First Sunday after Epiphany & AIC Bookstore, Part 10

First Sunday after Epiphany, the first of three Sundays after Epiphany in A.D. 2026, is celebrated this year on January 11th. I discuss the Collect and the Epistle and Gospel readings in Episode Two in our Seasonal Video series, Epiphany: The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The audio version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. There are two podcast homilies for First Sunday after Epiphany. The first Podcast Homily is based on the Holy Communion readings. The second, my Podcast Homily for Morning Prayer, is based on Psalm 72. The video version includes an image related to Psalm 72 from the Stuttgart Psalter, as it was used in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Prayer Book Psalter: Picture Book Edition (see more below).

The Collect for First Sunday after Epiphany is a composition by Archbishop Cranmer based upon the Gregorian Sacramentary on the theme of mankind’s dependence upon God for His Grace and how it can and should be applied in the daily life of a Christian. The Epistle reading, Romans 12:1-5, is the first of a sequence of four readings from Romans during Epiphany season in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The subject is Paul’s observations on the Church as “one body in Christ.” As noted earlier, only three of these will be read in A.D. 2026.

Finding in the Temple, 19th C. stained glass window, Werchter, Belgium. Copyright Jorisvo | Dreamtime.com.

The Gospel lesson, Luke 2:41-51, is St. Luke’s unique account of the childhood of Christ, when at age 12 he encounters and teaches the leadership of the Temple in Jerusalem. Another stained glass window depicting this event, designed and made by Franz Mayer of Munich, is Window No. 57, St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, VA.

This gives me an opportunity to resume promotion of the AIC Bookstore Publications which was interrupted in mid-December of last year. One of ten books in our unique large page format, Paintings on Light: the Stained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, is available exclusively at our Virtual Bookstore, which is accessible through my Amazon Author Central page. All book royalties are donated to the AIC. The image of Window 57, Teaching the Doctors in the Temple, was used in my Blog Post for First Sunday after Epiphany, 1/9/2015. The post is linked from the Jan. 2015 entry in the Archive column at right.

Paintings on Light: the Stained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, printed in our square large page (8.5″ x 8.5″) format, offers high-resolution images of all 46 stained glass windows by Franz Mayer of Munich, the three Sanctuary murals and the 14 Stations of the Cross, as well as the story of the restoration of the Chapel by myself and my former parishioners at St. John Chrysostom Anglican Church (now closed), which worshipped at the Chapel. Summary: Details: 84 pages, including Bibliography, General Index and Scriptural cross-reference.

NOTE: Just for readers/viewers who like knowing small details, here are some statistics not included in the Blog post for Epiphany (Day & Season, linked from the Archive column at right): In Epiphany season, there are five readings from the Gospel of Matthew and one each from the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of John. There are five Collects derived from the Gregorian Sacramentary, one from the Gelasian Sacramentary and one original composition by Bishop John Cosin, added for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

As always, thank you for your interest and support, which makes possible the maintenance of our unique collection of videos, podcasts and books and making them available 24/7 on demand, and the continued search for royalty-free images of Christian art across the centuries. Over four dozen additional images were acquired in December 2025 and in this first week of A.D. 2026. Many of these images will be used in Blog posts in the first half of this year.

Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Second Sunday after Christmas & Epiphany

Second Sunday after Christmas is only celebrated when Jan. 2, 3, 4 or 5 happen on a Sunday. A.D. 2026 is one of those years. aThe Collect for the day was written by Archbishop Cranmer based on the 2nd Collect for Christmas Day in the Gregorian Sacramentary, a 10th C. tribute to one of the great Roman Catholic popes. The “for the Epistle” reading is Isaiah 61:1-3, which Jesus quotes in Luke 4:18, 19 in reference to the “Spirit of the Lord.” The Gospel lesson. Matthew 2:19-23, St. Matthew’s record of the Holy Family’s Flight to Egypt and Return, both of which were the result to a dream of Joseph. Jan. 4th is also the Eleventh Day of Christmas in the AIC video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Joseph Dreaming/Holy Family Returns, Byzantine mosaic, Outer Narthex, Chora Church, Constantinople, now Istanbul, 14th C. Copyright Bapaume | Dreamtime.com

Epiphany season, one of the fixed feasts on the Anglican Church Calendar, officially begins on Jan. 6th. In A.D. 2026, Epiphany falls on a Tuesday. The name for the season is derived from the Greek word Epiphaneia, which means to manifest, or, more poetically, to “shine forth.” For the first Anglican Book of Common Prayer, published in 1549 A.D., Archbishop Thomas Cranmer wrote a new Collect for Epiphany (day). It was derived from the 10th C. version of the Gregorian Sacramentary. Epiphany was once known as “Little Christmas,” probably because Epiphany Eve (Jan. 5th) marks the end of the Christmas season. In the AIC’s video presentation for Christmas, The Twelve Days of Christmas, I use a graphic to present Christmas Day and Epiphany (Day) as “bookends.”

Epiphany and all the Sundays after Epiphany are each concerned with an example of the “manifestation” of Christ to the Gentile world. I discuss and illustrate the complex history of the season and also the readings for Epiphany Day in Episode One in our video series, Epiphany: The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The Sundays after Epiphany, which can be as many as six and as few as one, are discussed in Episode Two and Episode Three in the same series. In A.D. 2026, there are only three Sundays after Epiphany. The podcast audio version of Episode One is available on the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Epiphany (the Day) is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. You can also listen to the Podcast Homily for Morning Prayer, based on the Psalm readings for Epiphany (day), Psalm 46 and Psalm 100, hosted on the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. The three Sundays after Epiphany will be the subject of the next three blog posts.

Massacre of the Innocents, Byzantine mosaic, south wall, Outer Narthex, Chora Church, Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, early 14th C. The scene above the arch is a portion of Christ Healing a Paralytic Man at Capernaum (Matthew 9:1-8) Copyright Evren Kalinbacak | Dreamstime.com.

The Epistle reading for Epiphany (day) is Ephesians 3:1-12, St. Paul’s essay on the “mystery” of the Christ who is revealed to the world. The Gospel reading, Matthew 2:1-12, is Matthew’s account of the Visit of the Wise Men. In our video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas, the episode for Fourth Day of Christmas, Dec. 28th, with the theme word “Compassion,” highlights the Murder of the Holy Innocents, Herod’s violent reaction to the news of the possible birth of a Saviour.

The actual visit of the Wise Men, or Magi, is depicted in another late-Byzantine mosaic, also in the Outer Narthex (or exonarthex), in this case at the rear of the Outer Narthex above the opening into the Church’s Parakklesion, effectively a funeral chapel. For more views of these and other Byzantine mosaics and frescoes illustrating hundreds of Scriptural scenes at Chora, visit the Chora Church web site. Another site with nearly a hundred images is available at https://thebyzantinelegacy.com. Yet another is https://www.360tr.com, which offers “virtual” tours you can manipulate. For the 3-D tour, it may take a little practice manipulating the view (forward, sideways, upward), but you will find the effort worthwhile as you move, in the virtual sense, through the Outer Narthex, the Inner Narthex (or Esonarthex), the Naos (the equivalent of the modern Nave and Altar) and the Parakklesion (with its spectacular representation of The Harrowing of Hades (or Anastasis). While at the site be sure to direct the pointer to look upward into the large Christ Pantokrator dome (#8) and the smaller Blessed Virgin dome (#9) in the Inner Narthex and the Church’s third dome in the righthand portion of the Outer Narthex.

The Return of the Magi, with the three Wise Men before the Blessed Virgin Mary (in blue robe, center), Outer Narthex, Chora Church, 14th C. Copyright Evren Kalinbacak | Dreamstime.com

In future posts in A.D. 2026, I will insert additional images from Chora Church in which the Gospel reading is illustrated.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

First Sunday after Christmas & Feast of the Holy Innocents

The First Dream of Joseph, stained glass window, 19th C., Basilica of St. Clotilde, Paris, France. Copyright Zatletic|Dreamstime.com

In A.D. 2025, the First Sunday after Christmas falls on the same day at the observance of the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Dec. 28th. The Collect for the day is the same as the First Collect appointed for Christmas Day, a composition by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer based on John 1:9 and 1 John 1:5. The Gospel lesson, Matthew 1:18-25, is St. Matthew’s account of the first dream of Joseph, for this post illustrated by a 19th C. stained glass window in Paris, France. Another interpretation in a different artistic medium, a fresco at St. Martin’s Chapel, Brezenza, Austria is Illustration No. 23 the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page, with author royalties donated to the AIC online ministry.

My Podcast Homily for First Sunday after Christmas is available on the Podcast Homilies page. First Sunday after Christmas is also discussed in Episode Two of the AIC Christian Education Video series, Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord. The audio version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. The Feast of the Holy Innocents is discussed and illustrated on the Fourth Day of Christmas in our video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas with the key word for the day being COMPASSION. All the other episodes in the series, covering the days from Dec. 25th to Jan. 5th, are linked from the Digital Library page.

I have been busy searching my image sources for historic Christian art to be used in the first half of A.D. 2026. I’ve added almost a hundred images. I will be loading the Epiphany graphics and appropriate links to the Welcome page during the Week of 1/5. As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & The Twelve Days of Christmas

Several years ago my wife and I encountered all manner of problems trying to watch a live broadcast of a Christman Eve concert in Cambridge, England. The unreliability of the connection led me to create our own video, Lessons & Carols for Christmas Eve. I linked it from what was then our new web site at WordPress.com. It remains available, on demand, all year long from the Digital Library page, for the video version and the Podcast Homilies page for the audio-only version.

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December 24th

My Podcast Homily for Christmas Day is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. Additionally, commentary and illustrations for Christmas Day are included in the first episode of our Seasonal Video series, Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord. Access it using the links below.

Episode One
Episode Two

Another unique seasonal resource, this time from the AIC Bookstore, Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition, is available through my Amazon Author Central page. I commented upon the book and included a copy of the cover in my Blog post for Trinity 22, posted on November 15, 2025. The post is linked from the Archive column under the November 2025 heading.

Yet another unique AIC online resource is The Twelve Days of Christmas, featuring readings, music and images with key words for each of the twelve days from Christmas Day to Epiphany Eve. Note, please, that the series bears absolutely no relationship whatsoever to the famous seasonal song of the same name. The series is focused on important theological words and concepts associated with important events in the life of the Church. It is illustrated with examples of Christian art from the 6th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries from both the Western and Eastern Church traditions. These include mosaics, frescoes, icons, oil paintings, etchings, engravings, parchment friezes, watercolors and photographs, plus one enamel medallion from the Basilica of St. Mark, Venice, Italy.

Fresco, unidentified cave church, Cappodocia region, Turkey, 12th C. Public Domain.
TwelveDays-Master Slides-2015.indd

First Day – December 25th – Love
Second Day – December 26th – Forgiveness
Third Day – December 27th – Peace
Fourth Day – December 28th – Compassion
Fifth Day – December 29th – Obedience
Sixth Day – December 30th – Joy
Seventh Day – December 31st – Family
Eighth Day – January 1st – Church
Ninth Day – January 2nd – Angels
Tenth Day – January 3rd – Commandments
Eleventh Day – January 4th – Glorifying God
Twelfth Day – January 5th – Grace and Faith

As always, thank you for your continued interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Fourth Sunday in Advent & the Great “O” Antiphons

The final week of Advent approaches and with it the opportunity to write about another great tradition in the Western Church: the Great “O” Antiphons. These daily prayers and songs date to about the 12th C. and are traditionally credited to Christian followers of St. Francis of Assisi. During the same time period, we offer a special program for Christmas Eve and another for the period from Christmas Day through Epiphany Eve. More, including links to these unique programs, after some comments about Fourth Sunday in Advent. I invite you to share these links with friends and family. Because of the calendar overlap of Advent and Christmas seasons, all the presented in this post for the final Sunday in Advent. Related material for Christmas Day will be posting

My Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday in Advent on the theme of “The First Gift of Christmas,” was posted on 12/20/24. In Episode Two of the AIC Seasonal Video series, Advent: a Season of Penitence & Preparation, I discuss Archbishop Cranmer’s 1549 Collect, its origin in the Sarum version of the Gelasian Sacramentary, and the additional wording concerning running the race (itself inspired by Hebrew 12:1b) which was added for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. I also discussed the Epistle reading, Philippians 4:4-7 (“the Lord is at hand”) and the Gospel lesson, John 1:19-28, concerning inquires and questions posed to John the Baptist.

The post included an image from the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of John Annotated & Illustrated, of John the Baptist baptizing a man in wooden tub (Ms. Additional 42497, British Library). The volume, with 95 illustrations from the 6th through the 19th C, is available only through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information is available on the AIC Bookstore page. Royalties from all the AIC Bookstore Publications are contributed to the AIC. A related Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday in Advent, based on the assigned Morning Prayer readings for that day in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, is also available for those who prefer listening to hearing this kind of material.

O-Antiphons-Title1-small.jpg

This series includes music, historic Christian art and Scripture readings based on a 12th C. service in northern Italy in celebration of the seven days before Christmas. Each day is focused on a theme word in Latin. The daily titles, in date order, are titles/descriptors of our Saviour Jesus Christ: Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of Nations, God with us. They have been incorporated into Christian worship for Advent in many denominations. This video series, which celebrated the start of the AIC’s second decade on the web, seeks to make them more broadly available and accessible on demand, 24/7, virtually anywhere in the world. The audio-only versions, in portable MP3 format, are available through the episode links on the Podcast Archive page.

December 18th – O Sapientia
December 19th – O Adonai
December 20th – O Radix Jesse
December 21st – O Clavis David
December 22nd – O Oriens
December 23rd – O Rex Gentium
December 24th – O Emmanuel

Another AIC seasonal resource is our feature video for Christmas Eve, based upon the traditional English model. It was created as a resource for those unable to access coverage of live events, most typically at King’s College, Cambridge, England, on Christmas Eve. While it is labelled “December 24th, it can be accessed at any time, year round.

lessonscarols-title-clear

December 24th

There will be another Blog post on December 23rd which will contain information and links to videos and podcasts for Christmas Day and for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, which begin on December 25th and end on Epiphany Eve, January 5th.

As always, thank you for your continued interest in and support for the Anglican Internet Church’s online ministry and digital resources. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Trinity 23 and AIC Bookstore – Part Six

Ooophs. In A.D. 2025, there is no Trinity 23. On the traditional calendar it is preempted by Sunday Next Before Advent. In 2024 A.D. for reasons I do not remember, I did not provide a Blog post for Trinity 23. In 2025 A.D. it is the final Sunday after Trinity, since Advent begins on Sunday, November 30th. However, you can listen to my Podcast Homily for Trinity 23 or, for a visual version, watch Episode Eight in Trinitytide: the Teaching Season. The Gospel reading for Trinity 23 includes Jesus’ use of the phrase, “Render unto Caesar…” (Matthew 22:15-22). In the video series, the discussion includes another of James Tissot’s remarkable watercolor interpretations of the words of Christ. The Gospel reading for Trinity 23 is the ninth quotation from the Gospel of Matthew in Trinitytide.

For this week’s Blog posting, the focus is on the second of two AIC Bookstore Publications focused on the primary seasons on the Anglican Church Calendar: Easter and Christmas.

The cover image is an 11th C. mosaic, Christ Resurrected (known as the Anastasis in Greek), east wall, Narthex, Hosios Loukas Monastery, Distoma, Greece. Source: Wikipedia Commons. The theological symbolism of the image is discussed in Chapters 2 and 3.

Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is presented in 156 pages. There are 132 illustrations from the 6th C., 9th through 17th C. and 19th through 21st C. The book is divided into six parts, plus a Preface, List of Illustrations and a brief guide to the art of illumination of Scripture. Part One includes discussion and art related to events and prophecies during the three days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday (called the Triduum in Latin), including the “Harrowing of Hades.” This is the period of Jesus’ visit in Hades/Hell that is mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed. A special text box includes the Easter/Paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom, which is still delivered annually on Holy Saturday in many Eastern Orthodox Churches. Chapter Four in this section is focused on Jesus’ prophetic references to Resurrection in three days.

Part Two is focused on events of the Resurrection recorded for early on Easter Day, according to the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. A special text box explains the “Three Marys” tradition regarding the three women at the empty tomb in these Gospel accounts.

Part Three is focused on Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels of Luke and John, including those occurring on Easter evening and the eight days afterward, including accounts of the “doubts” of St. Thomas and his confession; on meeting Apostles on the road to Emmaus and the subsequentmeal at Emmaus; and Jesus with the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberius, uniquely recorded in the Gospel of John.

Part Four is focused on Jesus’ final post-Resurrection appearances, the Great Commission and the Ascension. The text is based on the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, plus The Acts of the Apostles. There are fourteen illustrations of the Ascension depicting the event from both the Western and Eastern Church traditions.

Part Five is focused on music for Easter in both the Western and Eastern Church traditions, including the text of Easter hymns and Psalms; a special text box listing all the seasonal music printed in another AIC Bookstore Publication, The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, which was used at my former parish and which is now available in paperback.

Part Six is focused on Easter traditions both in liturgy and foods and includes images of Easter worship in Kent, Lancashire, St. Agnes Island, and London, England; and in Bucharest, Romania; Kiev, Ukraine; Emmaus-Nicopolis, Israel; and Gomel City, Belarus. For this volume, Corkie Shibley created a recipe for “Empty Tomb Hot Cross Buns.”

Sources for this collection of Christian art include icons, mosaics, frescoes, altarpieces, bas reliefs, tapestries, oil paintings and watercolors; stained glass windows; illustrated Psalters, Pericope Books, Sacramentaries, as well as illustrated Bibles and Gospels produced for the use of both clergy and royalty. The format used in Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is slightly different than in the Christmas volume. For this blog post, there is no image of an inside page, because nearly all the illustrations, for best effect, are printed on full pages placed opposite the actual Scripture text.

This volume, first published in A.D. 2023 and updated at Epiphany A.D. 2024, was written and edited primarily for the education of the laity of the Church; however, clergy from both the Western and Eastern Church traditions may find the Bibliography and the Sources of Illustrations pages useful for further learning and research. I am grateful to the staff at libraries and other archives in England, Europe and the United States and to our donors, who make possible the acquisition of the high-resolution images used in this book. Several individuals who provided exceptional assistance in resolving the many technical issues (resolution, clarity, etc.) are named in the Preface.

Like all the AIC Bookstore Publications, Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is available only through my Amazon Author Central page. Royalties for all the AIC Bookstore Publications are contributed to the AIC. Additional information about pricing and pagination of this and the other AIC Bookstore Publications is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Trinity 22 & AIC Bookstore – Pt. 5

My Fr. Ron’s Blog post for Trinity 22 was posted on October 25th, A.D. 2024. The episode is linked from the Archives column at the right side of the page. I discussed the Collect, based on the late Gregorian Sacramentary (10th C.), St. Paul’s epistle to the congregation at Phillipi (Philippians 1:3-11) and St. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ lesson on the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) with first half, 17th C. art work by Claude Vignon. These readings were also discussed in Episode Eight in our Christian Education video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season. The podcast version of Episode Eight is linked from the Podcast Archive page. Additionally, the Podcast Homily for Morning Prayer on the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity is also available.

This week’s post continues my focus on the unique books available in the AIC Bookstore, on this occasion focusing on the first of two books on the Church’s two major seasons, Easter and Christmas. Here, near the start of Advent in A.D. 2025, I present more about Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition. This resource would be a great gift to any Christian this year. The volume is available only through my Amazon Author Central page.

Cover image, a stained glass interpretation at an unspecified location, copyright Waamel|Dreamstime.com.

The book was first published at Christmas, A.D. 2023. Art work includes 113 illustrations from the 5th to the early 20th C., including mosaics, icons, frescoes, stained glass, paintings, watercolors and two maps: Palestine in the Time of Christ and an 1835 Plan of Jerusalem. This 173-page high-quality paperback is divided into five parts. Part One includes text and commentary on St. Luke’s unique pre-Nativity account (Luke 1). Part Two continues with text and commentary on St. Luke’s version of the actual Nativity and his transition to post-Nativity events (Luke 2). Part Three includes text and commentary on St. Matthew’s version of the Nativity through the flight to and return from Egypt (Matthew 1 & 2). Part Four is focused on two pre-and post-Nativity traditions with art related to The Great “O” Antiphons (for Dec. 18th to 24th) and The Twelve Days of Christmas (with a theme words or phrases for Dec. 25th to Jan 5th). Part Four includes examples from the AIC’s two video and podcast series of the same name. Part Five, Christmas Traditions from around the World, includes discussion and illustrations of gift-giving, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Christmas cards, the Three Kings tradition, Christmas music and foods, including Corkie Shibley’s recipe for my grandmother’s Sugar Cookies.

With its unique format and content, this volume will enhance anyone’s personal library of Christian resources. Next time, my focus will be on Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Prayer & Christian Tradition.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Sales of these volumes help keep the Anglican Internet Church’s unique resources available online, mostly free of charge. All book royalties are donated, as received, to the AIC. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Trinity 20 & AIC Bookstore – Part 3

My Fr. Ron’s Blog post for Twentieth Sunday after Trinity was posted on 10/11/2024. In the post I discussed the two changes to the original Gelasian Sacramentary version that were made in 1662 & 1789; St. Paul’s emphasis on his understanding of “joy” in the singing “Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs”; and St.. Matthew’s account of the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14). The post is available using the link for October 2024 in the Archives column.

The same set of readings was discussed and illustrated in Episode Eight in our Christian Education video series, Trinitytide: The Teaching Season. All these episodes include illustrations from our archive of over 3,000 examples of Christian art over the centuries. Another illustration of the Parable of the Wedding Feast is featured in Chapter 22 of The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page.

Cover art: King David on his harp, stained glass window, Collegiate Church of Notre Dame, Dinant, Belgium. Copyright Jorisvo/Dreamstime.com

This week’s example of works in the AIC Bookstore is The Prayer Book Psalter: History, Text & Commentary (370 pages, six illustrations, including two on the front or back cover). The book brings together both Western Church and Eastern Church interpretations and was intended to answer commonly-asked questions about the Psalter. It can be used as a quick-reference for either clergy or laity.

The text of each Psalm, using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (1943 U.S. Edition), is followed by commentary from a Christological perspective, where possible using quotations from the ancient fathers of Christianity, including saints Athanasius of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo, Gregory of Nyssa, James, John Cassian, John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, the Apostles Paul and Peter, and Theodoric of Cyprus. For each Psalm there is a listing of where, if applicable, each Psalm has been used in Christian hymns and songs. The music cross-reference is focused on traditional songs and hymns used not only in the Anglican worship tradition, but also the Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian traditions.

Each Psalm (see the sample page of Psalm 149, one of the shortest Psalms) is categorized by its type, either Penitential, Passion, Cursing, Messianic, Royal, Hallel and Songs of Ascent; by the traditional understanding of its authorship (David, Sons of Korah; Sons of Asaph (Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Azariah); Solomon; Moses; Ethan the Ezrahite; and Unknown; and by how and where it is used in the 1928 BCP (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Other); and by its classification in one of the traditional five “Books” of the Psalms in the full text section of the BCP. At the back of the book is a Glossary listing every person or place named in the Psalter, with entries cross-referenced to other Psalms, other Scripture and to other books in the AIC Bookstore. The volume is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page.

Next week’s topic will be our other book focused on the Psalms, The Prayer Book Psalter: Picture Book Edition, which features illustrations from the historic Stuttgart Psalter (circa 820 A.D. during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne) and 20 other illustrated editions of the Psalter from the 10th to the 17th C., including the Psalter of Henry the Eighth. The page size is 8.5″ x 8.5″ with the Psalm text set in large type in the Apple Luminari typeface, with illuminated capitals created by Corkie Shibley, and with the Psalm’s title in both English and Latin. The book was produced with the assistance of the Wurttembergische Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart, Germany, the holder of the only known copy of the Stuttgart Psalter. The Stuttgart Psalter is associated with the Blessed Alcuin of York, author of the Collect for Purity in the Anglican Holy Communion liturgy and spiritual advisor and teacher to the Emperor Charlemagne, his family and his royal court, and Abbot of the Abbey of St. Martin, Tours, France.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Trinity 19 & the AIC Bookstore, Part 2

My Father Ron’s Blog posting for Trinity 19 was placed online on 10/4/2024. I commented upon the origin of the Collect (Gelasian w/amendment in the 1662 BCP, St. Paul’s discussion of Christian virtues in the Epistle reading (Ephesians 4:17-32) and the Gospel lesson (Matthew 9:1-8, the fifth of nine readings from St. Matthew in Trinitytide). The post is linked within the right column on the Fr. Ron’s Blog page.

This week’s post is focused on two related volumes from the AIC Bookstore. Both books grew out of my local ministry in Richmond, VA and surrounding area. Since our ministry received no financial support from any Anglican jurisdiction, we needed to find ways of reaching people at the lowest possible cost, with newspaper advertising, of doubtful value in any situation, being out of the question.

The original version of Prayers in the Christian Tradition was printed on my office laser printer on 8.5 x 11 letter paper, with four pages on each side. The paper was folded in half on the short axis, then folded again across the long axis, cut into four pages which were then collated and stapled together, with finished pages The completed book fit comfortable into a shirt or suit coat pocket, so that the prayers could be read anytime, anyplace, including lunch break at work, on a bus or subway, waiting in a doctor’s or lawyer’s waiting room. It sold for a mere $5.00, but was most often given to expressing an interest in Anglican worship. The version now available was reformatted into a size compatible with KDP Publishing’s standard book sizes. A new color cover was designed by Corkie Shibley. The volume includes prayers from the 1st to the 20th C. The index of sources include Saints & Blesseds, Bishops & Archbishops; Prayers and Offices (by Name and by Origin); Other People and Places; plus a complete Scripture index divided into Old Testament and New Testament sources.


The second book, Hear Us, O Lord: Daily Prayers for the Laity is divided into three sections: Awesome Prayers to Our Awesome God (which also traces to my earliest ministry in Richmond) which are offered in six sections, based on topic or focus: Praise & Thanksgiving; Protection & Deliverance; Penitence; Righteousness; Songs of Praise; and Other Prayers. Part Two, Little Prayers: Catenae on the Psalms, offers short prayers based on just one Psalm; catanae (meaning short prayers based on Scripture) on single Psalm, and Catanae based on multiple Psalms. Part Three, Daily Prayers for the Laity, was developed based on the traditional Church practice of prayers spoken at fixed times of the day, or the Hours: First Hour (sunrise or 6 AM); Third Hour (9 AM); Sixth Hour (Noon); Ninth Hour (3 PM); Vespers (traditionally 5 PM or local sunset); and Compline. Hours offices have a defined pattern: Invocation; First Prayer (from Scripture); the General Confession; the Lord’s Prayer; followed by a sequence of “Chapters” (two through six) based on a New Testament verse); Antiphons (or verse and response readings; a Psalm reading; and two closing verses and responses. Since no blessings is conferred, these can be said by anyone, layperson or clergy. In my household these said on Sundays when we do not attend for parish worship. This compilation includes a short explanation of the origin of “offices” and are based upon prayers from many Western and Eastern Church traditions including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Syrian Antiochian, and several Eastern European Orthodox traditions, including Russian. Should an ordained person be present, a text for an Absolution and Benediction are included.

Like all the AIC Bookstore Publications, these volumes are printed on demand and sold through my Amazon Author Central page, with all book royalties contributed to the AIC.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Whitsunday/Pentecost

Welcome to this first entry in a new series of posts on topical themes. These themes may be focused on timely events of the week or upon details and further exposition on the Collect, Epistle or Gospel reading for any particular Sunday or on any topics that seems relevant, especially those which, in my view, are not receiving sufficient attention in the media.

For this first posting, I offer a selection of prayers from the Third Hour (9:00 A.M.) office in Part Three in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Hear Us, O Lord: Daily Prayers for the Laity. This 3-part volume is available in paperback through my Amazon Author Central page, with a summary on the AIC Bookstore page. Part One, Awesome Prayers to Our Awesome God, includes prayers on the themes of Praise & Thanksgiving; Protection & Deliverance; Penitence; Righteousness; Songs of Praise; and Other Prayers. Part Two includes a selection catnap, or short prayers, based upon Psalm verses.

Great is the day of Sunday;
And blessed is he who keeps it in faith;
Because on it Our Lord rose from the grave;
And the nations confessed the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
Halleluia! Halleluia! Halleluia!
Source: Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church

Creator of the morning, who drove out the darkness and brings light and joy to thy creation; create in us habits of virtue and drive from us all darkness of sin; give us light and joy by the glorious rays of thy grace, O Lord our God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Source: Syrian Jacobite prayer, 5th C. or earlier.

For this first posting I offer a link to an interesting article posted on May 26th in The Catholic Herald. I hope that the article gives us evidence on why the new Roman Catholic Pope whose the name, Leo XIV. In a later post I will explain and discuss the concepts of apophatic and cataphatic prayers which are implied in the article linked below.

https://thecatholicherald.com/for-monday-why-pope-leo-xivs-gentle-criticism-of-contemporary-western-liturgy-is-a-vital-wakeup-call/

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!