I was reading Philippians 3 tonight, and was struck by a truth; it's a truth that my evangelical friends--and to be fair, my Anglican clergy friend has--espoused to me before. When my evangelical friends complain about "pageantry" and about "praying by rote", they're really complaining about--to some extent--putting faith in ceremonies (and also "not worshipping from the heart").
So, as I read this during The Office--oh the irony--I contemplated this truth. But, it's not the ceremonies that I put my faith in. I put my trust in God.
I committed to praying more, praying The Office during Lent. The Office doesn't save me. God does.
Sometimes, often, I don't want to pray The Office. In my valleys, I don't enjoy it. I don't feel like it.
But, it grows, waxes my faith. I want it. It deepens my relationship with Him.
Unlike St. Paul, I don't want to throw away my past. It's actually relatively new to me, within the last 25 years; so, it's not that much the past.
Putting my faith in The Office would be wrong. And, through The Office, I sing His praises, pray for those in need and in suffering, read His word, strengthen my faith, and grow in relationship. He does so much good for me.
St. Paul threw away his pharisee ways. Like my evangelical friends, he just "freestyled".
But, can't you pray The Office from the heart? What was Nathaniel doing under the tree? When Christ Himself prayed in the garden for hours, was it just The Lord's Prayer?
I don't need to pray The Office to be saved. I don't need to do it to pray. I don't need to do it to be Christian or to be in relationship with God.
Do I still need to throw it away?
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