by Peter James | Jan 3, 2024 | Anonymous (Good digestion)
It has never occurred to me to pray for good digestion. Why not? We read in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, “Don’t worry about anything but instead, pray about everything” (Phil. 4.6). The origins of today’s prayer are obscure. It...
by Peter James | Jan 2, 2024 | Clementine Liturgy
Isaac Watts was a precocious child. From the start, he was a voracious reader and natural poet who liked to speak in rhymes. While it amused the family initially, his incessant rhyming eventually wore out its welcome. As his father was leading family prayers at dinner...
by Peter James | Dec 31, 2023 | Sarum Primer
We come at long last to December 31, the last day of the year. The transition to a new year brings with it reflections on the passage of time and uncomfortable reminders of our mortality. We live in a death-denying culture. We avoid talking about death and have even...
by Peter James | Dec 30, 2023 | Festo Kivengere
Festo Kivengere (1919-1988) and his wife Mera attended a Good Friday service at All Souls Church in London. The sermon centered on Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23.34). Festo carried in his...
by Peter James | Dec 29, 2023 | John of Damascus
I marvel at the depth and profundity of Christmas carols. Take the classic carol, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” There’s a line in the song, “very God, begotten not created.” Did you catch that? In the span of a single phrase, we sing that...
