impress - imprint - incense - incline - increase - indent - inlay - insert - insult - intercept - interchange - intercross - interdict - interlink - interlock - intern - interplay - interspace - interweave - intrigue - invert - invite - involute - mandate - misprint - object - offset - ornament - overcount - overlap - overlay - overlook - override - overrun - overturn - perfect - perfume - permit - pervert - prefix - present - proceed(s) - produce - progress - project - protest - purport - rebel - recall - recap - recess - recoil - record - re-count - redirect - redo - redress - refill - refund - refuse - regress - rehash - reject - relapse - relay - remake - repeat - reprint - research - reset - retake - retard - retract - retread - rewrite - segment - subject - survey - suspect - torment - transfer - transform - transplant - transect - transport - transpose - undercount - underlay - underline - underscore - update - upgrade - uplift - upset

Emphasis Emphasis

2011-05-02T06:07:00.000-04:00

How insufficient is the merely written word? It lacks demeanor, affect, body language, eye contact, volume, emphasis, inflection, pitch, timbre, speed, enunciation, pronunciation.
Written communication commonly fails (sometimes miserably) if an issue is difficult, emotional, or personal; then it is perhaps the worst choice possible...so much room for misunderstanding. Call, or best yet, say it in person.

Read the following identical sentences aloud emphasizing the bolded word. It means something different each time.

1. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

2. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

3. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

4. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

5. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

6. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

7. I Didn’t Say You Stole My Money.

Holy Sonnet XV Donne

2011-04-30T04:36:00.000-04:00

Holy Sonnet XV

Wilt thou love God, as he thee? then digest,
My Soule, this wholsome meditation,
How God the Spirit, by Angels waited on
In heaven, doth make his Temple in thy brest.
The Father having begot a Sonne most blest,
And still begetting, (for he ne'r begonne)
Hath deign'd to chuse thee by adoption,
Coheire to his glory, and Sabbaths endlesse rest;
And as a robb'd man, which by search doth finde
His stolne stuffe sold, must lose or buy it againe;
The Sonne of glory came downe, and was slaine,
Us whom he had made, and Satan stolne, to unbinde.
Twas much, that man was made like God before,
But, that God should be made like man, much more.

With Modern Spellings

Wilt thou love God, as he thee? then digest,

My Soul, this wholesome meditation, 9

How God the Spirit, by Angels waited on 11

In heaven, doth make his Temple in thy breast. 11

The Father having begot a Son most blest, 11

And still begetting, (for he ne'r begun) 10

Hath deign'd to choose thee by adoption, 9

Coheir to his glory, and Sabbaths endless rest; 12

And as a robb'd man, which by search doth find 10

His stol'n stuff sold, must lose or buy it again; 11

The Son of glory came down, and was slain, 10

Us whom he had made, and Satan stol'n, to unbind. 12

Twas much, that man was made like God before, 10

But, that God should be made like man, much more.10

Shakespeare's Mark

2011-04-04T09:26:00.000-04:00

Words and Phrases Coined by Shakespeare

For many English-speakers, the following phrases are familiar enough to be considered common expressions, proverbs, and/or clichés. All of them seem to have originated with Shakespeare. This causes the us to notice the gift and profound effects he has had on us all. I do not know why it took me so long to post. I found it quite some time ago here .

All our yesterdays (Macbeth)
All that glitters is not gold (The Merchant of Venice)
All's well that ends well (title)
As good luck would have it (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
As merry as the day is long (Much Ado About Nothing / King John)
Bated breath (The Merchant of Venice)
Bag and baggage (As You Like It / Winter's Tale)
Bear a charmed life (Macbeth)
Be-all and the end-all (Macbeth)
Beggar all description (Antony and Cleopatra)
Better foot before ("best foot forward") (King John)
The better part of valor is discretion (I Henry IV; possibly already a known saying)
In a better world than this (As You Like It)
Neither a borrower nor a lender be (Hamlet)
Brave new world (The Tempest)
Break the ice (The Taming of the Shrew)
Breathed his last (3 Henry VI)
Brevity is the soul of wit (Hamlet)
Refuse to budge an inch (Measure for Measure / Taming of the Shrew)
Cold comfort (The Taming of the Shrew / King John)
Conscience does make cowards of us all (Hamlet)
Come what come may ("come what may") (Macbeth)
Comparisons are odorous (Much Ado about Nothing)
Crack of doom (Macbeth)
Dead as a doornail (2 Henry VI)
A dish fit for the gods (Julius Caesar)
Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war (Julius Caesar)
Dog will have his day (Hamlet)
Devil incarnate (Titus Andronicus / Henry V)
Eaten me out of house and home (2 Henry IV)
Elbow room (King John; first attested 1540 according to Merriam-Webster)
Farewell to all my greatness (Henry VIII)
Faint hearted (I Henry VI)
Fancy-free (Midsummer Night's Dream)
Fight till the last gasp (I Henry VI)
Flaming youth (Hamlet)
Fool's paradise (Romeo and Juliet)
Forever and a day (As You Like It)
For goodness' sake (Henry VIII)
Foregone conclusion (Othello)
Full circle (King Lear)
The game is afoot (I Henry IV)
The game is up (Cymbeline)
Give the devil his due (I Henry IV)
Good riddance (Troilus and Cressida)
Jealousy is the green-eyed monster (Othello)
It was Greek to me (Julius Caesar)
Heart of gold (Henry V)
Her infinite variety (Antony and Cleopatra)
'Tis high time (The Comedy of Errors)
Hoist with his own petard (Hamlet)
Household words (Henry V)
A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse! (Richard III)
Ill wind which blows no man to good (2 Henry IV)
Improbable fiction (Twelfth Night)
In a pickle (The Tempest)
In my heart of hearts (Hamlet)
In my mind's eye (Hamlet)
Infinite space (Hamlet)
Infirm of purpose (Macbeth)
In a pickle (The Tempest)
In my book of memory (I Henry VI)
It is but so-so(As You Like It)
It smells to heaven (Hamlet)
Itching palm (Julius Caesar)
Kill with kindness (Taming of the Shrew)
Killing frost (Henry VIII)
Knit brow (The Rape of Lucrece)
Knock knock! Who's there? (Macbeth)
Laid on with a trowel (As You Like It)
Laughing stock (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
Laugh yourself into stitches (Twelfth Night)
Lean and hungry look (Julius Caesar)
Lie low (Much Ado about Nothing)
Live long day (Julius Caesar)
Love is blind (Merchant of Venice)
Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water (Henry VIII)
Melted into thin air (The Tempest)
Though this be madness, yet there is method in it ("There's a method to my madness") (Hamlet)
Make a virtue of necessity (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
The Makings of(Henry VIII)
Milk of human kindness (Macbeth)
Ministering angel (Hamlet)
Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows (The Tempest)
More honored in the breach than in the observance (Hamlet)
More in sorrow than in anger (Hamlet)
More sinned against than sinning (King Lear)
Much Ado About Nothing (title)
Murder most foul (Hamlet)
Murder will out (Hamlet)
Naked truth (Love's Labours Lost)
Neither rhyme nor reason (As You Like It)
Not slept one wink (Cymbeline)
Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it (Macbeth)
[Obvious] as a nose on a man's face (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
Once more into the breach (Henry V)
One fell swoop (Macbeth)
One that loved not wisely but too well (Othello)
Time is out of joint (Hamlet)
Out of the jaws of death (Twelfth Night)
Own flesh and blood (Hamlet)
Star-crossed lovers (Romeo and Juliet)
Parting is such sweet sorrow (Romeo and Juliet)
What's past is prologue (The Tempest)
[What] a piece of work [is man] (Hamlet)
Pitched battle (Taming of the Shrew)
A plague on both your houses (Romeo and Juliet)
Play fast and loose (King John)
Pomp and circumstance (Othello)
[A poor] thing, but mine own (As You Like It)
Pound of flesh (The Merchant of Venice)
Primrose path (Hamlet)
Quality of mercy is not strained (The Merchant of Venice)
Salad days (Antony and Cleopatra)
Sea change (The Tempest)
Seen better days (As You Like It? Timon of Athens?)
Send packing (I Henry IV)
How sharper than the serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child (King Lear)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day (Sonnets)
Make short shrift (Richard III)
Sick at heart (Hamlet)
Snail paced (Troilus and Cressida)
Something in the wind (The Comedy of Errors)
Something wicked this way comes (Macbeth)
A sorry sight (Macbeth)
Sound and fury (Macbeth)
Spotless reputation (Richard II)
Stony hearted (I Henry IV)
Such stuff as dreams are made on (The Tempest)
Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep ("Still waters run deep") (2 Henry VI)
The short and the long of it (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
Sweet are the uses of adversity (As You Like It)
Sweets to the sweet (Hamlet)
Swift as a shadow (A Midsummer Night's Dream
Tedious as a twice-told tale (King John)
Set my teeth on edge (I Henry IV)
Tell truth and shame the devil (1 Henry IV)
Thereby hangs a tale (Othello; in context, this seems to have been already in use)
There's no such thing (?) (Macbeth)
There's the rub (Hamlet)
This mortal coil (Hamlet)
To gild refined gold, to pain the lily ("to gild the lily") (King John)
To thine own self be true (Hamlet)
Too much of a good thing (As You Like It)
Tower of strength (Richard III)
Towering passion (Hamlet)
Trippingly on the tongue (Hamlet)
Truth will out (The Merchant of Venice)
Violent delights have violent ends (Romeo and Juliet)
Wear my heart upon my sleeve (Othello)
What the dickens (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
What's done is done (Macbeth)
What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Romeo and Juliet)
What fools these mortals be (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
What the dickens (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
Wild-goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)
Wish is father to that thought (2 Henry IV)
Witching time of night (Hamlet)
Working-day world (As You Like It)
The world's my oyster (2 Henry IV)
Yeoman's service (Hamlet)

Lost - Masaccio - Santa Maria della Carmine

2011-03-30T13:17:00.000-04:00

wretched betrayal
grievous offense

burning shame

wrenching sorrow
desperate grief

painful exile
intolerable burdens

Lord, have mercy.

Have Blessed Annuciation

2011-03-25T06:50:00.004-04:00

Annunciation

Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created, thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;
Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;
Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.

A CLEAR CALL TO CONFESSION

2011-03-22T14:44:00.000-04:00

The following is the Ash Wednesday Sermon Delivered to Christ the King Anglican Church AD 2011 by a good and godly bishop the Rt. Rev. Daniel Morse, currently a Reformed Episcopal Missionary Bishop of the Missionary Diocese of the Central States. Its intent is to effectively posture us for the bright sadness of Lent so the blessing and healing of the season might prosper in us as we encounter ever more deeply the great love and mercy of our Saviour. It is printed here with permission. Thank you Bp. Morse!

A CLEAR CALL TO CONFESSION

Joel 2:12-17 St. Matthew 6:16-21

The clear call to confession issued on Ash Wednesday and continued throughout the Season of Lent is firmly set within the context of Christian faith and practice. It is not to the heathen that the call is made, but to God’s own chosen people. You see, the unfortunate tendency of us who live this side of eternity is to slide back into the ways of the world from which we were delivered. Thus we need to be reminded that there is a need for us to constantly and repeatedly renew and deepen our confession so as to firmly establish our faith and to bring back a sense of reality to our religion.

The essential characteristic of repentance is what St. Paul referred to as a two-fold process—the putting off of the old and the putting on of the new. The reading from the prophecy of Joel reminds us that it is not enough to turn away from evil with a desire to renounce it, but that we must also actively and persistently turn toward God Himself. Without the Holy God of the Universe as our focus and goal we will constantly be distracted and diverted from walking in His holy ways. Thus the first clear call to confession is a call to turn Godward.

But that turn has to be founded upon reality. God is a holy God and cannot be approached lightly. Our sinfulness must be openly acknowledged and truly lamented—we are to weep and mourn over our waywardness and wretchedness. There is the very real danger of turning penitence into a mockery—to use ritual as a means of elevation in the eyes of others. Our Lord addressed the emptiness and unacceptable nature of such behavior in the Gospel lesson. Outward appearance does not impress a God to Whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from Whom no secrets are hid.

We must beware of engaging only in the outward signs of penitence, and of failing to bring the acceptable sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart. So, as we turn Godwards, it is not enough to rend our garments, or to “appear unto men to fast”; what we need to do, before God’s all-seeing eye, is to rend our hearts.

However, there is another danger which we must endeavor to steer away from and that is the propensity to get locked into morbid introspection. The excessive occupation of our minds with ourselves will lead us as far away from God as would our sins. Thus in our repentance we must always keep in mind the fact that when God calls us away from sin, He offers us Himself for our salvation not our condemnation. The prophet Joel describes God as “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm”. God is no mean ogre nor is He a tyrant. He is a loving and benevolent Monarch Who does discipline His children sternly for their own good, but then welcomes them tenderly when they learn their lesson and turn to Him in repentance.

Truly, if God should mark iniquities, none of us could hope to stand in His presence. But, praise be, there is forgiveness with Him. Thus as we come to God our hope must be wholly fixed on His merciful, gracious and loving character. As such we are reminded once more that if God is not our constant focus, we run the risk of distraction.

As God is worshiped primarily in the assembling of believers together, there is, in like manner, a time for the collective confession of such an assembly. The prophet Joel spoke of a trumpet being blown for the express reason of gathering God’s people together for mutual fasting and prayer. The Season of Lent is our New Testament equivalent. It is a time in which we, as the familial kingdom of priests, are to assemble as a whole congregation, of old and young, men and women, priests and laymen, so that we might acknowledge our collective neglect in doing the perfect will of God.

Today, we admit that we have not always been faithful witnesses to Him—that we have not always been true ambassadors of His Kingdom—that we have not always portrayed the image of God to the world—that we have often put the pursuit of temporary earthly pleasures and earthly treasures before Him—that we have not always sought His Kingdom nor His righteousness first. At this time we join together with each other in public lamentation of our common blindness, our common neglect and our common sinfulness.

Lent is a time in which we remind ourselves that God is not to be taken lightly nor treated with the kind of disrespect so common in our modern culture. It is a time in which we remember the seriousness of His honor and the seriousness of our own unworthiness.

And thus we turn to Him in prayer, guarding against flippancy on the one hand and despair on the other. There is hope to be found—in the amazing truth that God has set His love upon us, that He has made us His people, that the honor of His Name is publicly involved in what happens to us. We can, therefore, rightly pray, and we ought chiefly to pray, that God will deliver us for the glory of his own Name, because we are His; so that our unworthy state may no longer bring God’s Name into reproach. After all, why should the pagans say among themselves, “Where is their God?”

Joel’s call to confession was issued to God’s people. Today, the same clear call for confession is once more issued to those who call themselves by His Name. As we come to His Table of grace, mercy and forgiveness, let us be minded to turn away from our waywardness and toward our God, keeping Him as the focal point of our lives, not only during this Lenten Season, but indeed throughout the rest of our life. May the Almighty God convict us this day, pardon and deliver us from all ungodliness, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness and, indeed, bring us to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian - Schmemann

2011-03-10T06:24:00.000-05:00

Some good thoughts to begin Lent with......

Of all Lenten hymns and prayers, one short prayer can be termed the Lenten prayer. Tradition ascribes it to one of the great teachers of spiritual life - St. Ephrem the Syrian. Here is its text:

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

This prayer is read twice at the end of each Lenten service Monday through Friday (not on Saturdays and Sundays for, as we shall see later, the services of these days do not follow the Lenten pattern). At the first reading, a prostration follows each petition. Then we all bow twelve times saying: "O God, cleanse me a sinner." The entire prayer is repeated with one final prostration at the end.

Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important position in the entire Lenten worship? Because it enumerates in a unique way all the "negative" and "positive" elements of repentance and constitutes, so to speak, a "check list" for our individual Lenten effort. This effort is aimed first at our liberation from some fundamental spiritual diseases which shape our life and make it virtually impossible for us even to start turning ourselves to God.

The basic disease is sloth. It is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being which always pushes us "down" rather than "up" -- which constantly convinces us that no change is possible and therefore desirable. It is in fact a deeply rooted cynicism which to every spiritual challenge responds "what for?" and makes our life one tremendous spiritual waste. It is the root of all sin because it poisons the spiritual energy at its very source.

The result of sloth is faint-heartedness. It is the state of despondency which all spiritual Fathers considered the greatest danger for the soul. Despondency is the impossibility for man to see anything good or positive; it is the reduction of everything to negativism and pessimism. It is truly a demonic power in us because the Devil is fundamentally a liar. He lies to man about God and about the world; he fills life with darkness and negation. Despondency is the suicide of the soul because when man is possessed by it he is absolutely unable to see the light and to desire it.

Lust of power! Strange as it may seem, it is precisely sloth and despondency that fill our life with lust of power. By vitiating the entire attitude toward life and making it meaningless and empty, they force us to seek compensation in, a radically wrong attitude toward other persons. If my life is not oriented toward God, not aimed at eternal values, it will inevitably become selfish and selfcentered and this means that all other beings will become means of my own self-satisfaction. If God is not the Lord and Master of my life, then I become my own lord and master -- the absolute center of my own world, and I begin to evaluate everything in terms of my needs, my ideas, my desires, and my judgments. The lust of power is thus a fundamental depravity in my relationship to other beings, a search for their subordination to me. It is not necessarily expressed in the actual urge to command and to dominate "others." It may result as well in indifference, contempt, lack of interest, consideration, and respect. It is indeed sloth and despondency directed this time at others; it completes spiritual suicide with spiritual murder.

Finally, idle talk. Of all created beings, man alone has been endowed with the gift of speech. All Fathers see in it the very "seal" of the Divine Image in man because God Himself is revealed as Word (John, 1:1). But being the supreme gift, it is by the same token the supreme danger. Being the very expression of man, the means of his self-fulfillment, it is for this very reason the means of his fall and self-destruction, of betrayal and sin. The word saves and the word kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. The word is the means of Truth and it is the means of demonic Lie. Having an ultimate positive power, it has therefore a tremendous negative power. It truly creates positively or negatively. When deviated from its divine origin and purpose, the word becomes idle. It "enforces" sloth, despondency, and lust of power, and transforms life into hell. It becomes the very power of sin.

These four are thus the negative "objects" of repentance. They are the obstacles to be removed. But God alone can remove them. Hence, the first part of the Lenten prayer; this cry from the bottom of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves to the positive aims of repentance which also are four.

Chastity! If one does not reduce this term, as is so often and erroneously done, only to its sexual connotations, it is understood as the positive counterpart of sloth. The exact and full translation of the Greek sofrosini and the Russian tselomudryie ought to be whole-mindedness. Sloth is, first of all, dissipation, the brokenness of our vision and energy, the inability to see the whole. Its opposite then is precisely wholeness. If we usually mean by chastity the virtue opposed to sexual depravity, it is because the broken character of our existence is nowhere better manifested than in sexual lust -- the alienation of the body from the life and control of the spirit. Christ restores wholeness in us and He does so by restoring in us the true scale of values by leading us back to God.

The first and wonderful fruit of this wholeness or chastity is humility. We already spoke of it. It is above everything else the victory of truth in us, the elimination of all lies in which we usually live. Humility alone is capable of truth, of seeing and accepting things as they are and therefore of seeing God's majesty and goodness and love in everything. This is why we are told that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.

Chastity and humility are naturally followed by patience. The "natural" or "fallen" man is impatient, for being blind to himself he is quick to judge and to condemn others. Having but a broken, incomplete, and distorted knowledge of everything, he measures all things by his tastes and his ideas. Being indifferent to everyone except himself, he wants life to be successful right here and now. Patience, however, is truly a divine virtue. God is patient not because He is "indulgent," but because He sees the depth of all that exists, because the inner reality of things, which in our blindness we do not see, is open to Him. The closer we come to God, the more patient we grow and the more we reflect that infinite respect for all beings which is the proper quality of God.

Finally, the crown and fruit of all virtues, of all growth and effort, is love -- that love which, as we have already said, can be given by God alone-the gift which is the goal of all spiritual preparation and practice.

All this is summarized and brought together in the concluding petition of the Lenten prayer in which we ask "to see my own errors and not to judge my brother." For ultimately there is but one danger: pride. Pride is the source of evil, and all evil is pride. Yet it is not enough for me to see my own errors, for even this apparent virtue can be turned into pride. Spiritual writings are full of warnings against the subtle forms of pseudo-piety which, in reality, under the cover of humility and self-accusation can lead to a truly demonic pride. But when we "see our own errors" and "do not judge our brothers," when, in other terms, chastity, humility, patience, and love are but one in us, then and only then the ultimate enemy--pride--will be destroyed in us.

After each petition of the prayer we make a prostration. Prostrations are not limited to the Prayer of St. Ephrem but constitute one of the distinctive characteristics of the entire Lenten worship. Here, however, their meaning is disclosed best of all. In the long and difficult effort of spiritual recovery, the Church does not separate the soul from the body. The whole man has fallen away from God; the whole man is to be restored, the whole man is to return. The catastrophe of sin lies precisely in the victory of the flesh -- the animal, the irrational, the lust in us -- over the spiritual and the divine. But the body is glorious; the body is holy, so holy that God Himself "became flesh." Salvation and repentance then are not contempt for the body or neglect of it, but restoration of the body to its real function as the expression and the life of spirit, as the temple of the priceless human soul. Christian asceticism is a fight, not against but for the body. For this reason, the whole man - soul and body - repents. The body participates in the prayer of the soul just as the soul prays through and in the body. Prostrations, the "psycho-somatic" sign of repentance and humility, of adoration and obedience, are thus the Lenten rite par excellence.

Canon of St. Andrew of Crete with Scripture References and Alternate Translations

2011-03-10T06:16:00.000-05:00

Monday of the First Week

The Canon

of

St. Andrew

of

Crete

[words in squared brackets are alt. translations]

{words in braces are additional text from alt. versions}

words in italics are prayers to Mary or another saint

The following is an organization of the Canon for use as a Lenten Devotional - Four days with nine odes gives us thirty-six total. We begin here on the first Monday of the Western Lent. I still have a lot of Scriptures to add but that will have to wait another year or so....so little time.

Ode 1 (First Monday)

A Helper and a Protector has become salvation to me.
This is my God, Whom I will glorify.
God of my fathers
I will exalt Him for in glory was He glorified.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

How shall I begin to mourn the deeds of my wretched life?

What can I offer as first fruits of repentance?

In Thy compassion, O Christ, forgive Thou my sins.

Come, my wretched soul, and confess your sins in the flesh to the Creator of all. From this moment forsake [in future refrain from] your former brutishness [foolishness] and offer to God tears of repentance.

My transgressions rival those of first created Adam, and through [because of] my sins I find myself naked of God and of His everlasting kingdom. (Genesis 3)

Alas, my wretched soul, why are you so like Eve? You look in wickedness [see evil] and are grievously [bitterly] wounded; you touch the tree and taste rashly [heedlessly] of its deceiving [forbidden] fruit.

Instead of the person [visible, bodily] Eve, I have within my inward being [my mind] an "Eve" of passionate thoughts which though seemingly sweet never lose their bitter taste.

For failing to observe just one of Thy commandments, O Saviour, Adam was justly exiled from Eden. What then shall I suffer for continually ignoring [always rejecting] Thy words of life [living words]? (Hebrews 12:25; Genesis 3:23)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Trinity above all essence and worshiped as One God, take from me the heavy burden [yoke] of sin, and since Thou art compassionate grant me tears of repentance [compunction].

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, Hope and Protection of those who sing to you, take from me the heavy burden of sin and as one pure Lady accept me as I repent.

Ode 2 (First Tuesday)

Attend O heaven and I will speak,
And I will sing of Christ,
Who from the Virgin took flesh to dwell with us.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

Listen, O heaven, and I will speak. O earth, hear the cry of one returning to God and singing His praises.

Look down on me in Thy mercy, [Attend to me with Thy merciful eye] O compassionate God and Saviour, and accept my fervent confession. (Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 33:15)

More than all have I sinned; I alone have sinned against Thee, O God my Saviour, but have compassion on me, Thy creature. (Psalm 51, 1 Timothy 1:15)

Through love of pleasure has my form become deformed and the beauty of my inward being has been ruined [marred].

O compassionate One, as Thou didst save Peter when he was about to sink, so reach out now to me, for a storm of evil surges around me.[a storm of passions besets me] (Matthew 14:31)

O Saviour, I have defiled [stained] the garment of my flesh and polluted that which Thou didst fashion within me according to Thine own image and likeness.

With passions have I darkened the beauty of my soul and permitted my whole inward being to become mire.

I lie naked, having torn up the garment which my Creator fashioned [wove] for me in the beginning. I am ashamed, for the serpent deceived me and my garment is in tatters.

O compassionate One, like the prostitute who anointed Thy feet so now do I offer Thee tears. Be merciful to me, O Saviour.

{I lie naked and ashamed, for} I saw the beauty of the tree in the middle of the garden, and was seduced [it deceived me.]

The demons have cut deep wounds of passion into my back; their lawlessness has made it like a plowed field.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God of all, I sing of Thee as One yet Three in Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Most holy Theotokos, Virgin alone praised everywhere, pray fervently that we may be saved.

Ode 3 (First Wednesday, Ember Wednesday - Lenten Embertide begins)

Establish Thy Church, O Christ,

on the unshakeable rock of Thy commandments.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

The Lord once rained fire from heaven, O my soul, and the land of Sodom was consumed.

Save yourself from sin, O my soul! Like Lot on the mountain, take timely refuge in the town of Zoar.

Run from the flames [burning], O my soul! Run from the burning [heat] of Sodom! Run from the destruction caused by fire sent from God!

O Christ my Saviour, I have sinned above all men; I alone have sinned against Thee, yet do not forsake me!

As a Good Shepherd search for me, Thy sheep [lamb] who has gone astray, and do not forsake [neglect] me.

{Thou art my sweet Jesus, Thou art my Creator; in Thee, O Saviour, I shall be justified}

I confess, O Saviour, that I have sinned against Thee, but since Thou art compassionate, absolve and forgive me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God, Trinity yet One, save us from delusion, temptations, and misfortune!

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Hail, O Womb which received God! Hail, O Throne of the Lord! Hail, O Mother of our Life!

Ode 4 (First Thursday)

The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord,

and was afraid that Thou wast to be born of a virgin
and appear to men,
and he said
"I have heard the report of Thee and am afraid";
Glory unto Thy power, O Lord.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

Do not forget [Despise not] Thy saving acts, O righteous Judge, or turn away from Thy creatures, but in Thy compassion forgive me, though I have sinned more than all. For Thou hast power to remit the sins of all.

The end is approaching, O my soul, it is approaching! So why do you not care or prepare [yourself for it]? Arise! The time grows short! The Judge already stands at the door. Life is vanishing like a dream, [like a dream life passes] so why do you live still [bustle about] in vanity?

Arise, O my soul, and reveal the evil things you have done. Ponder them well and allow your tears to flow. Then confess [boldly tell] your deeds and thoughts openly to Christ, and He will make you righteous [and be acquitted].

There never has been a sin, a deed, an evil act [vice] that I have not cherished, O Saviour. I have sinned in my thoughts, my words, and my deeds, and no one has sinned more than I.

Despair condemns me in the tribunal of my conscience where judgment is harsher than by any law on earth. O my Judge, Who created and redeemed me, spare, deliver, and save me, Thy servant.

The ladder which long ago Jacob the great patriarch saw is for you, O my soul, an image to consider. The bottom most rung is a first step towards doing the will of God, while those that follow lead to a true knowledge of Him. Therefore, renew your Life if you wish to do God's work, to receive knowledge and insight.

Wishing to marry Rachel, Jacob tended her father's sheep for seven years through the scorching heat of day and the frost of night. When given Leah by deceit he struggled and slaved yet another seven finally to win his chosen bride.

Now consider these two wives as images of diligence and wisdom: Leah, who bore many children, is untiring labor, while Rachel is that wisdom which one acquires only through diligence. Neither, however, is possible, O my soul, without your effort.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

I confess Thee as one God in Trinity, a single essence unconfused in persons, co-enthroned and co-ruling, and I sing to Thee, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

As a virgin you gave birth, and a virgin you remained by nature, your womb giving birth painlessly for He Who was born of you renewed the laws of nature, since when God wills its order is overthrown.

Ode 5 (First Friday Ember Friday)

Out of the night watching early for Thee,
enlighten me I pray, O Lover of man,
and guide me in Thy commandments,
and teach me, O Saviour, to do Thy will.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

In the darkness of night has my whole Life passed, amidst shadowy delusions I cannot escape. But, O Saviour, make me now a child of the day.

My soul is in despair, for like Reuben who defiled his father's bed, I have disobeyed the will of God my Father by defiling His image within me.

I confess my sins to Thee, O Christ my King, like Joseph's brothers have I sold into slavery him who was chaste and pure.

As an image of our Lord was that righteous soul cast out by his brothers and sold into slavery, while you, my soul, have sold yourself into your own evil hands.

O suffering and hopeless soul, imitate the purity of mind in righteous Joseph, and do not sin by being led astray by irrational desires.

Joseph's being placed in a pit formed an image of Thy burial and resurrection, O Lord and Master. Will I ever be able to endure such things for Thy sake?

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify Thee, O Trinity, One in essence, and we praise and adore Thee forever, singing, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

God, the Creator of all things, became incarnate through you, O pure Virgin Mother, uniting our human nature to Himself.

Ode 6 (First Saturday Ember Saturday)

With my whole heart,

I cried unto the compassionate God,
and He heard me;
and He lifted up my soul from the depths of hell
and from corruption.
Have mercy upon me, O God, have mercy upon me.

I offer you, O Saviour, sincere tears and the deepest groans of my soul, crying from the heart, "O God, I have sinned against Thee, be merciful to me".

When Datham and Abiram defied Moses and turned from the Lord, the earth opened to swallow them. Now you, my soul, having turned from the Lord as well, must cry with your whole heart from the depths of hell to be spared, lest you share their lot.

Having lived as a stubborn mule, O my soul, like that idol worshiper Ephraim, now as an agile deer flee the hunters and save your Life, strengthening it with good deeds, wisdom, and prayer.

Be assured, O my soul, that as God was able to turn Moses' hand white with disease and cleanse it once again, so can He also cleanse and purify a diseased Life. Therefore, do not despair of yourself even though infected with many sins.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"I AM the Trinity, simple and undivided in essence yet divided in Persons. I AM also the Unity united in nature," says God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Thy womb, O Theotokos, held God Who for our sakes took human form. Implore Him, the Creator of all, that through your prayers we may be justified.

Kontakion (Tone 6)

My soul, my soul, Arise!
Why are you sleeping [How long wouldest thou sleep]?
Thine end draweth near,
and you will be confounded [and thou art avowed to be disturbed],
awake therefore (and be watchful)
that Christ (our God) may (spare you) [have compassion on thee],
Who present in every place, and filling all things.

Ode 7 (Second Monday)

We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee.
We have not watched or done as Thou hast commanded us,
but do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

I have sinned, I have erred, I have rejected Thy commandments. I have increased in sin and added to the wounds of my soul. But in Thy compassion, be merciful to me, O God of our fathers.

I have confessed to Thee, my Judge, the secrets of my heart. See my humility, my distress, and give me now Thy judgment, in Thy compassion being merciful to me, O God of our fathers.

Saul lost his father's flock and found himself suddenly proclaimed King of Israel. Watch, O my soul, lest your animal instincts now block you from the kingdom of Christ.

David was a forefather of the Lord, O my soul, yet sinned doubly by committing both murder and adultery. Thy sickness, however, is even worse than his deeds because of your impulsive will.

David, though once compounding his sins by first murdering a man and then stealing his wife was quick to repent of both. Thee, however, O my soul, have done worse things than he, yet never repented of them before the Lord.

David once showed us the image of true repentance in a psalm he wrote exposing all he had done. "Be merciful to me and cleanse me!" he wrote, "for against Thee only have I sinned, the God of our fathers".

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Simple and undivided, One in essence and nature, Light and Lights, One Holy and three Holies, God is praised as Trinity. So sing praises to Him, O my soul, and glorify the Life and Lives, the God of all.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We praise you, we bless and venerate you, O Mother of God, for from the undivided Trinity you brought forth the only Son of God and restored to us on earth the heavenly realms.

Ode 8 (Second Tuesday)

Him Whom the hosts of heaven glorify,

Whom the Cherubim and Seraphim dread,
let every breath and creature praise, bless, and magnify
throughout all ages.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

O Saviour, I have sinned! Now convert my soul and receive me in repentance as I cry, "Against Thee only have I sinned and lived lawlessly. Have mercy on me!"

Remember, O my soul, how Elijah once drove the fiery chariot into heaven, abandoning all earthly cares by perfection in every virtue.

Elisha inherited a double portion of prophetic spirit when Elijah's mantle fell from heaven upon him. But how can you, O my soul, hope to share in such graces, not yet having learned to control your love of worldly pleasures?

Once the river Jordan was divided when Elisha struck its waters with Elijah's mantle. But how can you hope to share in such wonders, not yet having learned to control your love of worldly pleasures?

The wealthy woman of Shuynem showed her good will by entertaining the righteous Elisha, but you, my soul, receive neither strangers nor travelers, and will find yourself an alien cast out of the bridal chamber of Christ.

When Elisha cured Naaman of a dread disease he asked no price in return. But you, my soul, have imitated his wicked servant Gehazai, who sought money in his master's name. Abandon such greed before the end, lest you be cast into eternal fire.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Eternal Father, co-eternal Son, and gracious Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, O Father of the Divine Word, Word of the eternal Father, and Life-creating Spirit, Trinity in unity, have mercy on us.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, the flesh of Emmanuel was formed within your womb as a robe of royal crimson is spun from scarlet silk. We proclaim you to be truly the Mother of our God.

Ode 9 (Second Wednesday)

Ineffable is the child bearing of a seedless conception,
a mother remaining pure.
For the birth of God renews nature,
so in all ages we honour you as mother and bride of God.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

My inward being is wounded, my body is weak; my spirit is ill, and the word is powerless. Life is giving way to death and the end is near. What shall I do when the Judge comes and I must stand before Him?

I have reminded you, O my soul, from the books of Moses how the world was created, and from accounts throughout the Old Testament have shown examples of both the righteous and the unrighteous. But of these you have imitated the latter rather than the former and thereby have sinned against your God.

The law has no power over you, O my soul. You have made the Gospel fruitless, scorned the Scriptures, and reaped yourself no value from the prophets or the writings of the just. your wounds have increased and you have no physician to heal you.

Therefore, O my soul, I will remind you of examples from the New Testament to lead you to contrition. Imitate the righteous and shun the ways of sinners that through prayer, fasting, purity, and reverence you may obtain the mercy of Christ.

Christ became a man, taking our flesh and of His own free will enduring everything which pertains to human nature {except sin}. He has shown you an image of His own condescension.

Christ became a man and called both robbers and prostitutes to repentance. Return, therefore, O my soul, to Him. For the doors of the kingdom now stand open and the Pharisees, tax collectors and adulterers who have changed their ways are entering ahead of you!

Christ granted salvation to the Magi who worshiped Him; He summoned shepherds to His crib; He manifested as martyrs the infants whom Herod slew, glorified Simeon the Elder and the widow Anna, but you, my soul, have not imitated the lives and works of any such as these. Therefore, how terrible it will be for you when you are judged!

After He had fasted forty days in the wilderness, hunger revealed the Lord's human nature. Therefore, O my soul, do not despair if the enemy attacks you, for it is only through prayer and fasting that he shall be defeated.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify the Father, we exalt the Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit, the indivisible Trinity Who exists as One, the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives Who grants light and Life to the ends of the world.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O purest Mother of God, preserve your people, for through you are we kept faithful, strengthened, and made able to overcome every temptation, trial, and tribulation.

O holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.

O honourable Andrew, thrice-blessed Father and pastor of Crete, never cease praying to God for those who sing your praises, that He may deliver from anger, sorrow, corruption, and countless sins all of us who faithfully honour your memory.

And the rest of Compline

Ode 1 (Second Thursday)

A Helper and a Protector has become salvation to me.
This is my God, I will glorify Him.
God of my fathers
I will exalt Him for in glory was He glorified.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

Deliberately have I imitated blood thirsty Cain, O Lord, enlivening my flesh while murdering my soul by striking it with my evil deeds.

I have not resembled Abel in his righteousness, O Jesus, never having offered to Thee actions worthy of God, pure gifts, an appropriate sacrifice, an unblemished Life.

Like Cain, O my wretched soul, my offering to the Creator of all has been filthy deeds, a polluted sacrifice, and a worthless Life, and like him I now stand condemned.

Thou didst form my flesh and bones as a Potter, O my Creator, my Redeemer and my Judge, by moulding clay into flesh and infusing in it the breath of Life. Accept me now as I return to Thee.

O my Saviour, I confess the sins which I have committed, the wounds which murderous thoughts, like thieves within me, have inflicted on my soul and body.

Though I have sinned, O Saviour, I know that in Thy love for mankind Thy punishment is merciful and Thy compassion profound. Seeing my tears Thou wilt run to me as the Father calling His lost son.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Trinity above all essence and worshiped as One God, take from me the heavy burden of sin, and since Thou art compassionate grant me tears of repentance.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, Hope and Protection of those who sing to you, take from me the heavy burden of sin and as one pure Lady accept me as I repent.

Ode 2 (Second Friday)

Attend O heaven and I will speak,
I will sing of Christ,
Who from the Virgin took flesh to dwell with us.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Sin stripped me of the garment created for me by God, leaving me in a coat of skin.

Sensing his shame, Adam dressed himself in fig leaves, and like him I now wear a garment of shame which reveals my many passions.

A soiled garment clothes me, one shamefully stained with blood flowing from a Life of passion and love of fleshly things.

I fell beneath the weight of the passions and the corruption of my flesh, and from that moment has the Enemy had power over me.

Instead of seeking poverty of spirit I prefer a Life of greed and self gratification. Therefore, O Saviour, a heavy weight hangs from my neck.

Joseph's was a splendid coat of many colours, but mine is one of shameful thoughts, which condemns me even as it covers my flesh.

I persist in caring only for my outer garment, while neglecting the temple within me, one made in the image of God.

The woman searched her house for the lost coin until she found it. Now the beauty of my original image is lost, O Saviour, buried in passion. Come and as she did, search to recover it.

Like the prostitute I cry to Thee, O Saviour, that I have sinned. I alone have sinned against Thee! But accept my tears as Thou didst hers when she came to anoint Thy feet.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God of all, I sing of Thee as One yet Three in Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Most holy Theotokos, Virgin alone praised everywhere, pray fervently that we may be saved.

Ode 3 (Second Saturday)

Establish, O Lord, my unstable heart
on the rock of Thy commandments for only Thee are holy and the Lord.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

In Thee, the Destroyer of death, have I found the Fountain of Life, and now from the heart cry out before my death, "I have sinned. Be merciful and save me!"

I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned against Thee, but be merciful to me, though there is no one whose sins I have not surpassed.

I have imitated those who in the days of Noah indulged themselves, and like them I deserve to perish in a flood.

Noah's son Ham failed to conceal his father's nakedness, and even dared to look at him in his shame [and even desired to usurp his authority]. And you, my soul, in your treatment of your neighbour have imitated him.

Run my soul! Run from sin, as Lot ran from the fire! Run from Sodom and Gomorrah! Run from the flame of every deceiving desire!

Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy upon me, so shall I cry to Thee when Thou comest with Thine angels to render to us all our deeds deserve.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

One simple and uncreated nature without beginning Whom we praise as God in Trinity, save us who in faith worship Thy power.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Without seed you gave birth in time to the timeless Son of the Father, O Theotokos, and, O strange wonder, you nourished Him at your breast while remaining a virgin!

Ode 4 (Third Monday)

The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord,

and was afraid that Thee were to be born of a virgin
and appear to men,
and he said
"I have heard the report of Thee and am afraid";
Glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

Prepare yourself, my soul! Be courageous like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that acquiring diligence and wisdom you too may meet your God. Through contemplation may you reach the awesome depths in which He dwells and in so doing become a good steward of the Lord.

Jacob and his sons, the patriarchs, established for you, O my soul, an example in the ladder of active ascent. By his way of Life Jacob took the first step, fathering twelve sons and offering them as further rungs, which step-by-step ascend to God.

But you, my hopeless soul, have rather imitated Esau, surrendering to the crafty evil the beauty you inherited from God. In two ways, works and wisdom, have you been deceived and now is the time for you to change your ways.

Esau's consuming lust for women, his turning passion, and his soul marred by senseless pleasures, earned for him the Hebrew name "Edom" (meaning "red"), for his soul was like a flame burning with love for sin.

My soul, have you not heard of Job, who even while sitting on a dunghill was justified? Why then in times of temptation have you never imitated his courage or firmness of purpose, or endured with patience?

Once Job sat on this throne surrounded by children and greatly admired, but now lies naked on a dunghill, childless, homeless, and covered with sores. Even so, he considers his dunghill a palace and his sores precious pearls.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

I confess Thee as one God in Trinity, a single essence unconfused in Persons, co-enthroned and co-ruling. And I sing to Thee, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

As a virgin you gave birth, and a virgin you remained by nature, your womb giving birth painlessly, for He Who was born of you renewed the laws of nature, since when God wills its order is overthrown.

Ode 5 (Third Tuesday)

Out of the night watching early for Thee,
enlighten me I pray, O Lover of man,
and guide me in Thy commandments,
and teach me, O Saviour, to do Thy will.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

You have heard, O my soul, how the waves and waters of the river formed a protective chamber for the baby Moses, allowing his basket of reeds to escape the cruel edict of the Pharaoh.

The midwives, though instructed by Pharaoh to kill the male infants of the Hebrews, obeyed their God instead. Now that you, my hopeless soul, have been spared death like Moses, like him also be nourished on the wisdom of the Lord.

By killing the oppressive Egyptian, Moses severed his bond to Pharaoh. But you, O my hopeless soul, have not even begun to attack the wickedness of your mind. If you have not accomplished even this much, how can you expect to pass through the time of repentance, which alone can drive away our sinful passions?

Go, my soul, and imitate the great Moses in the wilderness, that like him you may behold God present in the burning bush.

Think of the staff that Moses stretched over the waters to divide them. It is an image of the Cross of Christ whereby you, my soul, can also accomplish great things.

Aaron's faithfulness was shown by his offering an acceptable sacrifice to God. But you, my soul, like the priests Hophni and Phineas have offered only your deceitful and selfish life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify Thee, O Trinity, One in essence, and we praise and adore Thee forever, singing, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

God, the Creator of all things, became incarnate through you, O pure Virgin Mother, uniting our human nature to Himself.

Ode 6 (Third Wednesday)

With my whole heart, I cried unto the compassionate God,
and He heard me;
and He lifted up my soul from the depths of hell
and from corruption.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

The waves of my transgressions have turned back on me, O Saviour, just as once the Red Sea turned back to engulf the Egyptian forces.

Like Israel of old you have an arrogant will, O my soul, preferring gluttony and self gratification to the manna from heaven.

The Canaanites' wells can be likened to worldly philosophies, from which you, my soul, have preferred to drink rather than from the rock from which, when struck by Moses, there poured out a river of wisdom, the knowledge of God.

Like the arrogant Israelites in the wilderness, you prefer the comforts of Egypt and unclean food to manna, the food sent from heaven.

Water pouring from the rock when struck by Thy servant Moses, prefigured Thy life giving side, O Saviour, from which we saw the Water of Life.

Find the Promised Land and explore it secretly as Joshua, son of Nun, once did. See what kind of land it is and settle there, obeying the Law of God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"I AM the Trinity, simple and undivided in essence, yet divided in Persons. I AM also the Unity united in nature", says God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Thy womb, O Theotokos, held God Who for our sakes took human form. Implore Him, the Creator of all, that through your prayers we may be justified.

Kontakion (Tone 6)

My soul, my soul, Arise!
Why are you sleeping?
The end is drawing near,
and you will be confounded,
awake then and be watchful
that Christ our God may spare you,
Who is everywhere, and fills all things.

Ode 7 (Third Thursday)

We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before Thee.
We have not watched or done as Thou hast commanded us,
but do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

When the Ark [covenant box] was being carried and the ox slipped Uzzah merely touched it but the wrath of God struck him dead.. Avoid His anger at such presumption, O my soul, by showing true honour [reverence] to holy [divine] things [things of God].

Thou hast heard of Absalom, how he rose against nature. Thou knowest his unholy [accursed] deeds by which he defiled his father David's bed [insulted the bed of his father David]. So why do you still imitate his [Yet thou hast followed his] wild impulses and his love of pleasures [passionate and sensual desires/pleasure loving cravings]?

Your freedom [free dignity] you have enslaved to your body, O my soul, for you have found in Satan another Ahitophel and consented to his counsels. But Christ has scattered the enemy's counsel that you might at all costs be saved.

Solomon who was mighty and full of wisdom [Solomon the wonderful who was full of the grace of wisdom], once [at one time] did evil [wrong] before the Lord when he turned to idols. And you, my soul, have resembled him in your evil [accursed] life.

Solomon was carried away by gratification of his lust. Alas, he who loved Wisdom now makes love to prostitutes and finds himself estranged from God. But in your misery you have imitated him, O my soul, through thy disgraceful love of luxury.

You, my soul, have rivaled Rehoboam, who ignored his father's wise advisers; and that vicious slave [evil servant] Jeroboam who divided the Kingdom and turned Israel to idols. Flee such likeness [shun such mimicry] and cry out to God, "I have sinned, have pity on me!"

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We praise you, we bless and venerate you, O Mother of God, for from the undivided Trinity you brought forth the only Son of God and restored to us on earth the heavenly realms.

Ode 8 (Third Friday)

Him Whom the hosts of heaven glorify,

Whom the Cherubim and Seraphim dread,
let every breath and creature praise, bless and magnify
throughout all ages.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Thou hast emulated King Uzziah, oh my soul, {though mighty in battle and faithful in his own observance of the Law, tolerated idolatry among the people, and for this was he struck with a dread disease.} Now you have his leprosy in double form, for your life is polluted with evil thoughts and wicked deeds. Leave what you have and hasten [run] to repentance.

Have you not heard, my soul, how the Ninevites, moved by Jonah's preaching, repented in sackcloth and ashes? Why then have you not imitated them? For in its pride your heart is harder than all that have sinned both before and after the Law.

You have heard how, thrown into a well, Jeremiah lamented bitterly the fall of Zion. Only by such a life of mourning and weeping, O my soul, will you find the way to salvation.

Jonah the prophet fled to Tarshish, for he was well aware of how merciful our God is. And foreseeing the conversion of the Ninevites he feared their repentance would prove false his threat of destruction.

You have heard, O my soul, how by faith Daniel shut the mouths of the roaring lions in the den, and the Holy Children with Azariah extinguished the flames in the furnace.

I have reviewed as examples for you, O my soul, all the figures of the Old Testament. Learn to imitate the deeds of those who in righteousness loved their God, and flee from [shun] the sins of the wicked!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Eternal Father, co-eternal Son, and gracious Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, O Father of the Divine Word, Word of the eternal Father, and life creating Spirit, Trinity in unity, have mercy on us.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, the flesh of Emmanuel was formed within your womb as a robe of royal crimson is spun from scarlet silk. We proclaim you to be truly the Mother of our God.

Ode 9 (Third Saturday)

Ineffable is the child bearing of a seedless conception,
a mother remaining pure.
For the birth of God renews nature,
so in all ages we magnify you as mother and bride of God
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

The Devil showed stones to Christ, which he could turn into bread, then led Him to the top of a mountain to show Him at a glance all the kingdoms of this world. O my soul, fear the Devil's craftiness, watch and pray to God at every hour!

John the Baptist, that "Dove who loved the desert," the "Light which went before Christ," the "Voice crying in the wilderness", heralded the preaching of repentance. But Herod, unwilling to listen to him, sinned with Herodias. By embracing repentance, O my soul, beware yourself of falling into the snares of the Wicked One.

When John the Forerunner of grace was living in the wilderness, all the people of Judea and Samaria came out to hear him. O my soul, why have you not imitated them by confessing your sins and receiving the washing of repentance?

Marriage is honourable and the marriage bed undefiled, for Christ blessed both by His presence at the marriage in Cana. He ate and transformed water into wine, thus performing His first miracle, that you, my soul, might be transformed.

Christ strengthened a paralytic, enabling him to rise and walk. He raised from death a widow's son, and healed the servant of a Roman officer. By revealing Himself to the woman in Samaria, he made clear to you, O my soul, how to worship God in Spirit.

When a woman suffering from severe bleeding touched the hem of the Lord's garment, she received healing from Him. Just as by His words He healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, strength to cripples and hearing to the deaf and dumb, and straightened the crippled woman, all in order that you, my miserable soul, might believe and find salvation!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify the Father, we exalt the Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit, the indivisible Trinity Who exists as One, the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives Who grants light and life to the ends of the world.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O purest Mother of God, preserve your people, for through you are we kept faithful, strengthened, and made able to overcome every temptation, trial, and tribulation.

O holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.

And the rest of Compline.

Ode 1 (Fourth Monday)

A Helper and a Protector has become salvation to me.
This is my God,

I will glorify Him.
God of my fathers
I will exalt Him

for in glory was He glorified.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

From my youth, O Saviour, I have disregarded [rejected] Thy commandments and passed my life in [a slave of, ruled by] passions and laziness [in heedlessness, without caring, in sloth] but now I cry to Thee, O Saviour, "Even at the end, save me!"

O Saviour, do not cast me down to hell, even though in old age I lie (prostrate) at Thy gate empty of virtue. But in Thy love for mankind forgive my sins before I die.

{As the prodigal} My soul has been wasted in evil habits [I have squandered in profligacy the substance (of my soul)], and now empty [barren] of the fruits of virtue [virtues of holiness] I am in great hunger. Therefore, I cry unto Thee, O merciful Father, "Watch over me and have mercy on me".

My own thoughts like thieves have attacked me, wounding me, and covering me with sores. Come now [Stand by me], O Christ my Saviour, to heal me.

A priest was the first to see me naked and in dreadful condition, but he passed by on the opposite side of the road. Then a Levite came but he too ignored me [disdained my nakedness]. O Jesus, Who dawned on the world from Mary, come now Yourself and have pity [compassion] upon me.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

Grant me the brightness of grace from Divine Providence, O Mary, that escaping the darkness of passions I may eagerly sing of your blessed conversion.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Trinity above all essence and worshiped as One God, take from me the heavy burden of sin, and since Thou art compassionate, grant me tears of repentance.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, hope and protection of those who sing to you, take from me the heavy burden of sin and as our pure Lady accept me as I repent.

Ode 2 (Fourth Tuesday)

Attend O heaven and I will speak,
I will sing of Christ,
Who from the Virgin took flesh to dwell with us.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Like David stealing Bathsheba, I have fallen and become polluted [and am covered with filth] through passions. O Saviour, cleanse me in my tears.

I have no tears, no repentance, and no compunction, O my God and Saviour, grant me these!

I lie naked, having torn the garment, which my Creator fashioned for me in the beginning {having lost my first-created beauty and comeliness.}

Despite their calling to the Bridegroom, "Lord, Lord, let us in," the foolish virgins found the door to the feast still locked to them. Yet like them will I entreat Thee, O Lord, "Open Thy door to me as I return".(Matthew 25:1-13)

O Saviour give ear to the sighs and groans of my soul. Accept the tears, which drop from my eyes and save me.

O Lover of mankind Whose wish it is that all be saved, in Thy goodness receive me as I return to Thee.

{See, see that I AM God, Who rained manna and made water spout from the rock of old for my people in the wilderness, by My right hand, and by My strength alone.}

"See, see that I AM God!", hear this cry of our Lord, O my soul, and turn from your past sins. Fear Him as the righteous Lord, your Judge and your God. (Deuteronomy 32:35; Hebrews 10:30)

My soul, truly have you come to resemble those first two murderers, Cain and his descendent wicked Lamech; for you have stoned your body with evil deeds and murdered your inward being with senseless passions [irrational appetites]. (Genesis 4; 4:23)

Let us consider those who lived before the Law was given, Adam's son Seth and his son Enoch; Enoch, who pleasing God was carried up to heaven; and Noah, called "the only good man of his time". Have you imitated any of these, O my soul? Is there any righteousness to be found in you? [You are bereft of the life of the righteous] (Genesis 5)

My soul, you alone have opened the flood-gates [cataracts] of God's wrath anew, and as the earth was covered with water long ago, so have your flesh, your deeds, your whole life become covered with sin, and you remain outside the ark of salvation.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

Thee overturned your life of sin, O Mary, and eagerly ran to Christ, following His path through a pathless wilderness. And in purity and love you fulfilled His commands.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God of all, I sing of Thee as One yet three in Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O most holy Theotokos, Virgin alone praised everywhere, pray fervently that we may be saved.

Ode 3 (Fourth Wednesday)

Establish, O Lord, my unstable heart

on the rock of Thy commandments

for Thou only art holy and the Lord.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

You have neither inherited a blessing like Shem, O my wretched soul, nor like Japheth acquired vast possessions in the land of forgiveness.

Come out from sin, O my soul, as Abraham once came out of the land of Haran. Come to the land flowing with everlasting incorruption, which he inherited.

Having heard, O my soul, how Abraham left the land of his ancestors to become a wanderer, imitate his resolution.

At the Oak of Mamre the Patriarch Abraham offered hospitality to [entertained] angels, and in his old age inherited the prize [spoil] of God's promise.

O my wretched soul, knowing Isaac to be a new sacrifice mystically offered (by fire) to the Lord, imitate also his resolution.

Having heard of Ishmael who as the child of a slave was driven out, watch carefully, O my soul, lest the same befall you [you suffer something similar] because of your slavery to the passions.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

I am caught in a storm and tossed about by sin, O Lord, but guide me through and lead me to the safe harbour of repentance.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

As I now offer my supplications before the compassionate Theotokos, intercede with her before God for me, O venerable Mary of Egypt, that He may open to me the way to His Kingdom.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

One simple and uncreated nature without beginning Whom we praise as God in Trinity, save us who in faith worship Thy power.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Without seed you gave birth in time to the timeless Son of the Father, O Theotokos, and, O strange wonder, you nourished Him at your breast while remaining a virgin!

Ode 4 (Fourth Thursday)

The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord,

and was afraid that Thou were to be born of a virgin
and appear to men,
and he said
"I have heard the report of Thee and am afraid";
Glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

My body is defiled, and my spirit is impure [sullied]. I am covered with sores. But as our Physician, O Christ, wash, heal and cleanse me (body and soul) in repentance to make me whiter than show.

Thou didst offer Thy body and blood for all, O crucified Word, that I might be renewed and washed. Thou didst surrender Thy Spirit to the Father that I might be brought to Him.

Accepting voluntarily to be nailed to a Tree, Thou hast accomplished [wrought] salvation in the center [midst] of the earth, O Creator. Eden, which had been closed to us is open again, and all of creation, both in heaven and on earth, is saved and worships Thee.

Let the blood and water which flowed from Thy side be a fountain of living water and deliverance from captivity to sin. May they cleanse, refresh, and anoint me as do Thy living words, O Word.

Cast out of the banquet [I am bereft of marriage and bridal hall] for lack of clothes fitting to wear, I awoke with empty lamp like the foolish virgins to find the door to the bridal chamber also closed to me. The supper is eaten but I lay cast out, bound tightly hand and foot.

The Church has been given [acquired] Thy life creating side as a chalice, O Saviour, from which to drink both deliverance and wisdom, which we understand as images of the two Testaments, both Old and New.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

I confess Thee as One God in Trinity, a single essence unconfused in Persons, co-enthroned and co-ruling. And I sing to Thee, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Ode 5 (Fourth Friday)

Like Jannes and Jambres, the magicians in service to Pharaoh who opposed Moses, I have opposed Thee, O Lord, and become burdened [heavy] in body and soul. My mind has fallen into grief [has sunk low]. Come now to help me. (Exodus 7: 11; 2 Tim. 3:8)

I am in a hopeless state, O Lord, for my mind finds attraction in corruption. Cleanse [Wash] me now in my tears to make the garment [robe] of my flesh whiter than snow.

In considering my deeds [When I examine my actions], O Saviour, I see that in sin I surpass all people, for I commit wrong with knowledge, consciously, and not in ignorance.

Spare me Thy creature, O Lord, for I have sinned yet now seek forgiveness from Thee, for Thou alone art pure by nature; no one else is free from defilement.

Because of Thy love for mankind, O Saviour, Thou didst become incarnate and worked miracles, healing lepers, freeing paralytics, and stopping a woman's severe bleeding at just the touch of Thy robe.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

Thee found peace, O Mother Mary, after crossing the Jordan River, for the soul-destroying pleasures enjoyed a deserted place to roam. Now by your prayers deliver us also from these evil pleasures.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify Thee, O Trinity, One in essence, and we praise and adore Thee forever, singing. "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

God, the Creator of all things, became incarnate through you, O Pure Virgin Mother, uniting our human nature to Himself.

Ode 6 (Fourth Saturday)

With my whole heart,

I cried unto the compassionate God,
and He heard me;
and He lifted up my soul from the depths of hell
and from corruption.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

As Joshua subdued Amalek and the lying Gibbeonites, arise, O my soul, and subdue the weakness of your flesh, conquering everything which leads your mind astray.

Pass through the River of Time as once the Covenant Box [Ark] crossed the River Jordan, to take possession of the Promised Land in obedience to God's command.

As once Thou heardest Peter's cry for help, so now protect me, O Saviour, and deliver me from Satan's power by pulling me from the depth of sin.

I know Thee as a calm haven from the storm of transgressions, O Christ my Saviour. Protect and deliver me from the depths of my innermost sin and despair.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"I AM the Trinity, simple and undivided in essence, yet divided in Persons. I AM also the Unity, united in nature," says God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Thy womb, O Theotokos, held God Who for our sakes took human form. Implore Him, the Creator of all, that through your prayers we may be justified.

Kontakion (Tone 6)

Ode 7 (Fifth Monday)

Manasseh sinned of his own choice, setting up his lust as idols and increasing the abomination of false gods in Israel. Later, however, he repented and humbled himself before the Lord. Emulate his return, O my soul, and acquire compunction.

Ahab did more to arouse God's anger than all the kings of Israel before him, yet you are his rival in sin, O my soul. Cry out now with your whole heart, confessing your sins to God.

Heaven is shut to you, O my soul; a famine sent from God has laid hold of you as it once did Ahab for disobeying Elijah the Tishbite. But imitate how the woman of Zarepath who by feeding the prophet alone received food by a miracle.

Elijah once called down fire on Jezebel's troops and killed her shameful prophets as a rebuke for Ahab's idolatry. Avoid all likeness to these two, O my soul, and strive to discipline yourself.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We praise you, we bless and venerate you, O Mother of God, for from the undivided Trinity you brought forth the only Son of God and restored to us on earth the heavenly realms.

Ode 8 (Fifth Tuesday)

Him Whom the hosts of heaven glorify,

Whom the Cherubim and Seraphim dread,
Let every breath and creature praise,

bless and magnify throughout all ages.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

O my righteous Judge and Saviour, have mercy on me! Deliver me from eternal fire and the sentence of condemnation, which I so justly deserve. Grant that by repentance and increase of virtue I may obtain forgiveness before it is too late.

With the thief I cry to Thee, "Remember me!" Like Peter I weep bitterly, "Forgive me, O Lord!" Receive my broken spirit as once Thou didst accept the tax-collector's prayer and the prostitute's tears. The ceaseless entreaty of the Canaanite woman moved Thee to compassion, so have mercy on me as well, O Lord.

Heal my corrupt life, my only Saviour and Physician. Pour out Thy grace on my heart like the good Samaritan's ointments, that with Thy help I may bear the fruits which will show that I have changed. Then all my wounds of sin shall be healed.

Like the Canaanite woman I cry to Thee, "Have mercy on me, O Son of David!" Like the woman with severe bleeding I touch the hem of Thy robe, and like Mary and Martha over Lazarus, I weep before Thee.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O eternal Father, co-eternal Son, and gracious Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, O Father of the Divine Word, Word of the eternal Father, and life creating Spirit, Trinity in unity, have mercy on us.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, the flesh of Emmanuel was formed within your womb as a robe of royal crimson in spun from scarlet silk. We proclaim you to be truly the Mother of our God.

Ode 9 (Fifth Wednesday)

Ineffable is the child bearing of a seedless conception,
a mother remaining pure.
For the birth of God renews nature,
so in all ages we magnify you as mother and bride of God.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Christ the Word healed diseases, preached the Good News to the poor and cured cripples. He ate with tax collectors, spoke with outcasts, and by just the touch of His hand recalled Jairus' daughter from death.

By repenting the tax collector was saved and the prostitute purified, but the outwardly righteous Pharisee was condemned for his pride. For the first cried, "O God, be merciful to me!" The second entreated mercy. But the last in his foolish vanity simply sought to justify himself.

Zacchaeus was a tax-collector yet obtained salvation, while Simon the Pharisee was saddened by the kindness Christ showed a prostitute, for she received complete forgiveness of her sins from Him Who has power to grant this. Now my soul imitate her and receive the same yourself.

O my soul, you have not imitated the prostitute who having washed the Saviour's feet with her tears and anointed them with perfumed ointment from a costly jar. For this the Lord proclaimed to her, "Go in peace. Your sins are forgiven, for your faith has saved you".

O my soul, you know the curse upon the towns which hearing Christ's preaching of the Good News refused to accept it. Fear lest the same happen to you, for comparing them to Sodom, the Master condemned them to hell.

O my soul, do not despair, for have you not heard how the daughter of the Canaanite woman was healed by a word from God? Therefore, imitate her faith and cry out to Christ from the depths of your heart, "O Son of David save me!"

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O purest Mother of God, preserve your people, for through you are we kept faithful, strengthened, and made able to overcome every temptation, trial and tribulation.

O holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.

O Honourable Andrew, thrice-blessed Father and pastor of Crete, never cease praying to God for those who sing your praises, that He may deliver from anger, sorrow, corruption, and countless sins all of us who faithfully honour your memory.

Conception without seed, birth past understanding from a mother who never knew a man, child bearing undefiled, for nature is renewed by the birth of God. Therefore with true worship all generation magnify you as mother and bride of God.

And the rest of Compline

Ode 1 (Fifth Thursday)

A Helper and a Protector

has become my salvation.
This is my God, I will glorify Him.
God of my fathers, I will exalt Him

For in glory was He glorified.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of all, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion forgive me.

I fall prostrate before Thee, O Jesus, imploring Thy mercy, for I have sinned against Thee. Take now from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy mercy [compassion] grant me tears of repentance [compunction].

{Enter not into judgment with me, by recording my deeds, demanding an account of my words, and examining my motives and desires. But in Thy compassion disregard my terrible past and save me, O God All-Powerful.}

It is time for repentance and I draw near to Thee, my Creator. Take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in Thy compassion forgive me.

Having wasted my soul in evil habits, I am barren of the fruits of virtue. In great hunger I cry to Thee, my merciful Father, "Watch over me [forestall] and have mercy on me".

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

In submitting to the laws of Christ, you renounced all uncontrollable lust and came to Him, piously adopting every virtue.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Trinity above all essence and worshiped as One God, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and since Thou art compassionate, grant me tears of repentance.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Theotokos, hope and protection of those who sing to you, take from me the heavy burden of sin and as our pure Lady accept me as I repent.

Ode 2 (Fifth Friday)

See, see that I am God

Who sent manna,
Who made water to spring [spout] from the rock

in ancient times for my people in the wilderness,
by My right hand,
and by My strength alone.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Lamech cried out wailing, "I have killed a man for wounding me, and a young man for hurting me!" How can you hear this, O my soul, and not tremble? For you too have polluted your flesh and defiled your inward being. (Genesis 4:23)

Thou, my soul, desire to build a tower as a fortress for your lusts, as the people of Babel erected a tower to increase their strength. But as He did with them, so will the Creator also overthrow your desires and shatter all your plans. (Genesis 11:3-4)

How well have I imitated [emulated] those first [old] murderers, Cain and Lamech! Through the desires [pleasure-loving] of the flesh I have killed my soul as did Lamech a man, and my mind as once he did a young man. I have also murdered my body as did Cain his brother.

Long ago the Lord rained burning sulfur on the city of Sodom to consume its flagrant [wanton] wickedness. But you, O my soul, have kindled within yourself the fires of hell which now are about to consume you [in which you are about to be utterly burnt]! (Genesis 19:24)

I am wounded; I am pierced. See how the enemy's arrows have sunk into my soul and body! See the bruises [wounds], the sores, and the mutilations which cause me to cry out, the wounds [blows] resulting from my own passions.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

O Mary, as you sank into the depths of sin you reached out to our merciful God, and as He once saved Peter on the water, He caught you, desiring in His love for mankind your conversion.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God of all, I sing of Thee as one yet three in person, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

{Unoriginate, uncreated Trinity, indivisible Unity, accept me who repent, save me who have sinned. I am Thy creation, despise me not, but spare me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation.}

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O most holy Theotokos, virgin alone praised everywhere, pray fervently that we may be saved.

Ode 3 (Fifth Saturday)

Establish, O Lord, my unstable heart
on the rock of Thy commandments

for only Thee are holy and the Lord.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

Like Hagar the Egyptian long ago you, my soul, are by your own choice a slave and have given birth to a new Ishmael, your own stubbornness. (Genesis 16:15)

Thee know, my soul, of Jacob's ladder that appeared from earth to heaven. Why then have you not held fast to the secure rung of piety? (Genesis 28:12)

Imitate Melchizedek; {that priest of God and solitary King} that image of the royal and priestly life of Christ {among men}. (Hebrews 7:1-4; Genesis 14:18)

Do not be a pillar of salt, O my soul, by turning back to what you have left behind; let the destruction of Sodom fill you with fear [frighten you], and save yourself [take refuge] in the town of Zoar.

O Master, do not reject the prayers of those who praise Thee, but in Thy love for mankind be merciful and grant forgiveness to all who ask in faith.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

One simple and uncreated nature without beginning Whom we praise as God in Trinity, save us who in faith worship Thy power.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Without seed you gave birth in time to the timeless Son of the Father, O Theotokos, and, O strange wonder, you nourished Him at your breast while remaining a Virgin!

Ode 4 (Monday of Holy Week)

The prophet heard of Thy coming, O Lord,

and was afraid that Thou wast to be born of a virgin
and appear to men,
and he said,
"I have heard the report of Thee and am afraid";
Glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

My fleeting life is full of pain and wickedness, but accept me, O Lord, in repentance [penitence] and allow [re-call] me to behold Thy presence. May the enemy never possess me; may I never fall prey to him [be his food]. O Saviour, have mercy on me. (Genesis 47:9)

Job, once crowned and regally attired, abounding in both wealth and virtue, found himself suddenly a beggar, cut off from all his riches and the glory of the kingdom. [The opulent and righteous man, arrayed in royal dignity, crown and purple, abounding in wealth and cattle, was suddenly shorn of his riches, glory, and kingdom and became a beggar.]

Job, whom God deemed more righteous and blameless than anyone alive, did not escape the snares and nets of the deceiver, so what will you do, O my sin-loving soul, if something unexpected befalls you?

Like the Pharisee I am boastful and my heart is cold; my life I have passed in vanity. O my merciful and righteous Judge, do not condemn me with him, but grant me the tax-collector's humility and accept me. (Luke18:9-14)

I know, O merciful Lord, that I have sinned and corrupted the temple of my flesh [outraged the vessel of my flesh] , but accept me in repentance and allow me to behold Thy presence. May the enemy never possess me; may I never fall prey to him. O Saviour, have mercy on me.

I have become an idol to myself, and in passions have I injured my soul. But accept me now in repentance, O merciful Lord, and allow me to behold Thy presence. May the enemy never possess me; may I never fall prey to him. O Saviour, have mercy on me.

I have never listened to Thy words nor obeyed Thy commands [I have not listened to Thy voice, I have disobeyed Thy Scripture], O Lawgiver . But accept me in repentance and allow me to behold Thy Presence. May the enemy never possess me; may I never fall prey to him. O Saviour, have mercy on me.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

The depths of sin to which you were dragged were unable to hold you captive. After careful reasoning you returned to safety in God through repentance, and in deeds you attained the heights of virtue beyond all expectation of the angels.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

I confess Thee as one God in Trinity, a single essence, unconfused in persons, co-enthroned and co-ruling, and I sing to Thee, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Ode 5 (Tuesday of Holy Week)

Out of the night watching early for Thee,
enlighten me I pray, O Lover of man,
and guide me in Thy commandments,
and teach me, O Saviour, to do Thy will.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

Imitate the desire of the crippled woman [of the woman bent earthward], O my powerless soul; come and fall down at Jesus' feet and allow Him to heal you [straighten you to walk upright] that your path may lead toward God. (Luke 13:11)

As a deep well of living water, O Lord, pour upon me the rivers of life which flow from Thine (immaculate) wounds. Let me, like the Samaritan woman, drink of them that I may thirst no more. (John 4:13-15)

Let my tears, O Lord and Master, be for me a pool of Siloam in which to wash my spiritual senses that I may see Thee, the Light which existed before time began. (John 9:7; Genesis 1:2-19)

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

O blessed Mary, with unmatched fervor you longed to venerate the Tree of Life until your desire was granted. Help us now to be made worthy of attaining the heavenly glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify Thee, O Trinity, One in essence, and we praise and adore Thee forever, singing, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

God the Creator of all things became incarnate through you, O pure Virgin Mother, uniting our human nature to Himself.

Ode 6 (Spy Wednesday)

With my whole heart,

I cried unto the compassionate God,
and He heard me;
and He lifted up my soul from the depths of hell
and from corruption.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

I am the lost coin bearing Thy royal likeness, O Word. Therefore, light the lamp (which is John, Thy Forerunner and Baptizer) to find and renew that which was created in Thine image. (Luke 15:8)

As Joshua subdued Amalek and the lying Gibbeonites, arise, O my soul, and subdue the weakness of your flesh [make war against the passions of the flesh], subduing [conquering] everything which leads your mind astray. (Exodus 17:8; Joshua 8:21)

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

O Mary, a constant stream of tears fell from your eyes, extinguishing the flames of lust while setting your soul afire with love of God. Grant me, your servant, this grace of tears.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

Because you lived a heavenly life on earth, you were able to ignore the temptations of this world. Therefore, help those who praise you, that we may also be freed from temptation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

"I AM the Trinity, simple and undivided in essence, yet divided in Persons. I AM also the Unity, united in nature," says God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Thy womb, O Theotokos, held God Who for our sakes took human form. Implore Him, the Creator of all, that through your prayers we may be justified.

Kontakion (Tone 6)

Ode 7 (Maundy Thursday)

My life is vanishing [My days have vanished] like a dream on waking. Therefore, like Hezekiah, I cry upon my bed, asking that years may be added to my life. But what Isaiah will help me, except the God of all? (2 Kings 20:3; Isaiah38:2)

I fall down before Thee, O Lord, offering my words as if they were tears, for no less than the harlot have I sinned; I have transgressed as no one else on earth. But take pity on Thy creature [work] and restore [re-call] to me Thy mercy.

I have distorted [buried] Thy image, O Saviour, and broken Thy commands. The beauty of my soul has been spoiled and its light extinguished by my sins. But have pity on me and in David's words, "Restore to me again the joy that comes from Thy salvation".

Return! Repent! Uncover what is hidden! Say to God Who knows all things, "Thou art my only Saviour and know my terrible secrets. Yet in David's words, 'Be merciful to me according to Thy constant love.'"

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

You cried to the pure Mother of God and were freed from the deadly grip of sin, putting Satan your tempter to shame. Grant also to me, your servant, aid in times of trouble.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

God Whom you loved and for Whom you longed, Whose path you followed, O Mother, found you and granted you repentance in His compassion. Pray, therefore, that we may be freed from sin and adversity.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

We praise you, we bless and venerate you, O Mother of God, for from the undivided Trinity you brought forth the only Son of God and restored to us on earth the heavenly realms.

Ode 8 (Good Friday)

Him Whom the hosts of heaven glorify,

Whom the Cherubim and Seraphim dread,
let every breath and creature

praise, bless. and magnify
throughout all ages.
Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us.

As the harlot broke her priceless jar of myrrh to anoint Thy head, O Saviour, so do I weep before Thee with a broken and contrite heart. Hear my prayer; forgive and have mercy upon me.

I am the first and greatest of sinners, O patient Saviour, but I cry to Thee in fear and love, "Though I have sinned against Thee alone, and done evil in Thy sight, nevertheless have mercy upon me!"

Spare me, O my Saviour, for I am the work of Thine own hands. Seek me, Thy lost sheep, O Good Shepherd, and deliver me from the jaws of the wolf, including me as a lamb in Thy royal fold. (Psalm 118:176; John 10:11-16)

O most-merciful Christ, when Thou ascendest as judge, for Thy dread tribunal all of creation will be overcome with fear and tremble, for on that day Thy glory will be revealed as a blazing fire.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

The mother of the never-ending Sun enlightened you and freed you from the darkness of your passions. Since now you rejoice in the grace of the Spirit, O Mary, illumine all who praise you in faith.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

Zosimas the Elder marveled meeting you, O Mother, for in you he saw an earthly angel. Filled with awe he praises Christ forever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O eternal Father, co-eternal Son, and gracious Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, O Father of the Divine Word, Word of the eternal Father, and life-creating Spirit, Trinity in unity, have mercy upon us.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, the flesh of Emmanuel was formed within your womb as a robe of royal crimson in spun from scarlet silk. We proclaim you to be truly the Mother of our God.

Ode 9 (Holy Saturday)

Ineffable is the child bearing of a seedless conception,
a mother remaining pure.
For the birth of God renews nature,so in all ages we magnify you as mother and bride of God.
Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy on us.

Have pity on me, O Son of David, Who by Thy word cured a man possessed by a demon. Let me also hear Thy compassionate promise to the thief, "Thou wilt be with Me in Paradise when I return in My glory!" (Luke 9:38-42; 23:43)

Two thieves were crucified beside Thee, O Christ. The one abused Thee while the other confessed Thee to be God. O most merciful Lord open to me the doors of Thy glorious kingdom as Thou didst to the believing thief. (Luke 23:32-42)

Creation shook [was in anguish] beholding Thy crucifixion, O Jesus. The mountains and rocks split in fear; the earth quaked and Hell surrendered its prisoners. The sky grew dark at midday seeing Thee nailed in the flesh to a cross. (Matthew 27:51-53; Luke 23:44-45)

O only Saviour, do not require of me in my weakness fruits which will show that I have changed my ways [fruits worthy of repentance]. Grant rather that finding contrition of heart and poverty in spirit, I may offer these to Thee as a pleasing sacrifice. (Matthew 3:8; 5:3; Psalm 50:17)

Since Thou alone knowest me, O my Judge {and my Light}, look on me in compassion when Thou comest {again with Thine Angels} to judge the whole world. Spare {Regard me with Thy merciful eye} and have mercy on me, though I have sinned more than any other.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

O Mary, you overcame the flesh and lived as though bodiless, crossing the River Jordan unhampered by your body. Thy wondrous life is an amazement to the ranks both of angels and men.

O venerable Mary of Egypt, pray to God for us.

O venerable Mother, intercede with the Creator that we who sing your praises may be delivered from the afflictions and sorrows which surround us. That being delivered from temptations we may unceasingly glorify the Lord Who has glorified you.

O holy Father Andrew, pray to God for us.

O honourable Andrew, thrice blessed father and pastor of Crete, never cease praying to God for those who sing your praises, that He may deliver from anger, sorrow, corruption, and countless sins all of us who faithfully honour your memory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

We glorify the Father, we exalt the Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit, the indivisible Trinity Who exists as One, the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives, Who grants light and life to the ends of the world.

Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O purest Mother of God, preserve your people, for through you are we kept faithful, strengthened, and made able to overcome every temptation, trial and tribulation.

Ephrem the Syrian, The Spiritual Psaltar, 120

2011-03-08T21:12:00.000-05:00

On the eve of our Great Lent I offer these prayers by St. Ephrem. May the Lord grant us a fruitful Lent.

“How Many Times have I Promised, Yet Every Time I Failed to Keep My Word

but Disregard This According to Thy Grace.”

Grant forgiveness, O Lord, send also strength. Convert me, that I might live in sanctity, according to Thy holy will. Sanctify my heart that has become a den and dwelling-place of demons.

I am unworthy to ask forgiveness for myself, O Lord, for many times have I promised to repent and proved myself a liar by not fulfilling my promise. Thou hast picked me up many times already, but every time I freely chose to fall again.

Therefore I condemn myself and admit that I deserve all manner of punishment and torture. How many times hast Thou enlightened my darkened mind; yet every time I return again to base thoughts! My whole body trembles when I contemplate this; yet every time sinful sensuality reconquers me.

How shall I recount all the gifts of Thy grace, O Lord, that I the pitiful one have received? Yet I have reduced them all to nothing by my apathy -- and I continue on in this manner. Thou has bestowed upon me thousands of gifts, yet miserable me, I offer in return things repulsive to Thee.

Yet Thou, O Lord, inasmuch as Thou containest a sea of longsuffering and an abyss of kindness, do not allow me to be felled as a fruitless fig tree; and do not let me be burned without having ripened on the field of life. Snatch me not away unprepared; seize not me who have not yet lit my lamp; take not away me who have no wedding garment; but, because Thou art good and the lover of mankind, have mercy on me. Give me time to repent, and place not my soul stripped naked before Thy terrible and unwavering throne as a pitiful spectacle of infamy.

If a righteous man can barely be saved, then where will I end up, I who am lawless and sinful? If the path that leads to life is strait and narrow, then how can I be vouchsafed such good things, I who live a life of luxury, indulging in my own pleasures and dissipation? But Thou, O Lord, my Saviour, Son of the true God, as Thou knowest and desirest it, by Thy grace alone, freely turn me away from the sin that abides in me and save me from ruin.