A Prayerbook review

My researches into historic, liturgical worship have led me to the practice of daily prayer, particularly the Daily Office. As a young pastor (back in the late 90’s), I would spend time researching into the liturgy of the denomination to which I belong to, The United Methodist Church. This led me to research into the liturgical practices other faith communities, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and most especially the mother church of Methodism, the Church of England. Even if at that time I was assigned to a very small mission church, I wanted to do the liturgy right.

I was delighted with my discovery of the Daily Office because not only can I have liturgy on Sundays, I could have liturgy everyday, several times a day! The Daily Office is a practice among clergy and religious (monastics) to pray at certain hours of the day (hence the other name, the Liturgy of the Hours). Each “office” or “hour” is composed of hymns, psalms, antiphons, Scripture readings, and prayers. (God willing, I will write a review of the hours in the future.)

The 1979 Book of Common Prayer. With an iconic cross on the cover, the BCP must be the "default" prayer book used in Hollywood movies (especially weddings and funerals).

My first prayer book is The Book of Common Prayer (1979, Seabury Press, New York) of The Episcopal Church, USA. (How happy I was when I found a copy at a second-hand bookstore!) It contains orders for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Noonday Prayer, and Compline. The BCP contains a treasury of liturgical resources like Collects, Proper Liturgies, Prayers and Thanksgivings, lectionaries and more. I would use the Daily Lectionary at the back for my daily Scripture reading (three readings: Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel; plus up to three psalms). I have come to be familiar with the prayers in the Daily Office, knowing them by heart. But the downside is that I cannot bring the BCP and a Bible when traveling. (However, I still use an electronic version of the BCP as a source of the Proper Collects for my Sunday liturgy. I also have a PDF version in my smart phone.)

My next prayer book was Christian Prayer: the Liturgy of the Hours, printed locally (here in the Philippines) by the Daughters of St. Paul. It’s an average sized volume with more than 1,700 pink-edged pages. Its main feature is the four-week psalter: The offices for everyday (for a cycle of four weeks) are all printed out—antiphons, hymns, psalms, Scripture readings, prayers—so there is ordinarily no need to flip from one part of the book to another. My copy became all scuffy from use. I use it to pray the Office on the long commute to and from school, to conferences and camps. The volume was complete: it has orders for Morning and Evening Prayer, the Little Offices, Compline, Propers and Commons for various festivals, and more. However, the thousand-page tome was too thick to be really portable.

I began to look for smaller prayer books: a breviary in the real sense of the word. I wanted it to be complete (that is, I wouldn’t need to juggle a prayer book and a Bible); at the same time, handy (that is, I could hold it with one hand). My first breviary was Panalangin ng mga Kristiyano sa Maghapon (1994, Ministry for Liturgical Affairs, Manila) (loose English translation: ‘Daily Prayer for Christians’). It was a very handy volume: about the size of my palm. It has the four-week psalter from the Liturgy of the Hours and Propers for Sundays, the liturgical year, and the sanctoral feasts. It has orders for Compline (Night Prayer), but it does not have orders for the Little Offices (sometimes I would like to snatch a few moments to rattle off a Little Office).

Another breviary I used was the 1953 Book of Common Prayer (Seabury Press, New York), again from The Episcopal Church, USA. This leather-bound volume is about half the size of the 1979 BCP. As an added bonus, the second half of the book is a hymnal (with musical scores!). However, the readings for the Daily Offices were not printed (however, the Gospel readings are printed out in full). But there is a daily lectionary, so I had make my readings from my mobile phone or from a pocket New Testament.

My researches into Christian liturgy have led my back to Jewish liturgy. I happened unto a couple of copies of Siddur Sim Shalom (1989, the Rabbinical Assembly of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, New York) at a second-hand bookstore. The copies were slightly damaged; I gave one to my equally crazy Judeophile cousin. At first I had difficultly navigating the seemingly convoluted Jewish liturgy and I find myself tripping over Hebrew prayers. But with practice, I could now manage to davven—maybe Christians would wonder what all that machine-gun rattling of Hebrew prayers is all about. One thing I like is excerpts of Torah readings (for Mondays and Thursdays, traditional days for study) in Hebrew at the “back” of the book (Hebrew is written from right to left, and their books are arranged from the “back” to the “front”.)

The current breviary I use is Shorter Christian Prayer (1988, Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York). It is a slim, handy volume bound in supple red leatherette. It is an abridgement (a word related to the word “breviary”) of the Liturgy of the Hours. It has the four-week psalter all printed out. It also has Propers for Sundays, the liturgical calendar, sanctoral feasts, and a hymnal—all in a volume of less than half a inch thick.

The prayer book that I’m looking forward for is the fourth edition of The Book of Offices and Services (2012) of The Order of St. Luke, the religious order to which I belong to. The current BOAS I use is the third edition (1988, 1994, 2003, OSL Publications, Akron, OH). I came with the parcel which contained my certificate of membership and other documents related to the Order. It is a slim, blue volume with a wide left margin. It was made so that members can opt to have that side cut at a paper shop and have it ring-bound so that it could lie flat. It contains rituals for Morning and Evening Prayer, our services of Profession, Induction of Offices, and a Healing Service. At the time our newer members were professed, they did not receive BOAS because it was being revised at that time. From what I’ve been hearing on online discussions of my confreres, the new BOAS will have orders for the Daily Offices, the various services of our Order, and more. I am excited to get a copy of this new BOAS, and I hope to get one soon.

My confrere and I using the BOAS (3rd edition) to lead the service of profession for our local OSL association.

"It's a Small World After All"

A former seminary classmate of mine, a deaconess (now called a “diaconal minister”) in the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), invited me to the United Nations Day celebration of the church school where she teaches somewhere in Amadeo, Cavite. It was raining that day—once more, I underestimated the weather. It was not just rain, but a full-blown typhoon: Typhoon Ofel. Undaunted and/or blissfully unaware, I wore a thick jacket and went on my way.

The children in the national costumes.

I plan to go to Amadeo (of all the towns in Cavite, this is one town that I’ve been to only about once) via Manggahan, General Trias. After an enlightening breakfast at McDonald’s (see a blog entry about it here), I embarked on a journey to Amadeo.

When I got to a smallish affair which is public market, I was told to board a jeepney to Barangay Maymangga, where the church/school was. The trip there involved more stretches of greenery and farm land on a twisting road.

The long and winding road: As seen from a jeepney's front passenger seat

The church is tucked in an out-of-way street in the barangay. Maymangga Evangelical Church, which recently celebrated its silver jubilee, was a mission church of UCCP Amadeo. The church has a small but beautiful sanctuary on the first floor; the vestibule serves as the church school. The second floor contains quarters for the pastor and for the diaconal minister; and a kitchen/dining room.

Now, I will not get into the gaffes that are normally part of any live production. But let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Miss Saudi Arabia, Miss New Zealand, and Miss Thailand.

Miss Portugal, Mr. Egypt (partial hidden), Miss China, Miss Saudi Arabia, and Miss New Zealand.

There were about twenty adorable children, all dressed into colorful national costumes of the countries they represent. They showcased their talents: singing, dancing… And more than one performed the Internet viral hit, “Gangnam Style” by PSY (I swear, if I ever hear that song again…). There was an adorable Korean girl, a student, who played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (and thankfully, not a K-Pop song!) on her toy organ. Then, there was a “question and answer” portion where, “kids say that darndest things”.

The children receiving school bags from a Korean sponsor.

An authentic Miss South Korea, and Miss Thailand.

The coup de grace was a production number involving all the children, dancing to, oh well, “Gangnam Style”. Finally, they sang the Disney song, “It’s a Small World (After All)”.

It was already raining torrents when the program ended. I was fortunate that one of the parents took me on a ride on their car back to Amadeo town proper. As I watched the raindrops patter down the car’s window, I reflected: It’s a small world after all.

"Open My Eyes, That I May See"

22nd Sunday after Pentecost, B

October 28, 2012

Reformation Sunday

Foreword: Today is the celebration of Reformation Sunday, which celebrates Martin Luther’s nailing of his “Ninety-Five Theses” on the door of Castle Church, Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517; which started the Protestant Reformation. This Sunday is part of a “Season of Saints”, which ends on the celebration of the Feast of All the Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday of November).

Introduction

Today, we celebrate Reformation Sunday (Filipino: Linggo ng Repormasyong Protestante), in which we remember when Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-Five Theses” on the door of Castle Church, Wittenberg, Germany, and started the Protestant Reformation. We should note that Martin Luther did not intend to separate from the Roman Catholic Church, but to reform it from within. In the same way, Methodism (which is not a product of the Reformation but is Protestant in theology) did not intend to separate from the Church of England but to reform it from within.

The driving force of the Protestant Reformation is justification through faith (or, justification by grace through faith, giving it a Wesleyan emphasis) as sent forth in Roman 1:16-17:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, “The just shall live by faith”.

Today is not a day to engage in anti-Roman Catholic polemics. Recently, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Foundation issued a “Joint Doctrine on the Doctrine of Justification by Faith” (see the document on the Vatican's website here). (Both parties agreed that justification is by faith; but they also “agreed to disagree” on certain points of the doctrine). Rather, we should focus on the Gospel reading for today, which is quite fittingly, the healing of blind Bartimeus (Mark 10:46-52), which can be seen as a picture of how the “blindness” of humanity can only be healed by faith through the power of Jesus.

I. The blindness of humanity

A. Physical blindness. The Gospel reading begins with a description of Bartimeus ben-Timeus (his name is given in both Aramaic [bar-] and Hebrew [ben-], both meaning ‘son of’ Timeus): “sitting by the roadside begging”. Now, blindness in the Bible is not evil per se: In John 9, there was a certain man who was born blind, not because of his sins or of his parents, but so that the power of God be made manifest in him (v. 3). Nevertheless, blindness is a condition in which one cannot enjoy the fullness of life. Therefore, Bartimeus, a blind man begging at the roadside, is a picture of human hopelessness without Christ!

B. Spiritual blindness. “Blindness” is a word used in the Bible to describe a life of unbelief and sin:

In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

      Not only is ha-Satan, the god (small “g”) of this world, the source of spiritual blindness, but also our own pride as well.

And when some of the Pharisees with him heard this, they said unto him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said unto them, “If you were blind, you should have no sin; but now you say, ‘We can see,’ therefore, your sin remains.” (John 9:40-41)

      --which means, if one does not admits one’s guilt (“…but now you say, ‘We can see,’…”), one is still guilty of sin.

II. Coming to faith through hearing

A. Faith comes through hearing. The good news is, while the blind cannot see, they can still hear! There is plenty of evidence that those who are blind may have lost their sense of sight, but their other senses, like hearing, have been heightened. When Bartimeus heard (ἀκούσας akousas, ‘he heard’) that it was Jesus of Nazareth who passed by, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 9:47).

      I have always wondered why Romans 10:17 (“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”) uses the word ῥήμα rhēma, ‘spoken word’ as in δὲ  ἀκοὴ  διὰ  ῥήματος  Χριστοῦ  (de akoē dia rhēmatos Kristou) instead of λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ logos tou theou, ‘the written word of God’ (e.g., John 10:35, which talks about the Scriptures). But I have come to realize that rhēmatos theou does not mean verbalizations of desire (“faith declarations”, as those who believe in the “Prosperity Gospel” say) but the preaching of the Word of God!

      When Bartimeus heard that it was Jesus who was passing by, he called him “Son of David”—a Messianic title; meaning that Bartimeus not only believed that Jesus was a “teacher” o rabbi (ραββουνι rabbouni, v. 51), but the Messiah himself!

B. Hindrances to faith. As Bartimeus was calling out to Jesus, the crowds told him to shut up. Is this not the same with us, when the world tries to silence our confession of faith? But Bartimeus continued to cry out to Jesus (John Wesley noted, “But let those who feel their need of him cry the more; otherwise they will come short of a cure.”—Note on Matthew XX:31). Bartimeus could not come to Jesus, so Jesus came to Bartimeus:

Then Jesus stood and commanded him to be called. And they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! Get on your feet! He is calling you!” (Mark 10:49)

      In the same we, by our own power, we cannot come to Jesus, so it is Jesus who comes to us! 



III. Encounter with Jesus.

A. An encounter with Jesus does not leave people unchanged. Finally, when Bartimeus and Jesus come face to face, Jesus asked the blind beggar, “What do you want me to do for you?” If Jesus asked as what do we want him to do for us, what would we ask for? The blind man said, “Rabbi, that I might see!” (v. 51)

     Jesus then said, “Go, your faith has healed (σέσωκέν sesōken) you.” Immediately (eutheōs, a word often used in the Gospel of Mark), he received his sight. This is a picture of when Jesus comes into the life of a person: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God, which is in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

B. An encounter with Jesus brings healing and salvation. Now, the expression “your faith has healed you” is convention language (that is, how ideas are "conventionally" expressed ina given language) in the Bible. It is not faith that literally heals, as if the power is inherent in us: but it is the power of Jesus that heals. Just like healing, salvation is by grace through faith (cf. Ephesians 2:9): It is our part to have faith, but it is God grace that saves. (The word for ‘salvation’ and ‘healing’ in the New Testament is just one word: sōzō.)

C. An encounter with Jesus leads to discipleship. The Gospel reading ends with a simple statement: “And he followed (ēkolouthei) Jesus in the way” (v. 52). It was the way to Jerusalem, where Jesus would enter triumphantly seated on a donkey and his followers bearing palm branches—and ultimately where Jesus would be lifted up on the Cross. An encounter with Jesus leads to following Jesus, even unto death.

Tech Review - Cherry Mobile P9 “Cutie”

This tech review was inspired by the movie, “Taken 2”. In the first “Taken”, Jedi Master Liam Neeson takes the role of a retired CIA agent whose daughter was “taken”. Using the Force, Master Qui-Gon Jinn rescues his daughter and beats up a battalion of Separatist droids with his bare hands. (Okay, so I had too much Star Wars.) In the sequel, it is now the turn of Neeson and his wife, X-(Wo)Man Famke Jensen (a.k.a. Jean Grey/the Phoenix) to be “taken”, again by Separatist droids/the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants under the command of Magneto. (Okay, I had too much X-Men, too.)

You have been forewarned. (Courtesy of 9Gag).

While Bryan Mills was held captive (I can’t go through all the cool details, like how he memorized the way to the bad guys’ liar even if he was blindfolded—this is not a movie review, after all), he pulled out a cell phone from his sock and was able to call his daughter. (Again, I could only mention in passing how his father instructed Kim how to help him triangulate his location). Now, I couldn’t care less for Kim’s iPhone—I don’t need one and I can’t afford one. What caught my attention was how big Bryan’s cell phone was—or rather, how small it was.

A USB flash disk, the CM P9 Cutie, a SIM card, an SD card, and a micro SD card.

This inspired me to buy the smallest phone I could find; and that is Cherry Mobile’s P9, nicknamed the “Cutie”. The phone is so small, people who see it couldn’t believe it is an actual phone. (Someone once remarked that it just looks like a USB flash disk!) 

Specifications:

1″ Colored LCD Display
Single SIM
Dual Band GSM
Multimedia Player
MMS / WAP / GPRS
FM Radio
3.5mm Headset Jack
Bluetooth
Calendar
Calculator
Alarm
SIM Toolkit
Cherry Shop
Micro SD up to 8GB
 

For such a little gadget, the P9 has features that can hold its own beside regular-sized units. It has the standard call and text features, as well as a phonebook. Texting on this phone is not at all difficult. The one-inch screen can only display two lines of text, but the diminutive keypad feels a little hollow underneath. It also has an MP3 player (I use this unit as my on-the-go music player—the phone uses a standard 3.5 mm audio jack), an FM radio, a calculator, a file manager (the external memory is expandable up to 8 gigs—pretty impressive for its size)—and even has a video player (but the video is so tiny, it’s difficult to watch) and a GPRS browser. Yes, this tiny phone can surf on the Internet! (However, there is no “full screen function”, which means the display on the one-inch screen is smaller—about two lines of text.) The phone can also be connected to a computer using a mini 5-pin USB cable.

The battery is rated at 3.7 V and a capacity 350 mAh. In my experience, it can last for a whole day when used for texting and for listening to music.

Look at the size of that battery!

The miniature phone lacks certain features present in other full-sized “local” phones. It has only one SIM card slot (seriously, why would one use two SIM cards on such a small phone?). It does not have analog television (again, you might develop eyestrain trying to watch your favorite programs on a display as small as your thumbnail) nor a camera (now that’s the stuff espionage gizmos are made of).

At Php 1,299.00, it is more expensive than other small regular-sized units (CD-R King has dual-SIM handsets that sell at around Php 600--see one here.); I imagine because of the miniaturization. But it’s a cool unit to have to amaze your friends, or to use as an alternative phone for unsafe areas. Or you can hide it in your sock so that you can call for help in case you get “TAKEN”.