Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings from the Northumbria Community

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Christine Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1999, p4 Ian Bradley , Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Christian Communities, Live the Tradition, Northstone Publishing, Kelowna, BC, Canada 2000, p5-6 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen November Psalm 119:65 You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Proverbs 3:13, 17 Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to […] Read more Scripture Readings Day 29

If you have young children, Compline can be used as bed-time prayers with them or over them, substituting the child’s or children’s names in the boxed sections whenever they cannot say the prayer for themselves. E.g. ‘In peace will Martha lie down, for it is You, O Lord, You alone who makes her to rest secure.’ Felgild lived in the late seventh century. After Cuthbert died, Ethilwald took his place as hermit on the Inner Farne. Twelve years later, having never left the island, he also died. Felgild was the next hermit to come there, but the rigours of his life in the cell aggravated a swelling on his face. The condition was suddenly healed, allowing him to continue the life of a solitary. In this respect the Community follows the rich tradition of monastic communities through the centuries. At Nether Springs, the mother house of the Community, the Office is said or sung at set times in the chapel; when Companions in the Community meet together, saying the Office can be a routine part of the meeting; and individuals and families can use it in their homes as part of daily life.

Prayer

Among those schooled by Ita was Brendan, who honoured her as his foster-mother and adviser. The Compline that follows is named after her because of its emphasis on examination of the heart, and the prayers of care and protection for each soul who crosses our path. Leader: Brigit the fifth-century Irish saint, was famed for her hospitality. The following prayer is attributed to her. As we recite it let us consider our own need to be God’s hospitality to others Morning and Evening Prayer include scripture readings, meditations and prayers. Most of the selected scriptures are short and time should be allowed after each reading for its meaning to filter down from the head to the heart, and to seek the significance of each for that day. The relevant meditation for the day of the month follows, and repetition of them month by month turns them into familiar friends – they are worth learning by heart. Again, time should be allowed for new insights to develop in the mind and heart before moving on. Some find that the mornings tend to be too rushed for lengthy silences and that this can best wait till evening prayer. The important thing is to find a rhythm that works for you. Prayer Our lives are long enough to learn what we need to learn, but not long enough to change anything. That is our flaw. Each age must learn everything afresh. Such waste! Such waste – making all the mistakes once and again, each generation making the same mistakes, fumbling in ignorance and darkness. This oak was […] Read more Meditation Day 29 The Daily Office – Morning, Midday and Evening Prayer – is at the core of the life of the Northumbria Community. A regular cycle of daily prayers constitutes the essential rhythm of life, around which other activities can take their proper place.

According to Christine Pohl in her inspirational book Making Room, the tradition of hospitality was once an important part of all Christian communities and revolved around the welcoming of strangers into one’s home. “For most of the history of the church, hospitality was understood to encompass physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of human existence and relationships. It meant response to the physical needs of strangers for food, shelter and protection, but also a recognition of their worth and common humanity. In almost every case, hospitality involved sharing meals: historically table fellowship was an important way of recognizing the equal value and dignity of persons.”[2] The Office can be said anywhere, but, for Morning and Evening Prayer, it is recommended that a quiet place, as free from interruptions as possible, is chosen. Our lives are usually too full of noise, so this is the ideal moment of the day to experience real silence. Taken from [Morning/Midday/Evening] Prayer from Northumbria Community’s Celtic Daily Prayer published by Collins.’ The songs of prayer The songs of prayer lodge in our mouths. Let us sing through the snow. At the dinner table. On the rooftop where we dance. May these sounds heal our ears and those distant ears that hear. Hawksley Workman Read more Meditation Day 26 If you wish to use part, or all, of our Complines in public worship for a one-off event, you may reproduce the words in a service sheet providing they are not being sold. Please add the following attribution, adapted according to the Compline that you are using:Isaiah 5:1–4 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watch-tower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? This is specially devised for use in the middle of a busy working day. For this reason it is short, and can be prayed in the time it takes to boil a kettle, especially if committed to memory. Some find it helpful to make a point of saying it whilst moving around (whilst preparing lunch for instance) as a reminder to pray as we work and work as we pray. Others find it a welcome opportunity to withdraw from the tensions and busyness of the day to spend some time quiet and alone with God, putting the day’s work into a different perspective. The pure in heart shall see God. The seeing of Him will be the sign that we are like Him, for only by being like Him can we see Him as He is. But when we shall be fit to look Him in the face, God only knows. That is the heart of my hopes by day and my dreams by night. To behold the face of Jesus seems to me the one thing to be desired. Let everything that has life, let everything that has breath give all the glory and honour and praise to the One who overcame death. Let every living thing sing of the mercies of our God. Let us exalt Him wherever we live with thanksgiving and joy in our hearts. If we don’t praise Him, the […] Read more Meditation Day 27 November Psalm 115:17–18 The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time on and for evermore. Praise the Lord! 2 Kings 2:10–12 He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being […] Read more Scripture Readings Day 26