Good Friday

 

A reflection:

"CHRIST broke his mysterious body and gave it to his disciples at the Supper without explaining at that time what the breaking and giving would mean.  There was no need, the facts would presently make it clear.  What, then, was done to this body?  It was stripped, scourged, and nailed to a cross: stripped of all dignity and all possession, scourged with the stroke of penal justice, and nailed up like a dead thing while it was still alive.  The body you receive in this sacrament accomplished its purpose by nailing to a tree.  You are to become this body, you are to be nailed: nailed to Christ’s sacrificial will.  The nails that hold you are God’s commandments, your rules of life, prayers, confessions, communions regularly observed.  Let us honour the nails for Christ’s sake, and pray that by the virtue of his passion they may hold fast." (Austin Farrer, Crown of the Year)

A prayer:

Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the Cross; who now liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

God bless you all,

LSP

Maundy Thursday

It's Maundy Thursday and time to concentrate on higher things than the Archbishop of Canterbury's latest mall brawl antics. So here's a couple of prayers, or Collects, for the day:

ALMIGHTY Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, did institute the Sacrament of his Body and Blood; Mercifully grant that we may thankfully receive the same in remembrance of him, who in these holy mysteries giveth us a pledge of life eternal; the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

And for all you Roman Catholic trads out there, here's the Extraordinary Form Collect (1962 Missal):

DEUS, a quo et Judas reátus sui pœnam, et confessiónis suæ latro prǽmium sumpsit, concéde nobis tuæ propitiatiónis efféctum: ut, sicut in passióne sua Jesus Christus Dóminus noster divérsa utrísque íntulit stipéndia meritórum; ita nobis, abláto vetustátis erróre, resurrectiónis suæ grátiam largiátur. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.

(O GOD, from whom Judas received the punishment of his guilt, and the thief the reward of his confession: grant unto us the full fruit of Thy Clemency; that even as in His Passion our Lord Jesus Christ gave to each retribution according to his merits, so having cleared away our former guilt, He may bestow on us the grace of His Resurrection: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.)

Have a blessed Triduum,

LSP

Cleansing The Temple

I preached this morning on Our Lord throwing the money changers and animal sellers out of the Temple. And I managed to include the words "bag limit," "Polled Herefords," and "cattle brokers" into the sermon. 

Random Money Changer

The Baylor faculty got a look-in, too. "If the Baylor Faculty were to sin, heaven forfend," I declaimed, "They could buy the finest bull from Mr.***** here, and kill it. But what difference would it make? None at all. It would be, at best, a symbol."

The homily was on atonement and sacrifice, obviously.

God bless,

LSP