Upon reading Nowell’s Middle Catechism in its entirety yesterday, today I have had to take some steps and make some choices and I want to know what you kind folk think... So after reading the catechism... I took down my Orthodox Icons of Our Lady of Walsingham and a Liturgical Icon which depicts the perpetual sacrifice of the Mass. I left the one of The Resurrection up. I put away the Marian Rosary and will also no longer be using the Monastic Diurnal. Only the BCP. Here is what we are keeping... Anglican prayer beads and a Paternoster cord. An Orthodox chotki and an Orthodox lestovka for praying the Jesus Prayer Lectio Divina and Mental Prayer (I have NO proficiency in these areas so it’s gonna take some work) Ok... For those of you from other traditions or even cradle Anglicans, when did you read something, even on a forum like this, that challenged your beliefs and practices? What practices have you incorporated into your prayer life, aside from the Office, that seem to you to be harmonious with Traditional Anglicanism? I’m curious to hear your replies because after my “house cleaning “ I feel like someone has violently ripped off an appendage. CF Lawrence
Wow that is amazing. Deo gloria! We've all had to rip out some cultural attachment, something personal and/or meaningful, be it religious or pseudo-religious as what you mention, or some secular pseudo-religious element. Someone might throw out their rainbow flag and feel like their appendage is missing in just the same way. What I can say, in what you've thrown out versus what you've kept, is that your piety is considerably condensed around the figure of God to the exclusion of all else. Upon our Father, and his Son our Lord Jesus. That's what all the actions you've undertaken have led you toward. Your religion is now Christ-ian (rather than Christ-ish). Your devotions, and piety, are aimed at our blessed Saviour and his glorious Father, as well as the Comforter. Things which divided you or took your attention away from the blessed Trinity are now missing. It is indeed what all of the Saints would have wanted from you! St. Mary herself would have recoiled at any kind of veneration for herself, either dulia or hyper-dulia. She would want all our eyes to focus on the Promised One, the Messiah.
I agree with your choice. Aside from classic works like The Imitation of Christ, I don't really feel comfortable appropriating Roman or even Orthodox devotional works or prayer tools into my practice. I was able to accept the rosary by way of their Anglican variation, but am still uncomfortable with the Dominican one, especially since I don't want to give people the impression that I approve of those things, despite the fact that Luther and others had their own variation of prayer with it that excludes the more questionable parts. I don't see the merit or appeal of the chotki/komboskini.
I decided that borrowing the chotki or lestovka from Orthodoxy was a bit out of harmony with the thoroughly Anglican spirituality I was trying to create so I opted to only use my Paternoster and Anglican Rosary.
Ok.. I make regular use of the Litany and Morning and Evening Prayer but please wax on a bit about family prayers and devotional literature. What devotional literature???
Ok... your post sent me on the hunt for devotional literature. I'm hoping people have strong opinions about my selections. So here is what I am tentatively choosing... Spurgeon... Morning and Evening Faith's Checkbook FB Meyer Our Daily Walk Octavius Winslow Morning Thoughts Evening Thoughts
I recommend Frances Ridley Havergal's "Kept for the Master's Use". She was an Anglican and prolific hymn writer. Very underrated devotional these days. I got a copy for my sister and she loved it.
For family prayers, the prayers in the 1928 Prayer Book: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1928/End_matter_1928.pdf Specifically the "Forms of Prayer to be Used in Families" And the psalms and prayers composed by ALexander Nowell in his Catechism. For devotional literature I primarily mean the famous works like, A Whole Duty of Man: https://books.google.com/books?id=89cHAAAAQAAJ Or even some of the stuff on this site, like, The Life of God in the Soul of Man Bishop Williams, Persevering in TImes of Affliction Swadlin's Two Letters, to a Papist and to a Presbyterian
OK. OK. Thank you. I did not have a right understanding of what devotional literature was, certainly not in an Anglican context. You were very helpful, I have been learned!!
would Launcelot Andrewes Preces Private fall into the category of good devotional literature. or William Law A serious call to a devout and holy life?