In this article and its follow up, “500 Years of the Holy Communion Lectionary,” Fr. Matthew Brench surveys the development of the lectionaries of the Anglican Prayer Book tradition, especially those of the England, the U.S., and Canada, culminating in the present 2019 Prayer Book of the Anglican Church in North America. The Daily Office…
Humble Thanks: A Reflection on the General Thanksgiving
Thankfulness is one of many virtues we find hard to cultivate. We are “curved inward” thanks to sin, and our desires are disordered. We find it easier to complain about life and how difficult our situation is. When someone points out how others have it worse, we bristle like an animal caught in a trap….
Behold This Thy Family: Cranmer’s Good Friday Collects
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who led the development of the Book of Common Prayer, crafted collects for Good Friday with a special emphasis on the church as the family of God. There are three collects for the day, the only occasion for which Cranmer appointed more than one. The first asks God to “behold this thy…
Finding Rest by Singing the Psalter
Rest, Inc.: It’s So Hot Right Now! Contemporary society is increasingly marked by a pervasive sense of burnout. We are more developed, advanced, healthy, and connected than ever, yet we are weary. The yoke of modernity appears hard, and its burden is heavy. In this exhaustion lies a hunger for the rest of the Living…
Like Lost Sheep: Reflections on the General Confession
We easily fall into two ditches during our times of confession: we think that we have to grovel long enough for God to accept our repentance, or we skim over our confession and ignore our sins. The General Confession at the opening of the Office provides us the boundaries we need.
The Lord’s Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most well-known features of Christian worship. Many Christian denominations, even ones that don’t use pre-written prayers in their worship services, still teach children this prayer in Sunday school. However, to many Christians, Anglicans included, it can easily lose its meaning through rote repetition. So why do we pray…
The History of the Christmas Collects
We expect the Christmas Collects to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and they do. But they also surprise us by repeatedly applying the birth of Christ to the life of the Christian believer. Because he is light, we can know light. Because he was born, we can be born again. Because he shared the life…
My Journey into Psalm Chanting (with the St. Bernard Breviary)
The St. Bernard Breviary offers a gentle introduction to chant, explaining why it is beneficial and giving a primer on how to get started. For parishioners with no previous experience in chant or musical education, it is a wonderful resource.
I Will Lift Up My Eyes: Reflections on the Midday Psalms
The meat of the Midday Prayer rests in its psalms. Four options can be read, though some prefer to read all of them daily.
The General Thanksgiving: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The General Thanksgiving is an extended prayer of thanks to God and one of the riches of our Anglican tradition.
Why Do Anglicans Pray for the Dead?
For those new to the Anglican tradition, it may surprise you that the Book of Common Prayer, in all of its major editions, offers prayers for those who have died in the Christian faith. We don’t just pray for those who mourn but for the departed themselves. We see these prayers for the dead in…
Illumine the World: Reflections on the Midday Collects
The ordering for Midday Prayer can serve as a great way to refocus on something other than our own problems and to work on bending ourselves back out instead of staying bent in.
