Preservation of the American Episcopate

The Anglican Communion has been divided on the question whether or not women can receive Holy Orders. The introduction of “women priests” has separated the Anglican Communion even further from its sister communion in the East and its parent Rome in the West. It has ignored traditional Holy Orders by breaking open the Sacrament of Holy Orders and changing it – thereby providing Apostolicae Curae a validity it did not previously possess.

The Catholic Priesthood has been retained (unchanged) in the Anglo Catholic communities (in spite of their “alphabet soup” of divisions) and is celebrated on January 29th as The Preservation of the American Episcopate. The Propers for this feast are those from the “Bestowal of the American Episcopate” found in the appendix of the Anglican Breviary replacing “bestowal” with “preservation” where necessary. As an addition to the ninth Lesson for Matins (or perhaps replacing it) the short description provided below could be inserted:

Thousands of faithful Episcopalians gathered in St. Louis, Missouri in 1977 and agreed upon the Affirmation of St. Louis, a document which expressed our commitment to the historic and biblical faith of the Church.

Subsequently, on January 28th, 1978, the Rt. Rev. Albert Chambers (retired), along with two other bishops, consecrated four ECUSA priests Bishops – Frs. Waterson, Mote, Doren and Morse.

Bishop Chambers was the Episcopal Bishop of Springfield, Illinois. This consecration made it possible for Episcopalians to continue practicing the Catholic and Apostolic faith of the Church, as it has been handed down through the centuries.

From: Episcopalnet.org.

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St. John Chrysostom

John — whose surname “Chrysostom” occurs for the first time in the “Constitution” of Pope Vigilius (cf. P.L., LX, 217) in the year 553 — is generally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Church and the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit. His natural gifts, as well as exterior circumstances, helped him to become what he was.

Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08452b.htm

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Continuous Scripture Reading and the Anglican Breviary

For about as long as I have been using the Anglican Breviary, I have also wondered if something could be done to expand the “dosage” of Scripture taken everyday in the Divine Office. The obvious has a tendency to hide right in front of one’s nose – for me at least – and in this case this obvious solution stared at me since I first read Proctor & Frere’s A New History of the Book of Common Prayer:

In 1542 a proposal was laid before the southern Convocation by Cranmer to amend the Service-books and to discontinue the dressing of images and setting up lighted candles before them.¹³ A new edition of the Sarum Breviary¹⁴ was issued at this time bearing the clear marks of the breach with Rome, and. it was further determined that no other Breviary should be used in the province of Canterbury.¹⁵ At the meeting of Convocation in 1543, the Archbishop signified that it was the King’s will that there should be a further reformation of the Service-books;¹⁶ a committee was appointed for the purpose, and ‘it was ordered also that every Sunday and holy-day throughout the year the curate of every parish church, after the Te Deum and Magnificat, should openly read unto the people one chapter of the New Testament in English without exposition; and when the New Testament was read over, then to begin the Old.’ Thus the first step was taken towards liturgical reformation by introducing the reading of Scripture in English into the public service of the Church: and this was done by the authority of the House of Bishops in Convocation, who had also received the proposal to correct the Service-books. The way was thus prepared for the further substitution of English for Latin in the prayers.

Proctor & Frere, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer, Chapter II, 1910.

Now the Henrician Settlement stage of the liturgical changes which would eventually lead to the 1549 Book of Common Prayer authorizes the addition of Scripture readings following the Te Deum and the Magnificat. This would perhaps be a principle which can be expanded to reading such lessons in those liturgical places on a daily rather than weekly basis. The Te Deum is of course a hymn used on sun-and-festival days but not ferial days. Application of the above Henrician principle could perhaps be to read the lesson at the same spot where it would be read if the Te Deum would have been said. That is to say, immediately following the Response of the last Matins Lesson.

If this seems a plausible and desirable thing to do, what lectionary, if any, ought to be used? There is no other rule given in the Henrician principle than that one Chapter be read after the Te Deum and after the Magnificat and that when the New Testament is read through, the Old Testament is to be so read. But perhaps a one or multiple year (Catholic) Bible-reading plan could be used with benefit here. But any of the lectionaries provided in the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer would also suffice to provide for these readings. In fact the lectionary provided or in the 1962 Canadian BCP seems especially fit since it makes a deliberate attempt to follow the readings of the Church Season (see lectionarycentral.com).

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O Antiphons

Tomorrow the 16th the “Great O Antiphons” are begun. They are said as given on p. C26-27 of the Anglican Breviary. The Antiphons on the Psalms from the 16th to the 23 are given on p. C28-29. The Psalms are said of scheme 2. Note that tomorrow is a Friday and that the Antiphons on the Psalms are taken from p. C29 for Friday ( ! ).

Sapientiatide (The Anglo-Catholic blog)

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Octave Day of the Immaculate Conception

In as much as sin through the paralysis of human freedom engenders personal sinfulness, this latter can be weakened to a minimum and even brought down to the condition of full potentiality: posse non peccare (though before redemption and before baptism the condition of non posse peccare cannot be reached). To be sure, such a maximum achievement is unthinkable for fallen humanity without the help of Divine grace which, however, only assists freedom and does not compel it. In other words, when original sin as infirmity is kept in force, personal freedom from sins or personal sinlessness can be realized by the grace of God. In harmony with the firm and clear consciousness of the Church, John the Forerunner already approaches such personal sinlessness. The most holy Virgin Mary, the all-pure and all-immaculate, possesses such sinlessness. Only by virtue of this sinlessness was she able to say with her entire will, with her whole undivided essence, behold the handmaid of the Lord, to speak so that the answer to this full self-giving to God was the descent of the Holy Spirit and the seedless conception of the Lord Jesus Christ. The smallest sin in the past or the present would have broken the integrity of this self-giving and the power of this expression. This word, decisive for the whole human race and the entire world, was the expression not of a given moment only, but came out of the depths of Mary’s unblemished being. It was the work and the sum of her life. The inadmissibility of personal sin in the Virgin Mary thus becomes axiomatically trustworthy provided we understand what kind of answer was demanded here of Mary. This was not the particular agreement of her will to a particular action, relating only to a given moment of life; no, this was the self-determination of her entire being.

Fr. Sergius Bulgakov, The Burning Bush

Father Sergius and I share a similar concern about the Immaculate Conception: “before redemption and before baptism the condition of non posse peccare cannot be reached” in other words the Passion of Jesus Christ does not reach back through time to apply the grace wrought there to the moment of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Conception. It cannot, and I dare say, did not. Our lives and our redemption occurs in this life which is bound and limited by time. To be sure God is not bound and limited by time, but we are and they way in which we can receive divine grace is likewise limited. God’s timelessness does not free us from the bonds of time. The division creature – Creator is not overcome and abolished. Whatever else the “Immaculate Conception” means it cannot mean that “baptismal or sanctifying grace” was applied to Mary before such grace even existed for human beings to receive.

The Anglican Breviary – without using the Papal Bull – teaches the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as it was understood by Pope Pius IX but the Anglican Breviary does not make the doctrine binding. Instead the doctrine is contained as a pious opinion (see p. E36, Lesson V). As such it does not pose a problem to me, nor should it to any Anglican Catholic. The Pius IX understanding of the Immaculate Conception is not binding and other interpretations are open to us. In my understanding of the doctrine the B.V.M. was endowed with the grace necessary to be the Mother of God which is a unique grace not given to any other being. This grace is the reason to describe her very conception as immaculate. Not that the B.V.M. “at the moment of her conception was by a unique privilege from God preserved pure from every taint of original sin” (as Pope Pius IX would have us believe) but in such a way that at the moment of her conception was by a unique privilege from God given grace to be the Mother of God wherefore in comparison to the conception of all other human beings hers is accompanied by a grace so unique that it is appropriately described as immaculate. To some the grace necessary to be the Mother of God necessitates the interpretation Pope Pius IX gave to the Immaculate Conception, to me and many others it does not. Even if we accept the apparition of the B.V.M. to St. Bernadette as genuine (which I tend to do) the apparition is not part of the deposit of the faith. Such apparitions are always to be distinguished from revelation as given in Scripture, apparitions are judged in the light of Scripture (and tradition / Rule of Faith) but not the other way around. I do believe that even the Vatican does not bestow dogmatic authority on “visions” and “apparitions” even the ones it approves as genuine.

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Second / Third Week of November

Sunday November 6, Trinity XX

NOTE: (p. C650) this Sunday is counted as the third in November because it falls on Nov. 6th.

All as in the Psalter & Ordinary except:

Matins: IX Lessons. Noct.: the Bk. of Daniel is begun (C656) Responds from table 6. Lesson IX is the ix-th Lesson given for the Octave (E519) or the Gospel fragment & Homily entire can be said for the commemoration of the Octave (Day 6) as one long lesson. Lessons vii & ix of the Sunday could be combined into one so that the III-d Nocturn Lessons of both the Sunday and the commemoration of the Octave are said entire. Te Deum is said.

Lauds & Hours: all for the XX Sunday w/ commem. of the Octave (E506) at Lauds.At Prime no Preces.

Vespers: all for the XX-ieth Sunday w/ commem. of the Octave & St. Willibrord (Table 7a, Collect E527).

Compline: of Sunday (no Preces).

Monday November 7, St. Willibrord, B.C., d.

All as in the Psalter & Ordinary except:

Matins: IX Lessons. Inv. & Hymn from Common 7. Noct. 1: Lessons from occurrent Scripture w/ responds from Table 6. Noct. 2: as in the proper (E527-8) w/ responds from Common 7. Noct. 3: Lessons from Common 7 series 1 (F79-80) w/ responds from Common 7, the ix-th Lesson is arranged as described for Sunday using the propers for the commemoration of Octave (Day 7) Te Deum is said.

Lauds & Hours: from Chapter onward of St. Willibrord, w/ commem., of the Octave.

Vespers: the Office is said as for the I st Vespers of all Saints w/ commem. of All Anglican Martyrs & Saints (Table 6a, Collect S72) and St. Willibrord. (Table 7c, Collect E527).

Compline: for Monday. No Preces.

Tuesday November 8, All Anglican Martyrs & Saints

All as for the Feast of All Saints except (no commem. of the Octave Day):

Matins: IX Lessons. All as for the Feast of All Saints except: 3d Noct. as on p. S72-3 (Gospel fragment). Te Deum is said. (the directions for including a commem. for the Four Crowned Martyrs could be added as follows: simply add the Legend to the last Lesson read). 

Lauds & Hours: all as for the Octave Day except the Collect (S72). (a commem. of the Four Crowned Martyrs could be said using Table 6b, Collect E530).

Vespers: as for the 2nd Vespers of the Feast of All Saints.

Compline: of Tuesday (no Preces).

Wednesday November 9, Memorial of St. Theodore.

All as in the Psalter & Ordinary except:

Matins: III Lessons. All as for the feria.

Lauds & Hours: Collect of previous Sunday w/ commemoration of St. Theodore using Table 5b, Collect as follows:

O God, who dost encompass and shield us by the glorious confession of blessed Theodore, thy Martyr: grant that we may profit by his example and be strenghtened by his prayer. Through …

At Lauds the suffrage is said. At Prime the Dominical Preces are said.

Vespers: all as for the Wednesday. Suffrage is said.

Compline: as for the Wednesday, Preces are said.

Thursday November 10, feria.

All as in the Psalter & Ordinary.

Matins: III Lessons as in the Proper of the Season.

Lauds & Hours: Collect of the previous Sunday at Lauds Suffrage is said and at Prime Dominical Preces are said.

Vespers: Vespers 3 for St. Martin of Tours (E536), Suffrage is not said.

Compline: of Thursday, no Preces. 

Friday November 11, St. Martin of Tours, B.C., d.

Mattins: IX Lessons. Inv. & Hymn from E536 and Common 7). Psalms from Common 7, Ants. from proper (E536-538). Lessons for all Nocturns as indicated in the Proper (E537-8) w/ responds as given in the Proper (St. Mennas is ignored in the Simple Kalendar).

Lauds & Hours: Pss. of Sunday rest as given in the Proper.

Vespers: 2nd Vespers for St. Martin (E540).

Compline: of Friday, no Preces.

Saturday, November 12, feria.

All as in the Psalter & Ordinary.

(alternatively the Saturday Office of Our Lady might be said)

Matins: III Lessons. Occurrent Scripture as in the Proper of the Season.

Lauds & Hours: all as for the Saturday ferial Office, Collect of previous Sunday (at Lauds Suffrage is said, at Prime Dominical Preces are said).

Vespers: all as for the Saturday Office, Collect of the next Sunday, Suffrage is said.

Compline: of Saturday, Preces are said.

Within the Octave

Note:

On days in the Octave and on the Octave Day, the Pss. with their Ants are said at all the Hours, and at Matins the Noct. V.V. also, from the occurrent weekday as in the Psalter; the I Noct. Lessons are read from the occurrent Scripture with their R.R. of the Season; the II and III Noct. Lessons are those assigned as proper to each day: but the rest is as on the Feast [of All Saints].

Anglican Breviary p. E505.

Iow All Saints has an Octave and is said on each day of the Octave as indicated above unless it has to give way to a higher feast. In the latter case it is merely commemorated as indicated on p. E506.

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All Souls

After the 2nd Vespers of All Saints the Office for All Souls begins with the Vespers of the Dead (H1 – H8). The office of the Dead is different from the the usual Office of Vespers in several ways as explained below:

Remember ! the Glory to the Father is not said in the Office of the Dead but is replaced with Rest eternal … 

Immediately following the Closing Versicles of the Vespers of the Day begins the Vespers of the Dead as found in section H of the Breviary. The Office of the Dead has propers given on pages E506-7. The entire Office is taken out of the H section of the Breviary (no commemorations are said) with Antiphons doubled  ( ! ) – so that Psalm 146 is not taken – but instead after the Psalmody has been completed in the H – section Our Father and the rest is taken (all kneeling from Our Father until the completion of the Office) as on p. E506-7. The Marian Antiphon is not said in any of the Offices ( ! )

Compline is also taken as given in the Proper of the Saints (E507-8). The usual preparatory devotions and Opening Versicles are not taken but the Office begins immediately with Psalm 123 on p. E508.  All kneel again for the Our Father and the Preces following.

Matins begins with the Triple Prayer and the Venite & Antiphon are said as on p. H8. The Psalms are said as given in section H, Antiphons are doubled and the Lessons are taken from the Proper (E509-511) without Absolutions, Blessings, and Introductions (to the Lessons).

Lauds is said as given in the H – section of the Breviary. Antiphons are doubled,  and the Our Father & Preces are said kneeling. Psalm 130 is not taken ( ! ) but the Office conclusion skips Psalm 130 to From the gates of hell ….  and the Collect as at Vespers (E507).

Prime and the Hours is said as given in the Proper (E512 – and following) without any introduction to the Office but beginning immediately with the Psalms. The Our Father and Preces are said kneeling as in the Proper. The Martyrology is said keeping in mind that Glory  is not said but rather Rest Eternal … The other Hours follow the same pattern as Compline & Prime as given in the Proper.

At Vespers the Office resumes its normal structure. The Office of the Dead does not have a 2nd Vespers.

Christ the King

I Vespers:

Psalms are taken from Vespers 3 (Sunday). The Antiphons to the Psalms are proper to the Feast (D76) and are (of course) doubled. The Chapter and Hymn are also proper (D76-77). The doxology of this Hymn is repeated for all Hymns of the day which are of the same meter. The V./R.  are for I Vespers (D77) as is the Antiphon to the Magnificat (D77). The Collect is taken from Lauds (D89). After the Collect the commemoration of the XIX is said. For this is used the Antiphon on the Magnificat and the V./R. for the XIX-th Sunday after Trinity (C645) and the Collect (C693-4). There are no Preces (Feasts of Double rite never take the Preces). The Suffrage is also not taken for the same reason. The Marian Antiphon is always said unless otherwise indicated in the Rubrics (Vespers of the Dead ends without it).

Compline: of Sunday.

Matins:

Inv. & Hymn are proper to the Feast as are the Psalms & Antiphons for all Nocturns. The Absolutions, blessing, Lessons, and Responses are proper to the Feast for all Nocturns. The ix Lesson is taken from the XIX Sunday after Trinity (either the ix-th Lesson of that Sunday or Lessons vii-ix combined into one). The Te Deum is said.

Lauds:

Psalms are from Sunday, the Antiphons are proper to the Feast (D88). The Chapter, Hymn, V./R., Antiphon on Benedictus are also proper for the Feast. After the Collect there is a commemoration of the XIX-th Sunday after Trinity using the V./R. & Collect from A24, C693-4).

Little Hours:

Psalms from Sunday, with Antiphons from the Feast (not doubled). Chapter, Short Respons are proper to the Feast (D89). At Prime (scheme I) and proper V. “Thou that in all things hast the pre-eminence.” Martyrology will be posted on Twitter, the Lesson for the Chapter Office is taken from None (unless a Monastic Rule must be read, which is read here).

II Vespers:

All is said as it was for the first Vespers except that the V./R. and the Antiphon on the Magnificat are proper to II Vespers (D77). After the Collect there is a commemoration of the XIX-th Sunday after Trinity using V./R. from B31, Ant. & Collect from C694, C693-4.

Compline: of Sunday.

Living Scripturally: Morals I, 1.

St. Basil the Great, Moralia I,1

Matthew 4, 17:

 ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 11, 19-22:

¹⁹The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

 ²⁰Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

 ²¹Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

 ²²But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

That those who believe in the Lord must first repent, according to the preaching of John and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; for those who do not repent now are condemned with more severity than those who were condemned before the Gospel.

Translation: W.K.L. Clarke (The Ascetical Works of Saint Basil)

That they who believe in the Lord must first do penance according to the preaching of Jon and of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; for they who do not penance now will receive a harsher sentence that those who were condemned before the time of the Gospel.

Translation: Sister M Monica Wagner C.S.C. (Saint Basil Ascetical Works)

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