St. Ignatius of Loyola & Prayer

" Ignatius Loyola spent the best of his energies on teaching people to pray. Before his conversion, his idea of prayer was reciting Our Father's and Hail Mary's. When he started to read the scriptures, he found that God was talking to him, especially through the stories about Jesus. He wrote about it later, 'God taught me like a schoolboy.' As the years passed, his prayer became more wordless - so does the prayer of many Christians as they mature in their spiritual life.

Ignatius had such an appetite for prayer - such heart-wrenching delight in it - that he had to ration himself, because the tears of joy were affecting his sight.

God was for him not a word, but a touch. One of his friends recalled his going up to the roof of his house at night. 'He would sit there quietly, absolutely quiet. He would take off his hat and look up for a long time at the sky.. and the tears would begin to flow down his cheeks like a stream, but so quietly and so gently that you heard not a sob, nor a sigh, nor the least possible movement of his body.' "

Source: Sacred Space: http://www.sacredspace.ie/

A Fork in the Canterbury Trail?

It's a frustrating thing to be conflicted about where you belong in Christ's body. Since posting my "Where I'm At" piece, I can't honestly say that I've gotten any clearer a picture of what I should be doing, and I'm also fearful of making any harsh decisions that I might later regret.

Right now, I am a confirmed member of the Reformed Episcopal Church. There is much I love about extra-mural "classical" Anglicanism, but it is difficult when you belong to a Parish where things are not what they could be, when membership numbers are shrinking and where the older members are seemingly dead-set against any change of any kind. No younger families, no youth group, little community involvement.

After 10 years, I doubt most of my readers can really blame me for thinking about "getting the hell out of dodge", especially those who might be in a similar situation to my own.

And yet at the same time, for all my frustration, there are still some things that have me thinking that I shouldn't give up yet. A new priest that is doing his best not merely to restore proper Anglican ceremonial (the tri-state REC is notoriously low-church), but also to challenge the malaise and lack of enthusiasm that has crept into the Parish. He clearly knows that he has taken on a Parish that has seen better days, and I'm fairly certain he knows how discouraged I've become because of it.

There are also things that I would not longer have in an Episcopal Church, such as the incomparable beauty of the 1662/1928 Prayer Book liturgy, the early morning spoken Holy Communion service and it's quiet spirit of reverence. Even Matins (Morning Prayer) which has all but died out in the Episcopal Church, being replaced by a lot of trifling modern stuff like "Enriching our Worship" and informal praise and worship services.

Of course there is a flip-side to this coin as well. There are qualities that the Episcopal Churches in my area have that are simply missing from the extra-mural Anglican Churches around here: things like growing and vibrant congregations, greater opportunities for fellowship, enthusiasm, and real service to - and connection with - the surrounding community. All of these are as important to me as the liturgy is.

Of course.. it's also important to remember that there are healthy, thriving extra-mural Anglican Parishes out there and sick, dying Episcopal Parishes - the reverse of the particular situation that I find myself in. It's crucial for me to remember that, and to not burn any bridges out of spite, no matter what I decide.

At any rate, I'll be meeting with the local Episcopal Priest in order to discuss my struggles and seek help in weighing my options. I will likely also be meeting a few times with my current parish's Priest to do the same. And then comes Prayer and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, I suppose. Hopefully I can figure out what I need to do, eventually.

As always, dear readers, I will keep you updated..

Ten Evangelical Affirmations

By Rev. Fleming Rutledge

About once a year I put forward a list of evangelical affirmations. Now more than ever, it seems to me that "generously orthodox" Christians need to work hard at making a case for broadening the term "evangelical" more intentionally. The sharp divisions among evangelicals are a grave problem threatening our witness. News from England and Australia suggests that Anglican evangelicals sometimes endanger the gospel itself by taking too narrow a view of what constitutes sound theology.

At the same time we need to be outspoken and confident about what sets evangelical theology apart from liberal theology.

I am repeating my proposals now, and will continue to do so from time to time. This revised list seems to me to define "evangelical" as I understand and use the word myself. I call myself either a "liberal evangelical" or, more accurately, a "post-liberal.":

1. Jesus Christ is the only-begotten, incarnate, Son of God the Father.

2. Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of Israel, hailed by Moses and Elijah, the one in whom the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah is fulfilled.

3. In the Crucifixion, the Triune God gave himself in the person of his Son, on our behalf and in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous.

4. The Cross and Resurrection were a single definitive act of God to overcome Sin, conquer Death, defeat the Evil One on his own turf, and inaugurate the new reality called the Kingdom of God.

5. The Holy Scriptures are the true revelation of God's own self, and the Bible is therefore unique among writings and can be trusted as the living and active Word of God.

6. We are incorporated into the new life of God for now and for all eternity through baptism, justified by grace alone, through the gift of faith.

7. The Holy Spirit is actively at work in the world shaping both events and people to bring his ultimate redemptive purpose to pass.

8. God in Christ is gathering disciples, the saints of God, who embody his purposes through the ministry of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

9. It is the very essence of Christian faith to bear witness to this story of God, and therefore to make his gospel known to all nations and peoples.

10. We look to the future of God, when Jesus Christ will come again in great glory to rectify all that is wrong and bring all things to their appointed consummation.

Read online: http://tinyurl.com/3ynhxf

55 Maxims for Christian Living

By Fr. Thomas Hopko

1. Be always with Christ and trust God in everything.
2. Pray as you can, not as you think you must.
3. Have a keepable rule of prayer done by discipline.
4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times each day.
5. Repeat a short prayer when your mind is not occupied.
6. Make some prostrations when you pray.
7. Eat good foods in moderation and fast on fasting days.
8. Practice silence, inner and outer.
9. Sit in silence 20 to 30 minutes each day.
10. Do acts of mercy in secret.
11. Go to liturgical services regularly.
12. Go to confession and holy communion regularly.
13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings.
14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person regularly.
15. Read the scriptures regularly.
16. Read good books, a little at a time.
17. Cultivate communion with the saints.
18. Be an ordinary person, one of the human race.
19. Be polite with everyone, first of all family members.
20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.
21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby.
22. Exercise regularly.
23. Live a day, even a part of a day, at a time.
24. Be totally honest, first of all with yourself.
25. Be faithful in little things.
26. Do your work, then forget it.
27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.
28. Face reality.
29. Be grateful.
30. Be cheerful.
31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.
32. Never bring attention to yourself.
33. Listen when people talk to you.
34. Be awake and attentive, fully present where you are.
35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary.
36. Speak simply, clearly, firmly, directly.
37. Flee imagination, fantasy, analysis, figuring things out.
38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.
39. Don’t complain, grumble, murmur or whine.
40. Don’t seek or expect pity or praise.
41. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.
42. Don’t judge anyone for anything.
43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
44. Don’t defend or justify yourself.
45. Be defined and bound by God, not people.
46. Accept criticism gracefully and test it carefully.
47. Give advice only when asked or when it is your duty.
48. Do nothing for people that they can and should do for themselves.
49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice.
50. Be merciful with yourself and others.
51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.
52. Focus exclusively on God and light, and never on darkness, temptation and sin.
53. Endure the trial of yourself and your faults serenely, under God’s mercy.
54. When you fall, get up immediately and start over.
55. Get help when you need it, without fear or shame.

Behaving like Hall Monitors..

A liberal Bishop gets a divorce and Anglican journalist, David Virtue, considers it breaking news:

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11143

Meanwhile the Anglican world is full of orthodox Clergy who are not only divorced, but have gotten divorced more then once. So the real question here is what is the point of this type of journalism? Is there really an edifying point here to be made? One that means anything aside from gossip?

Why are we only blowing the whistle when a liberal does something like this? Doesn't Malachi 2:16 apply to all of us? Of course it does. It either applies to all of us, or it applies to none of us.

Brothers and sisters, shouldn't we remove the plank of disobedience to Scripture from our own so-called orthodox eyes - so that then perhaps we might stand a chance of helping someone else remove theirs? Or is it just more fun for us to point, rant, and act like elementary school hall monitors?

What makes us so bloody sure that we aren't liberals?

When will we quit behaving in like manner to Mr. Virtue and start working on ourselves rather then seeking distraction in the form of salacious hall-monitor gossip about others?

What will it ever take for us to be through, once and for all, with our own hypocrisy and pride, and to begin actually behaving as salt and light in this broken, miserable world?

Where I'm At..

This Anglican thing has been a real downer lately. I guess if you live near a healthy Continuing Church, or an ACNA parish - then you really aren't going to understand where I'm coming from.

Around here, Anglicanism barely exists, and what does exist barely has a pulse. I suppose that's being melodramatic, but I can't think of any other way to put it. I've tried sitting on my list of grievances for a number of years, but I'm finding it next to impossible to do so anymore. In my own Parish I've put up with a lack of any real fellowship whatsoever between Sundays and merely superficial fellowship on Sundays for nearly a decade. I feel like a hermit between Sundays and frankly it sucks. I'm not the lone ranger. When I was baptized into Christ, I was baptized into a family - and I'd like to start feeling like I actually have a Christian family again.

Again, I am speaking solely of the situation in my own area.. and I am not slamming the ACNA or the Continuum en masse. I think that would be foolish. Indeed I see real signs of life in many Anglican churches throughout the U.S., but around here that simply is not the case. I hate to admit it, honestly. But why bother with a blog if I'm not going to be honest? I love the Anglican tradition, but I don't love it at the expense of genuine fellowship and spiritual direction.

I may end up giving up on this Anglican thing, I don't really know what else to say about it. I suppose I could go look for a reasonably creedal Episcopal parish in the area that hasn't sold itself out to the usual empty baby-boomer nonsense - or I could broaden my horizons and look into Churches of other traditions altogether. After all I've never been a blazing "Anglo-Roman" type to begin with, and I've never believed in un-churching other protestants. Maybe I'll just play it by ear and do both.

A good friend of mine, Fr. Dan, mentioned on his blog once that letting go of his fundamentalism is what finally cured him of his need to find the "perfect church", maybe that's what I need to do - let go of it, all of it. I need to get this worthless burden off my back once and for all - It's held me down me for long enough.

I will keep you updated, dear readers.

What Really Matters..

As strange as it sounds coming from someone whose been a Christian since 1995, lately I can manage to go for multiple days without much in the way of regular prayer and/or reading of the Scriptures. It hasn't always been that way.

When I first got "saved" in a charismatic Church, of course, I would spend hours in prayer and reading the Bible, and enjoying intimate friendship with God. Not a few times I openly wept as I walked with Christ in the Gospels, and saw what His love for the despised sinner and the social outcast was like. I realized that nobody is too far gone for Him.. nobody is too sick, whether spiritually or physically. I was a new Christian, and this was the honeymoon.

But honeymoons end, and anything that can befall an earthly marriage can also befall us in this spiritual one. Things can become routine, and we can end up "straying". Lately, I'm finding it easier and easier to get caught up in any number of distractions on an almost daily basis, those distractions at times seem to be what define me as a Christian. I've settled in, my passion has chilled considerably, things have become routine and over time falling into sin has become easier for me then it had been in quite some time.

As a new Christian I didn't get caught up in the nonsense of Church politics, or in minutia such as how the worship was (or wasn't) done on a given morning, or what our denomination was (or wasn't) doing nationally. It didn't matter. Sharing the Gospel with those who didn't know Him personally mattered. Meaningful fellowship with new friends mattered. Growing together in Christ as God renewed His image within us mattered.

All of this rhetoric about saving Anglicanism has in fact become the number #1 distraction for me. Not that concern for the future of Anglicanism is wrong in and of itself, but rather my own lack of a balanced perspective is wrong. It is very wrong. "isms" aren't human beings, nor are they sinners in desperate need of forgiveness, nor do "isms" have any real need of being reconciled with God. What matters is that I still need Him to fix me, and you still need Him to fix you. Likewise, we need to be there to help Him fix our other struggling brothers and sisters. To pray beside them and for them, to encourage them, and even to rebuke them.

There really are no "Liberals", or "Conservatives" that I need to shout down.. but rather an earth-load of broken sinners for whom Christ has died. He didn't lay down His life for tags and labels, but rather for you and I. I'm just a backslider that needs to meet Christ again as if for the first time, as it were.

So Pray for me, and I'll keep you in prayer as well. And if you ever just want to talk.. I'm here to listen. Drop me a line in the comments section, or in my e-mail.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner!"