The above image is doing the rounds on social media (is this the original source?) I want to add this site’s weight to the including of children in liturgy; to the inclusion of all God’s children in liturgy; to the inclusion of all in the child-like actions of liturgy… TO THE PARENTS OF OUR YOUNG
Children In Church Read More »
From time to time people criticise that we discuss liturgical and other church rules here. The word “rule” seems to be enough to get some people going; to get their backs up… Jesus is brought up pretty quickly as a breaker and ignorer of rules… Following rules is also pretty quickly identified with straining out
Obsession With Rules? Read More »
Today, July 11, is the feast of St Benedict (480 – 547). Benedict describes a “middle way”, via media, bringing together positive ends – not either/or, but both/and. Community and solitude. Prayer and work. And so forth. He has a stress on the daily office, and on reading the scriptures in such a way as
In a recent conversation with a group of relatively-newly-ordained clergy I happened to be talking about the Three Year/Revised Common Lectionary and how the readings, especially in Ordinary Time, run independently. One priest in particular found this very freeing. This person had been sweating week by week to try and find a theme or something
From time to time I see the priest receiving communion last. Some clergy don’t just do this, but strongly advocate it: priests who receive first are apparently not doing it right; I am told that the priest receiving last is the way I should do it. Apparently, this is a sign of humility. And the
Priest Receives Last? Read More »
Did you know you won’t read the readings for Ordinary Sunday 9 in the next 25 years?! And the next time you read the readings for the 10th Ordinary Sunday will be in 2035? At the outset, two things: for a number of reasons, I think the 3 Year Sunday reading cycle (and its twin,
We Dropped Some Sundays Read More »
The Anglican Church of Australia has abandoned the seal of confession and will now allow confessors to break the confidentiality of the confessional in the case of serious crimes such as child abuse. Let me say at the outset that abuse of children is evil. Any church coverups, and knowingly moving around of offenders, and
Australian Anglicans Abandon Confessional Secrecy Read More »
There is a tendency to treat liturgy as mimicking Jesus’ earthly life – acting it out, pretending we don’t know what happens next, making believe that we live in another time and place… This is called mimesis μίμησις, the Greek word connected to our English word “mimic”. But the older and deeper understanding of liturgy
Liturgy as Sacred Soap Opera? Read More »
