Douglas Knight

1. The Church is gathered
Every Sunday morning Christians gather together in worship. What are they doing in Church? What is happening in these worship services? Why do they meet and pray and sing? We are going to look at what is going on in Church.
We go to Church. We are called together and we [...]

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John Médaille The Vocation of Business: Social Justice in the Marketplace is far-and-away the best book I have seen on the (bad) theology of economics. It puts economics into its political-philosophical context, with plenty of history, Catholic Social Teaching and immediate relevance to our present situation. It is a big but very well controlled [...]

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The words of eucharist remember the past event of the passion of Christ who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples
In the eucharist we remember the incarnation and the passion and death of Christ. We remember [...]

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Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the Bread of Life…
The minister prays that, whatever we bring, the Lord will take it from us; that is, whoever we are and whatever [...]

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Over at Resources for Christian Theology I have put five short talks on worship
1. Gathering
2. Hearing
3. Singing
4. Praying
5. Eucharist
There’s more frolicking to come, for those that like that sort of thing.

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By the mystery of your holy incarnation; by your birth, childhood and obedience; by your baptism, fasting and temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By your ministry in word and work; by your mighty acts of power; and by your preaching of the kingdom,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By your agony and trial; by your cross and passion; and by [...]

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Three things – the Church prays unceasingly, it withdraws to pray, and it prays in public, in the open air, before the whole city. The prayer of the Church is unceasing, and it alternates between this public form and this withdrawn, even monastic, form.
The practice of perpetual prayer(Latin: laus perennis) was inaugurated by the [...]

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Ye holy angels bright, Who wait at God’s right hand, Or through the realms of light Fly at your Lord’s command, Assist our song; For else the theme Too high doth seem For mortal tongue.
Ye blessed souls at rest, Who ran this earthly race, And now, from sin released, Behold the Saviour’s face, God’s [...]

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Benedict and Roman Catholic theology (and of course much more Protestant theology) play down the personhood of the eucharistic president, and so, paradoxically, play down the priest. Because the eucharist appears to be about the bread and wine, our attention is drawn away from the priesthood of the many gathered around the one. We are [...]

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We talk too much. We read too much. We hear too much. So much so, that we have lost the art of doing, of acting either as individuals or as a people. We no longer understand what it is to belong to a people who acts, who has “public action” of its own. We are [...]

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An exhortation and litany to be said during processions, used to pray for God’s favour during times of troubles
Let us make our prayers, and supplycations, rendrynge and gyvyng of thankes for all men, and namely for kynges, princis, and al other set in chief dignitie and high roumes, that by theyr godly governance, their true [...]

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Ascension, procession and prayer – all somehow connected. If only someone would tell me how.
Public Christian devotions became common by the fifth century and processions were frequently held, with preference for days which the pagans had held sacred. These processions were called litanies, and in them pictures and other religious emblems were carried. [...]

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Praise be to the High Priest of our faith Jesus Christ, the Devout and Holy Sacrifice, Who performed purification of our sins by His own Person and cleansed the world by His sacrifice, the Good One to Whom is due glory, honor and dominion with His Father and with his Holy Spirit at this time [...]

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Again, we commemorate those who have gone before, fallen asleep in holiness, and are at rest among the saints; those who have kept the one apostolic faith without blemish and entrusted it to us. We proclaim the three sacred and holy Ecumenical Synods of Nicaea, of Constantinople and of Ephesus. We also remember our glorious [...]

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To You, O Lord, both heaven, which is the throne of Your Majesty, and the earth, which is the footstool under Your feet, sing praise. The earth glorifies Your Holy Name in this church that chants the sound of glory to You from the mouth of her children; by the succession of the prophets, the [...]

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Acclamations 53. The acclamations are shouts of joy which arise from the whole assembly as forceful and meaningful assents to God’s Word and Action. They are important because they make some of the most significant moments of the Mass (gospel, eucharistic prayer, Lord’s Prayer) stand out. It is of their nature that they be rhythmically [...]

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When we come forward to receive Holy Communion at the Eucharist, we are not lining up as isolated individuals, couples, families or groups to be nourished and sustained for our Christian lives. We come forward together as the Body of Christ to receive the Body of Christ. We receive the Body of Christ so that [...]

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