The Rosy Sequence: Anglican Patrimony

Sarum Gradual, 1527
Cento from Dulcis Iesu Memoria
Translated by J.M. Neale

JESU! the very thought is sweet !

In that dear name all heart-joys meet ;

But sweeter than the honey far

The glimpses of his presence are.

No word is sung more sweet than this :

No name is heard more full of bliss ;

No thought brings sweeter comfort nigh,

Than JESUS, Son of God most high.

JESUS, the hope of souls forlorn,

How good to them for sin that mourn ;

To them that seek thee, O How kind ;

But what art thou to them that find ?

JESUS, thou sweetness, pure and blest,

Truth's fountain, light of souls distrest,

Surpassing all that heart requires,

Exceeding all that soul desires !

No tongue of mortal can express,

No letters write its blessedness :

Alone who hath thee in his heart

Knows, love of JESUS, what thou art.

I seek for JESUS in repose,

Where round my heart the shadows close;

Abroad, and when I shut the door,

I long for JESUS evermore.

As Mary in the morning gloom

Sought out her Master at the tomb,

So now, with love's most earnest cry,

I seek with heart and not with eye.

JESUS, to God the Father gone,

Is seated on the heavenly throne;

My heart hath also passed from me,

That where he is there it may be.

We follow JESUS now, and raise

The voice of prayer, the hymn of praise,

That he at last may make us meet

With him to gain the heavenly seat.

+Iesu dulcis memoria

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto

J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto in d minor

BWV 1052  

Pierre Hantaï 

Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall

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An U.S. American Lutheran confession of sins

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The following is from a Lutheran liturgical order for both a service of Divine Worship as well as for the celebration of the Holy Communion published in Chicago in the USA.  In this confession of sins there is a statement that "we are by nature sinful and unclean" which is certainly not a statement many Christian bodies would accept or declare, but it is a common feature of Lutheran writings in English in North America.

I refrain from saying this is no longer used because usually there is someone somewhere who recognises a treasure when he sees it and makes use of it.

This rite for the congregational confession of sins is found in the Wartburg Hymnal which had a profound influence upon US Episcopalian prayer manuals and hymnals most especially The Hymnal 1940.

The Confession of Sins

Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart, and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.

Minister.  Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
Congregation.  Who made heaven and earth.
Minister.  I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
Congregation.  And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Then shall the Minister say:

Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto Thee, that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against Thee, by thought, word, and deed.  Wherefore we flee for refuge to Thine infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Thy grace, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Congregation shall say with the Minister:

O most merciful God, who hast given Thine Only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins: and by Thy Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of Thee, and of Thy will, and true obedience to Thy Word, to the end that by Thy grace we may come to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then shall the Minister say:

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, hath had mercy upon us, and hath given His Only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgiveth us all our sins.  To them that believe on His Name,  He giveth power to become the sons of God, and bestoweth upon them His Holy Spirit.  He that believeth, and is baptised, shall be saved.  Grant this, O Lord, unto us all.

Amen.

Wartburg Hymnal

For Church, School and Home, 9th ed.

Edited by O. Hardwig

Wartburg Publishing House

Chicago, 1918

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A Prayer of Jeremy Taylor

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O God, 

who hast called us to open our hand,

and thou wouldest fill it,

and we would not;

open thou not only our hand,

but our heart also;

that we may know nothing but thee,

count all things lost in comparison of thee,

and endeavour to be made like unto thee;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jeremy Taylor

A.D. 1613-1667 

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Adoration and Intercession to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament

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O SAVIOUR of the world, Our LORD and Master JESUS CHRIST, Lover of Souls and King of Saints, we adore Thee Present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and we pray Thee to intercede for us, pleading the virtue of Thy Holy Life and Death.

   We adore Thee in the Mystery of the Incarnation, dwelling in all the splendour of the Heavenly Places, and worshipped by Saints and Angels as GOD of GOD, Light of Light, Very GOD of Very GOD, but on earth veiling Thy Glory as GOD made Man, even as in the Holy Communion Thou art hidden beneath the elements of Bread and Wine.

   We adore Thee in Thy Holy Nativity, lying as a helpless Babe upon the straw or asleep in the Virgin's arms, but ruling all things as Almighty GOD.  And as Saint Mary and Saint Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men and all the Heavenly Host worshipped Thee in Thy Manger Throne as the Only Begotten of the Father, so we bend in loving adoration before Thee now, enthroned in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

   We adore Thee in Thy Holy Life: in Thy Home at Nazareth, in Thy Ministry among men, reviled and persecuted, weary, hungry and faint, often with no place in which to lay Thy Head, tempted in all points as we are and like unto us in all things, yet without sin.  And we pray Thee grant us grace to follow Thy blessed example, pleasing not ourselves, going about doing good, and bearing our Cross after Thee, Our LORD and Master, Our SAVIOUR and King, despised and rejected among men but the very Light of the world Whom we here acknowledge in the Blessed Sacrament.

   We adore Thee in Thy Death and Passion, in Thine Agony in the Garden, in Thy bitter trials before Annas, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate, on the Way of Sorrows, and on the Cross at Calvary.  And we worship Thee, Our Most Holy Redeemer, covered with blood, dust and spittle, in all Thy pain and humiliation, Who didst patiently suffer all things for "us men and for our salvation," Who couldst have had legions of Angels at Thy side.  And we pray Thee, that we may be washed in Thy Precious Blood and receive to ourselves the pardon won for us, as we plead the Memorial of Thy Death and Passion in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and feed on Thee, the Lamb of GOD that takest away the sins of the world, as Thou givest Thy Body and Blood unto Everlasting Life.

   We adore Thee, Our Risen and Ascended LORD, Who didst conquer sin and the grave, Who didst rise again from the dead and take Thy Glorified Human Nature to the Highest place of Sovereignty and Honour at the Right Hand side of GOD. And we pray Thee that we may rise from our sins and ascend to lead a better life, seeking the things which are above and preparing for that wonderful life hereafter, when we hope to see Thee face to face, by approaching Thee here in earth in the Sacramental Feast.

O SAVIOUR of the world, may we ever adore Thee more and more, and never requite Thy love for us by coldness, carelessness or wrong-doing.  May we wholly give ourselves to Thee, Who wast all nailed to the Cross for us.  May we burn with the fire of love, the ardour of devotion, the fervour of zeal, adoring, glorifying and following Thee so that we may truly "see light in the Face of JESUS CHRIST."  As GOD may we worship Thee, as Man may we copy Thee, as Both may we be united with Thee in the Most Comfortable Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, the very joy of existence here, the very promise of life hereafter.

GLORY, Honour, Praise and Worship be to Thee forevermore, WHO with the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST art One GOD, world without end. Amen.

Ave, Verum

HAIL, true Body, born of Mary;

Spotless Virgin's virgin birth;

Thou Who truly hangest weary

On the Cross for sons of earth;

Thou whose Sacred Side was riven,

Whence the Water flowed and Blood.

O mayst Thou, dear LORD, be given

At death's hour to be my Food.

O most Kind, O Gracious One!

O sweetest JESU, Mary's Son.

Fr. Knowles

The Practice of Religion

The Revd Archibald Campbell Knowles, DD

(of The Episcopal Church in the USA)

Morehouse-Gorham Co.

New York, New York

Fifth Printing 1954

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French bishops: Day of Fasting on Friday, 29 July

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The Catholic bishops of France have called for a Day of Fasting on Friday, 29 July A.D. 2016 in response to the beheading and martyrdom of Father Jacques Hamel.

It is important to understand that Fr. Hamel died because his assailants hated the Christian faith and hated him as a priest of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  This was not simply an act of terror nor was it merely another murder.  It was the martyrdom of Fr. Hamel at the hands of those who hate the True Faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.

While other episcopal conferences have yet to call for solidarity with the faithful of France in the Day of Fasting on Friday, 29 July A.D. 2016, I suggest that in some way we share in the day of fasting.  

Perhaps a day of fasting is not possible within your responsibilities or with regard to your personal health, so please allow me to suggest a recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary or an hour with Sacred Scripture and in prayer.


Our Lady, Queen of France, pray for us.

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A Hymn of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

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Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa of Portugal is not well known to many North American Catholics save for those of Portuguese backgrounds and others who have been touched by this holy one of God.  Her message intersects in a profound way with that of Sr. Lucia of Fátima, and faithful Catholics would do well to make her acquaintance among the holy company of the Blesseds of the Church.  The following is one of her ecstatic poems in praise of the Tabernacles of the Lord in our Catholic churches where the Lord's Eucharistic Divine Presence abides with us.

HYMN TO THE TABERNACLES

Oh my Jesus, I want each pain that I feel, each palpitation of my heart, each time I breathe, each second of the hours I pass, to be Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want each movement of my feet, my hands, my lips, my tongue, each time that I open my eyes or close them, each tear, each smile, each joy, each sadness, each tribulation, each distraction, contrariety or trouble, to be Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want each letter of the prayers I recite or hear to recite, all the words that I pronounce or hear to pronounce, that I read or hear to read, that I write or see someone writing, that I sing or hear to sing, to be Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

I want each time I kiss your holy images or those of your and my beloved Mama, and your saints, to be Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I want each little drop of rain that falls from the sky to the land, all the water contained in the world, offered drop by drop, all the sands of the sea and everything the sea contains, to be Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the leaves of the trees, all the fruits that they mmight have, the little flowers offered petal by petal, all the little grains of seeds and cereals in the world, and everything contained in the gardens, fields and mountains, I offer everything as Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the feathers of the small birds, their own warbling, the fur and the voices of all the animals, as Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You the day and the night, the heat and the cold, the wind, the snow, the moon, the moonlight, the sun, the sunset, the stars of the sky, my sleep, my dream, as Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, I offer You everything the world contains, all its greatness, wealth and treasures, everything which happens to myself, everything I use to offer to You, everything one can imagine, as Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Oh Jesus, accept the sky, the land, the sea, everything, everything they contain, as if everything was mine and everything I could make use of and offer You as Acts of love for your Tabernacles.

Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, pray for us.
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Pt. IV, Margaret Barker: A Walk through the Old Testament

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A Walk through the Old Testament, Part IV

with Dr. Margaret Barker

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A Prayer from "Father Field's Prayer Book"

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Today I suspect very few Episcopalians and Anglicans will remember the Father Field's Prayer Book published by the Cowley Fathers, but it stands as a monument to Anglo-Catholic faith and devotion in the Anglican Communion.  I believe Father Field, SSJE began work on the volume when he first was at S. Clement's in Philadelphia as part of his work with the Guild of the Iron Cross, but of this I am not certain.  The entire volume is a treasure, and within it the following prayer is a favourite of mine for its original source and its Anglican adaptation here.


ALMIGHTY GOD, we thine unworthy servants do beseech thee, for the merits of thy dear Son, and through his blessed Sacrifice, to have mercy upon us. Deal not with us after our sins, but according to thy great love and mercy. Send down thy Holy Spirit upon us all, through the appointed channels of grace in thy Church, for the sanctification of soul and body — for bringing forth the fruit of good works — for the remission of sins — and for life everlasting.

We entreat thee. O God, for thy Holy Catholic Church : furnish her plentifully with the rich gifts of thy Holy Spirit. Look down upon her in her captivity. Visit her with thy salvation, and grant her grace to serve thee in the beauty of holiness.

Remember, O Lord, the holy bishops in thy Church (especially thy servant our Bishop). Endow them with wisdom, and fill them with the Holy Ghost, that they may rightly divide and uprightly walk in the word of truth.

Remember, Lord, all the priests and deacons who serve at thy holy altar (especially of this church and parish), and preserve them unspotted in their ministry.

Remember, O Lord, all who bring forth fruit and do good works in thy Holy Church — all who are mindful of the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, strangers, and outcasts, and all who desire to be remembered in our prayers.

And we commend unto thee all sick persons, especially those now departing. Grant unto the sick, if it be thy will, restoration to health, and give pardon and peace to the souls of the dying.

Remember also, we beseech thee, thy servants who have gone before us with the seal of the Faith, and now rest in the sleep of peace. Grant unto them, O Lord, eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

And grant that we, when we depart hence, may all find mercy and favour with all thy saints who from the beginning of the world have pleased thee in their several generations — Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, and every just spirit made perfect in the faith of thy Christ, from righteous Abel unto this day. May we, with them, rest among the faithful in Paradise, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where sorrow and sighing are banished away, where the light of thy countenance shines continually ; and vouchsafe to bring us to the full enjoyment of thy heavenly kingdom. And dispose the end of our lives, O Lord, in peace, that they may be Christian, well pleasing to thee, and free from sin; that so, with that innumerable company before thy throne, we may sing praises for evermore. And this we pray through Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Father Chas. Field, SSJE

A Book of Prayers 
for All Churchmen

“Father Field's 
Prayer Book”

1944 edition

Society of 
Saint John the Evangelist

Cambridge, Massachussetts

Pages 46 -47

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For the Conversion of Mohammedans and all who know not Christ

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19. For the Conversion of Mohammedans and all who know not Christ. 

 Let us pray for the conversion of Mohammedans, and all who know not Christ. 

 V. Let thy way be known upon earth; 
 R. Thy saving health among all nations. 

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who in thy goodness hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine in our land: Extend thy mercy, we beseech thee, to the nations of the world that still walk in darkness. Enlighten the Moslems with the knowledge of thy truth; and grant that the Gospel of salvation may be made known in all lands, that the heart of the peoples may be turned unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scottish Book of Common Prayer 1929

Scottish Episcopal Church

Anglican Communion

There is an excellent page from some years back on Dom Kirby's Vultus Christi blog entitled Praying Against the Heathen.

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Ancient Prayers of Peace

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O CHRIST, the Word of the Most High Father, Who wast made Flesh to dwell among us, enter into our hearts, that all we who have been redeemed by the mystery of Thine Incarnation, may remain united in the fellowship of perpetual peace.  (Mozarabic Catholic)

LORD God Almighty, Christ the King of glory, Who art our true Peace, and Love eternal ; enlighten our souls with the brightness of Thy peace, and purify our consciences with the sweetness of Thy love, that we may with peaceful hearts wait for the Author of peace, and in the adversities of this world may ever have Thee for our Guardian and Protector ; and so being fenced about by Thy care, may heartily give ourselves to the love of Thy peace.  (Mozarabic Catholic)

O GOD, Who art Peace everlasting, Whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and Who hast taught us that the peace-makers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet to us for ever.   (Mozarabic Catholic)

from Ancient Collects

William Bright

O GOD, Who art the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection, Who sendest peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Thy love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Thy grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Enkindle in us the fire of Thy love; sow in us Thy fear; strengthen our weakness by Thy power; bind us closely to Thee and to each other in one firm and indissoluble bond of unity; for the sake of Jesus Christ.  (Syrian Clementine Liturgy)

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“On Orientophobia: Coming out of the Liturgical Closet”

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There is a very welcome article by Dr. Adam A..J. DeVille now online that provides clear and exact support for Cardinal Sarah's statement on returning to the celebration of Holy Mass "facing East" this Advent.  Dr. DeVille writes:

The question of the proper orientation of Latin liturgics is so painfully simple that people cannot deal with it. There is, in fact, no question: the posture of the entire assembly facing liturgical East is universal and ancient, and until the 1960s no Christian, East or West, would ever have dreamt of disorienting the priest by turning him around in the wrong direction. That bizarre decision of the Latin church in the 1960s immediately set her at odds not only with her own sacred tradition but that of the rest of the Christian world, especially the other major liturgical families—the Byzantine, Alexandrian, Armenian, and Syriac. It should never have happened, and can only be counted a massive mistake.

I strongly encourage reading the entire article here.  What he has to say is aimed at the worship and ecclesiology of the Latin Church, but it should be taken very seriously by those of you, dear Readers, who are traditional Anglicans, traditional Lutherans, and traditional Methodists because your churches for the most part followed lock step with the liturgical changes that swept the Catholic Church after Vatican II.

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