In one of my books on the lives of saints, which I usually read in conjunction with the daily office, Mary Slessor was commemorated. She was a woman born into a working class Presbyterian family in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1848. In 1875 she went as a teacher to a mission in Calabar, Nigeria, where she served until her death in 1915. What struck me was a couple of phrases from Richard Symonds’ “Above Rubies” (about her life): ”Partly as a result of her lack of formal education, particularly in Presbyterian theology, Mary Slessor took a broad-minded view of local a beliefs and customs when she arrived in Calabar, and as a result acquired an unusual understanding of them.” ”Mary Slessor’s religion is quite as interesting as the work which it inspired. Although she recollected that as a girl ‘hell fire’ had driven her into the kingdom, she found it a kingdom of love and tenderness and mercy, and never sought to bring anyone into it by shock. ’Fear is not worship,’ she said, ‘nor does it honor God.’” (more…)
January 12, 2012
Saints and the spiritual walk
Posted by johnmangels under Looking for God, Saints | Tags: Aelred of Rievaulx, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Mary Slessor, spiritual search, Urban T. Holmes III |Leave a Comment
March 23, 2011
Complacency? Evil? Sin?
Posted by johnmangels under Jesus | Tags: by John Mangels, Daily Office, Evil, Sin, spiritual search |Leave a Comment
I was reading, with Matins this morning, an excerpt from the treatise On the Six Days of Creation by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. In it, he is wondering where evil comes from. He concludes “It is a pervasion of mind and spirit, swerving from the way of true virtue, which frequently overtakes the unwary. … The enemy is within us. (more…)
March 21, 2011
Thoughts In Early Lent
Posted by johnmangels under Lent | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Living Our Faith |Leave a Comment
A lot of the daily office readings from the Hebrew Scriptures for Lent are from Jeremiah. He began his work as a prophet during the reign of the reforming king, Josiah, and in these Dueteronomic reforms, the cult was to be centered in the Jerusalem Temple and justice was to be done for the widows, the orphans and the oppressed. At first Jeremiah supported these reforms. But over time, it came to be about a kind of cultic legalism, a personal purity, and concerns for justice for those in need fell away. (more…)
January 3, 2011
Further Reflections on the Christmas Season
Posted by johnmangels under Christmas, Personal | Tags: by John Mangels, Christmas, Daily Office, spiritual search, St. Helena Breviary |Leave a Comment
I have a strong sense of Advent from a year ago. It was a time of real renewal for me. Part of that was from being able to participate in the Benedictine Weekend Retreat at the Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg (which I would love to be able to do regularly). Part of that was beginning to get immersed in the monastic version of the St. Helena Breviary. I haven’t been able to maintain that level of immersion, but I think that’s still really feeding my spiritual life. Much of it was sheer grace – simply a gift.
On the other hand, I have very little sense of Christmas from a year ago. (more…)
June 21, 2010
Progressing with the Daily Office (OSH Breviary)
Posted by johnmangels under Personal, Prayer | Tags: Anglican rosary, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Prayer, St. Helena Breviary |Leave a Comment
So, for those of you who are interested in the Daily Office, here’s how things are going for me. (more…)
June 21, 2010
Holy Spirit, Silver Lake, and “Boxing God”
Posted by johnmangels under Bible, Looking for God | Tags: by John Mangels, Daily Office, Emergent Church, Inclusion, spiritual search |1 Comment
This past week, while at continuing education in Los Angeles (training for transitions ministry) I had the privilege of attending the midweek (Thursday night) service at Holy Spirit in Silver Lake. This is a small, emergent congregation that started in someone’s home and now meets in a couple of rooms for Eucharist on Thursday nights. They describe themselves as a meal in three courses, gathered around the altar. And there is intentionality about being open and welcoming to the GLTBI community.
One of the things they do differently is the sermon. (more…)
June 8, 2010
Monastic Edition (St. Helena Breviary)
Posted by johnmangels under Personal, Prayer | Tags: Daily Office, St. Helena Breviary |[2] Comments
Well, for a bit over a week, I’ve been using all for offices in the St. Helena Breviary. And it’s been good. I’ve even been supplementing beyond this a bit. I’ve appreciated the sense of continuity. But, as of yesterday, I’m looking at yet another change. I finally ordered the monastic (as opposed to personal) edition of the breviary. And it came yesterday. So, as of yesterday, I’ve been trying to use the monastic edition. (more…)
May 29, 2010
The Collect for Proper 3 and Deer Longing for Water-Brooks
Posted by johnmangels under Looking for God, Personal | Tags: by John Mangels, Daily Office, Prayer, Seeing God, spiritual search, St. Helena Breviary |Leave a Comment
So, since Tuesday (Monday morning was taken up with getting my prostate biopsied, and I allowed myself to be wounded the rest of the day, and Sunday was, of course, the Day of Pentecost) I have been praying the collect for proper three daily. And it’s bugged me. If you are not familiar with it, the collect goes like this:
Grant, O God, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; that your church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
It’s a nice thought. I guess there may even be times and places where this collect will be true. I’m just not sure I know any of them. (more…)
May 19, 2010
Dunstan and the Sacred and the Secular
Posted by johnmangels under Church Year, Looking for God, Personal | Tags: by John Mangels, Daily Office, Dunstan, Personal, Sam Portaro, Seeing God, St. Helena Breviary |[4] Comments
Ok. So I’m back from my (CREDO 2) conference in Virginia, and trying to get back into the swing of things. And for me that includes reading the daily offices (out of the St. Helena Breviary). So I’ve been reading today about Dunstan (who was born in 910 C.E. and died in 988 C.E.).
This morning I read the commentary from Brightest and Best (where it was commented that when clergy travel without their collars they often annoy people who want them “belled like a cat” so that they know their normal, every day lives are being interrupted by an emissary from the spiritual life). And I’ve been thinking since about the sacred and the profane in Benedictine thought (more…)
January 20, 2010
Noah’s Drunkeness
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Canaan, Daily Office, Noah |[4] Comments
I’ve always had a bit of trouble with the story of Noah’s drunkeness (one of the readings in today’s lectionary). The flood’s over. He plants a vinyard. He makes wine. He gets drunk, and passes out naked in his tent. His son, Ham, goes in and sees him naked. This is apparently a terrible crime. He tells his brothers. This is admittedly a bit disrespectful. Noah’s behavior is seemingly praiseworthy (from the point of view of the biblical writer). Ham’s son Canaan is condemned to slavery for his behavior. It just doesn’t seem right. (more…)
