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Liturgical Living in the Anglican Tradition

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  • Holy Week at Home: A Pandemic Guide

    by thehomelyhours

    Thank you to Jay and Emelie Thomas for putting together this guide to Holy Week at Home. We are grateful to be able to share something tailored specifically for this year, in addition to the resources we already have. Jay and Emelie are young parents who are constantly learning how to “raise up their children in the way they should go” through the historic...

    April 3, 2020
    Comments 2
    Easter, Feast day, Holy WEek

  • Holy Week in the Domestic Church

    by thehomelyhours

    I can hardly believe that Palm Sunday is in a few days. This is going to be a very brief post sharing what we have available here on this site to help us celebrate Holy Week at home this year. Family Prayer for Holy Week and Easter Last year, I put together a this family prayer booklet  to help families go through the collects and...

    April 3, 2020
    Comment 1
    Family Prayer, Feast day, Holy WEek

  • Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage Through Pregnancy

    by Amanda McGill

    Six and a half years ago, expecting my first daughter, I remember looking for books about pregnancy. I didn’t want ones that just covered biology or gave more rules about eating unpasteurized soft cheeses. I wanted a book that would bring Scripture and theology to bear on my pregnancy, but I looked in vain.  For this reason, when I learned about Fertile Ground: A...

    January 11, 2020
    Comments 19
    Book Review, motherhood

  • Celebrating Epiphany

    by thehomelyhours

    Collect for Epiphany O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we, who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  What is the feast of the Epiphany? The Feast of the Epiphany is...

    January 5, 2020
    Comments 4
    Epiphany

  • A “Quiet Mind” or a “Mind of Winter?”

    by Amanda McGill

    Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. This week’s collect contains one of my favorite phrases in the Prayer Book — a “quiet mind.” I love that description. My mind is loud with worries, restlessness, and...

    November 14, 2019
    Comment 1
    collects, motherhood

  • All Saints’ or Reformation Day?

    by thehomelyhours

    Thank you to Anna-Kathryn Kline for this reflection on All Saints’ Day. Anna-Kathryn is a military spouse who uses the liturgical year to provide stability and familiarity to her home. She is the privileged stay-at-home mother of three little girls and spends her days rediscovering her childhood by coming alongside her girls in the pursuit of wonder. This is the first year my family...

    October 30, 2019
    Comments 6
    All Saints' Day, Feast day

  • Michaelmas, Not Autumn

    by thehomelyhours

    In the heat of southern Texas, it is hard to believe that Autumn is soon coming. My Pinterest home board is full of autumnal crafts where you shouldn’t need anything but nature lying just outside your door. Sigh . . . I have no colored leaves or pine cones. However, I have discovered a secret and I’ll let you in on it: Michaelmas.  Yes,...

    September 25, 2019
    Comment 1
    Family Culture, Feast day, Michaelmas

  • Prayer and a Place of Beauty

    by thehomelyhours

    Thanks to Anna-Kathryn Kline for this new submission in the vein of our Meaningful Home series.  When she emailed her post, I was delighted for several reasons: 1.) It’s always very fun to receive guest posts 2.) We here are all admirers and fans of Leila Lawler/Like Mother, Like Daughter and 3.) I’ve been meaning to finish a post on The Little Oratory for months. So,...

    September 12, 2019
    Comments 0
    Family Culture, Family Prayer, Home, The Symbolic Home

  • Subscribe to the Weekly Guide

    by thehomelyhours

    We’ve decided to change the format of our weekly guide (i.e. the posts we put up like this) to an email newsletter. If you want to subscribe, you will receive an email every Sunday morning with the collect and saints of the week. Click here to subscribe. I think we’ll include a very short “Upcoming Dates” section, instead of our “Homely Links.” And then, here...

    September 7, 2019
    Comments 0
    weekly post

  • The 10th Sunday After Trinity

    by thehomelyhours

    Collect: Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Saints of the Week Monday, August 26: St. Louis Born in 2014, the fourth son of King Louis VIII, Louis was crowned King of France at...

    August 25, 2019
    Comments 0
    weekly post

The Supper of the Lamb and Lent-Pandemic Cooking — The North American Anglican

Published by Amanda McGill

Here is my latest post for the North American Anglican. Have you read the Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon? It’s been just the right book for...

April 6, 2020
Comments 0
Anglican, Lent

Holy Week at Home: A Pandemic Guide

Published by thehomelyhours

Thank you to Jay and Emelie Thomas for putting together this guide to Holy Week at Home. We are grateful to be able to share something tailored specifically for...

April 3, 2020
Comments 2
Easter, Feast day, Holy WEek

Holy Week in the Domestic Church

Published by thehomelyhours

I can hardly believe that Palm Sunday is in a few days. This is going to be a very brief post sharing what we have available here on this...

April 3, 2020
Comment 1
Family Prayer, Feast day, Holy WEek

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Published by thehomelyhours

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, friends! I’m making this quick post so that our Saint Patrick’s Day posts are easy to find on our homepage. Here is a free coloring...

March 17, 2020
Comments 0
church year and seasons, coloring page, printables

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"Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" . If someone had told me in February that our Palm Sunday service would be live-streamed, I would have laughed in their face. But even though, of course, it feels off and is far from ideal, it was also surprisingly beautiful and reverent this morning to worship with our parish via Zoom . . After our service, we made a simple Easter garden in the only container I could find (tacky, right?). But you know, sometimes when I improvise, things go better because I'm not expecting perfection. . This Holy Week, I think a lot is going to be off, improvised, imperfect. But, at the same time, I feel sure that I will keep being surprised by unanticipated beauty and reverence -- in Zoom services, not-quite-right family observances, times of solitude. God meets us where we are. He accepts what we have to offer. . . The people of Jerusalem cut down palm branches to lay down before Him -- it was what they had to offer. Our humble King received their praises then; ours, too, now-- even via Zoom. . How was your Palm Sunday, friends?
On the Homely Hours blog, I've just published two posts -- one collecting the resources that we already have (i.e. Holy Week and Easter Family Prayer Booklet, etc.) and a guest post, "Holy Week at Home: A Pandemic Guide," by Jay and Emelie Thomas. I've linked to both posts at the link in our profile. . From Jay and Emelie: "The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought with it an uncannily sheltered and isolated Lenten season. Many have commented that it is perhaps appropriate that we have endured this societal fast during a season of fasting. Although we do not intend to say the same, we will say that as we prepare for Holy Week, the Triduum, and Eastertide – as much as this season has lent itself to unintentional fasting – we ought to be very intentional about celebrating the greatest feasts and memorials of the Church’s year. We are an Easter people, and our entire calendar revolves around Easter. Even though we are homebound, let us [still] keep the feast!"
Fr. Matthew Brench over at the St. Aelfric’s Customary blog has put together a wonderful resource for prayer. It’s just the sort of thing that I’ve been looking for. It’s an order of prayer, not to replace Morning and Evening Prayer or the Great Litany, but something extra for us to use in our homes in this time. I linked to it in our profile. . Image: Rembrandt - St Peter Prays before the Raising of Tabitha
I made a simple printable of relevant collects from the Prayer Book to tape up by my kitchen and bathroom sinks. I thought I would share it on the blog, too, in case anyone else would also like it. You can find it at the profile link.⁣ ⁣ As I'm sure many others have, I've been dwelling a lot on Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."⁣ I've been encouraged by that word "guard." The peace of God is not something flimsy, evanescent. It's stalwart, solid, firm. When we make our requests known to God, His peace guards us "manfully" (to use a word from the Prayer Book). ⁣ ⁣ And, I keep thinking of this quotation about prayer that I shared back in the summer:⁣ ⁣ "Perhaps at this very moment, on other earths, in other solar systems belong to other galaxies, other beings are turning in the same way we do, or in an equivalent way, towards God: the silence of the abyss contains, perhaps, an infinite murmuring of prayers.⁣ ⁣ I do not know. But I do know that human beings are praying at this very moment, and always have been. I do not believe there is one single second of time in which there is not one human soul at prayer...⁣ ⁣ ... Let us think of those who think of us without knowing us, let us think of those who pray, of all the silent multitude of souls at prayer. We are not alone. In solitude, silence, forsakenness, in the sleep of matter, the sound and the fury of suffering, of birth, of coupling, of despair, of evil and of good, there is everywhere the peace of prayer, everywhere glimmers of grace; there is the Church of souls." ⁣ ⁣ Petru Dimitriu, Towards the Unknown God (quoted in Company of Voices by George Guiver)
I've written lots about Lent, common prayer, the Coronavirus, etc. in my mind these last few weeks. But, with caring for my little newborn, they haven't made it past a paragraph or two when I actually go to type them. I did manage to write my monthly article for the North American Anglican, sending it in the day before I had my baby (I'm guessing this is the only article on that site finished in between contractions?🤣).⁣ ⁣ My article, "Surrounded by the Scriptures," was posted this morning and in light of all that's going on in our world, I'm finding what I wrote then to be a good reminder to me. Isn't it stunning how the Scriptures leap up at us in light of contemporary events? How the prayers in the Prayer Book seem written just for this moment? As I write in this article, I'm so grateful for the "intertextuality" of a liturgical life by the Prayer Book.⁣ ⁣ If you'd like, you can read the article at the profile link. Image: ESV Illuminated Bible
So, here's how my Lent has been going so far. 😊 . Gesimatide: Prepare for baby while fighting flu in family (and fear within) . Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday: Prodromal (penitential?) Labor . Second day of Lent: Baby! . And that's why it's been so quiet around here. Maybe I will post soon about a gradual move into Lent and the quiet joy of knowing that since God knows our hearts, we "strive guiltlessly" (as my priest always says) in this season... . Blessings to you this first Sunday in Lent!
Happy Saint Valentine's Day! You can find this coloring page from @michelleabernathy.art at the profile link. . "Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who settest the solitary in families; We commend to thy continual care the homes in which thy people dwell. Put far from them, we beseech thee, every root of bitterness, the desire of vain-glory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy wedlock, have been made one flesh; turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may be evermore kindly affectioned with brotherly love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ”
We still have to roll the beeswax into candles at some point today, but I did print out Rembrandt's "Simeon and Anna at the Temple." (Walgreen's Same Day Printing for the win again!) Also, if you're looking for some last minute ideas for celebrating Candlemas, you can go to the profile link. ⁣ ⁣ "Behold then, the candle alight in Simeon’s hands. You must light your own candles by enkindling them at his, those lamps which the Lord commanded you to bear in your hands. So come to him and be enlightened that you do not so much bear lamps as become them, shining within yourselves and radiating light to your neighbors. May there be a lamp in your heart, in your hand and in your mouth: let the lamp in your heart shine for yourself, the lamp in your hand and mouth shine for your neighbors. The lamp in your heart is a reverence for God inspired by faith; the lamp in your hand is the example of a good life; and the lamp in your mouth is the words of consolation you speak.” (Guerric of Igny)
I'm excited to be a new monthly contributor to the North American Anglican. In my first article, I'm sharing what I've learned about common prayer, private devotion, and parenthood from these books. Here's the introduction: ⁣ "From when I was a teenager, silent mornings of Bible study and prayer rooted my spiritual life. This “quiet time” habit served me well—until I became a mother. And then, it was ripped away from me and I resented it.⁣ ⁣ Despite efforts to wake up before my children, their infallible instinct that I was awake, plus the creaks of our old house, made this time alone impossible. When we could manage it, my husband would watch our kids so that I could slip away. But it was never enough to fill me up for the demands of life with a toddler and infant. So, in my soul, I raged against my children. Because they were “bad sleepers,” I practically didn’t have a relationship with God anymore.⁣ ⁣ Of course, I tried to fit prayer and Scripture into the crannies of my day. But, inevitably, it was accidental, serendipitous – not part of the fundamental structure of my life. And, though I knew what Jesus said about not hindering the little children, I felt that they were hindering me.⁣ ⁣ Nowadays, my children are a little older and sleep a little better, but the fact that I’m not despairing anymore didn’t change because they slept better. To use an image from my unfolded (though clean) laundry, I found that my spiritual life was “inside-out.” The seams and tags were showing. Understanding that common prayer precedes private devotion turned spiritual life the right way out, so that I no longer feel like I must escape from my children in order to love God..." (Find the rest at the profile link)
It's the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul! I put a blogpost together (link in profile) with the various resources we have for the day. ⁣ ⁣ In my post, I explain that one of my goals for this year is to print out great pieces of art for the fixed Holy Days in the Prayer Book (such as St. Peter, the Transfiguration, etc.) to make these days a bigger deal in our home, especially the ones where it's a bit too easy for us to forget or skim over them.⁣ ⁣ I'm all pleased this morning because yesterday, I sent Caravaggio's Conversion of Saint Paul to Walgreens for their same day printing (it ended up being $2.59 for an 8x10). It came out surprisingly well. My children studied it as we read the lesson from Acts 9 and they asked some really good questions (as well as questions about why Saint Paul doesn't have a shirt on). It seems obvious -- like, "Why haven't I done this all along?" -- to use these red-letter days as a liturgical opportunity to share great art in the home, so that, as Charlotte Mason said, a few more pictures by the great masters may be "hanging permanently in the halls of [their] imagination.”

Collect for Lent 5

We beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Top Posts & Pages

  • Holy Week at Home: A Pandemic Guide
    Holy Week at Home: A Pandemic Guide
  • Holy Week in the Domestic Church
    Holy Week in the Domestic Church
  • Holy Triduum Coloring Page
    Holy Triduum Coloring Page
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  • Baking Bread for Maundy Thursday
    Baking Bread for Maundy Thursday
  • Preparing for Holy Week and Easter, Part 1
    Preparing for Holy Week and Easter, Part 1

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