laudable Practice

But many of the faithful will be reassured by his conclusion to his address: the Hail Mary. That is to say, the most Catholic of prayers, invoking the Virgin. So said Melanie McDonagh in her Spectator article on the election of Leo XIV. Her comment led me to wonder what might be 'the most Anglican of prayers' for similar high profile situations. I am not, of course, talking about the very unmemorable 'topical prayers' produced, for example, for the Church of England website. Rather, the issue is what might be the Anglican equivalent to the place of the Hail Mary in Roman Catholic piety. Three prayers come to mind. They are prayers that should be routinely encouraged by Anglican churches on social media, in public pronouncements, and at significant national and international moments. Rather than instantly forgettable, newly-devised 'topical prayers', prayers which are rooted in and embody Anglican piety should be consistently provided and their use consistently ...

Not out of envie or maliciousnesse So I forbear to crave your speciall aid:                                           I would addresse My vows to thee most gladly, Blessed Maid, And Mother of my God, in my distresse. Thou art the holy mine, whence came the gold, The great restorative for all decay                                           In young and old; Thou art the cabinet where the jewell lay: Chiefly to thee would I my soul unfold: But now, alas, I dare not; for our King, Whom we do all joyntly adore and praise,                                           Bids no such thing: And where his pleasure no injunction layes, (’Tis your own case) ye never move a wing. George Herber...

Each week of Lent, laudable Practice is presenting words from Jeremy Taylor reflecting on fundamental practices shared by the Christian traditions. Today's practice is private prayer. Taylor here echoes the deeply patristic tradition of understanding the Lord's Prayer both as the Dominical prayer for all Christians and the form to guide all our prayer.  This extract begins by expounding the significance of private prayer to the Christian life, quoting patristic witnesses to this effect. Prayer here is a chief means of sanctification, making us a shrine of the Triune God. The commentary on the petitions of the Lord's Prayer demonstrates how this Prayer is "mysterious, and, like the treasures of the Spirit, full of wisdom and latent senses", a nourishing well from which we to drink deeply, as it guides and shapes our prayers.  The extract then concludes with Taylor addressing three practical aspects of prayer: when we are to pray, distractions in prayer, and postur...

In The Great Exemplar , following his 'Considerations Upon the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple', Jeremy Taylor appropriately offers a discourse 'Of Meditation'. This reflects, of course, the faithful, prayerful waiting of Simeon and Anna, and also how the Gospel of the feast tells that the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph "marvelled at those things which were spoken" of the Christ Child.  Taylor says of this, "and treasured them in their hearts; and they became matter of devotion and mental prayer, or meditation". Likewise, Taylor's urging that "meditation is the duty of all", echoes his earlier description of Simeon and Anna: "of diverse sexes, and like piety, Simeon and Anna, the one who lived an active and secular, the other a retired and contemplative life".  Today's feast, therefore, is, for Taylor, an invitation to meditation, to a prayerful dwelling upon the life of Christ - in which "the greatest mysteries ...

The horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an act of great evil. So said the Archbishops of Canterbury and York last week, when Putin's regime commenced its invasion and occupation of Ukraine.  The welcome moral clarity of the statement, however, sharply contrasts with the ' Prayers in a time of war in Ukraine ' provided by the Church of Ireland’s Liturgical Advisory Committee.  Of the four prayers proposed, only one actually refers to Ukraine. Despite the title given to the prayers - "in a time of war" - you would be easily forgiven for thinking that this prayer refers to Ukraine in peacetime: O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend to your merciful care the people and government of Ukraine that, being guided by your providence, they may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to their leaders and all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mind...