Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary by the Monks of Saint John’s Abbey (Author), Maxwell E. Johnson (Editor)Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota (2005; second edition 2015)2088 pages; 6.2 x 4.4 x 1.9 inches; 5 ribbons included. As part of my ongoing rebuilding older sections of this site, I have reblogged some earlier posts in the spirit
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A friend pointed to the above image and exclaimed: “Now, that’s liturgy!” True. Very quickly, however, in our one-way culture (where affirming one thing is understood by many as denying anything different to what is being affirmed), people end up thinking that the above image is the only way to do liturgy, the ideal of
I recently had a conversation with a young man who had just completed 10 days in absolute silence, meditating 10 hours a day. This was at a Buddhist centre in New Zealand. 60 people attended. Attendance was free (koha – donation). Yes, there are places in New Zealand where you can go on a silent
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It is fifty years this year since NZ’s General Synod set in motion revision of the Prayer Book. The first service it authorised was the 1966 Order of Holy Communion. You can read my history of The Anglican Eucharist in New Zealand 1814-1989. The initial idea was that the 1966 ante-communion (the Liturgy of the
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I recently read a thought-provoking article on “the most overlooked characteristic of who you want to marry“. Kevin Thompson wrote about “In sickness and in health”. Few people consider sickness and suffering when picking a mate. They consider how the other person might look in the morning or what bad habits they might have. They
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Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us
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When the Church of England in their General Synod passed that women could be ordained bishops , Kiwi priest Brian Dawson tweeted, “Welcome to the 20th century Church of England.” It was funny. I retweeted it. But people could watch that Church of England debate and the vote live. Meanwhile, however, our Kiwi Anglican Church
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
