A Way To Live
Within Anglican circles, we often hear: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi (loosely, "the law of prayer is the law of belief"). Add to that, Lex Vivendi, and we have a pattern that sums up much of our Life in Christ. In more current language, we might say, "How we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live. The law of prayer or worship is the law of life." [Source]
Jim Caratini describes our present cultural context with these three Latin statements in mind:
Within and through the Red Hook Space, we will engage with God in creative ways to realize the potential within us all to become a conduit for the reconciliation of men and women with God and with one another. There is nothing new in any of this... there is nothing new under the sun! What becomes new, however, are new generations discovering for the first time what it means to be with God and to have the ability to live in freedom and peace with one another."There is a phrase in Latin that summarizes the idea that the way our minds and souls are oriented is the way our lives are oriented. Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi is an axiom of ancient Christianity, meaning, the rule of worship is the rule of belief is the rule of life. That is, the way we are oriented in worship (whatever it might be that we focus on most devotedly) orients the way we believe and the way we live. In a cultural ecosystem where we seem to worship choices and possibilities, where the virtue of good multi-tasking has replaced the virtue of singleness of heart, it is understandable that we are both truly and metaphorically "all over the place"--mentally, spiritually, even bodily, in a state of perpetual possibility-seeking.
"Of course, the ancient Christians who first repeated the idiom, Lex orandi lex credendi lex vivendi, did so with God in mind as the subject, aware that God was the only object of worship who could ever quiet their restless souls. Before any formal creeds were written, the early church held this adage, knowing that the essence of their theology would rise from their acts of adoration, thanksgiving, and petition. And they knew that the ways of their worship, the things they said when they prayed, not only defined their ultimate beliefs, but ultimately defined their lives."
(Read the rest, here.)
Jesus presents two commands to us. The are described as the two great commandments. They are simple, yet profoundly challenging and difficult to master. As a matter of fact, it takes a lifetime. This is why the Christian Life is something that is delved into with intention, with persistence, in humility and simplicity. What are the two great commandments?
From the Book of Common Prayer, the Rite I Mass:
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments, hang all the Law and the Prophets." (1979 Book of Common Prayer, from Matthew 22:37-40)
This is the purpose of the Red Hook Space - to enable us to live more fully into the Way of Christ.
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