For many weeks now I have been struggling for inspiration on what to post to this Blog. Having posted revised versions of commentaries on the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Trinity season in A.D. 2024 and A.D. 2025, there seemed nothing new to add. Nonetheless, in A.D. 2026, there has been an abundance of evidence that the Church Universal is more than ever under threat. Nowhere else is this more evident than in the Anglican tradition.
Recent events within the Church of England provide evidence that the home church in England has lost its moorings in its own traditions. The appropriate response within the worldwide Anglican community is not rock music concerts in St. Paul’s Cathedral but a return to the worship traditions begun by Archbishop Cranmer and his associates in the 16th C. These traditions were firmly based in the worship practices of the early Church and its development in both the Western and Eastern Christian traditions. One of the best of these traditions is the following morning prayer which I adapted from the eastern liturgy of St. Mark the Apostle, considered the founder of the Church at Alexandria, one of the original sees of the Church Universal. The prayer has the virtue of being simple and clear and, at the same time, embodying the heightened sense of Christian spirituality found in the early Christian tradition.
WE give thee thanks, our Lord and God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
for all thy goodness at all times and in all places, because thou hast shielded,
rescued and guided us all the days of our lives and brought us to this morning hour,
permitting us again to stand before thee and implore forgiveness for our sins.
We pray and beseech thee, merciful God, to grant in thy goodness that we
may spend this day and all the time of our lives without sin, in fulness of joy,
health, safety, holiness and reverence of thee; drive away from us all envy, fear,
temptation, the influence of Satan, and the snares of wicked men. Amen.
The prayer appears as the Fifth Prayer for First Hour (6 A.M. or local sunrise) in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Hear Us, O Lord: Daily Prayers for the Laity, offering prayers for the traditional “hours” throughout the day (being First, Third, Sixth, Ninth, Vespers and Compline).. The book was discussed in my Blog post for October 26, A.D. 2025. This and other postings are linked from the Archives column at right. All the Hours offices offer true comfort based on “worship” and rather than “entertainment.”
As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!


Today, December 18th, is the first of the final seven days of Advent. The AIC Seasonal Video series, The Great “O” Antiphons, offers Scripture, commentary, the reading/responses of antiphons and music for the occasion. The series is based on a 12th C. office in the Roman Catholic tradition. Here you will find information and links each day until the final episode on Dec. 24th. The text for the entire series is printed on pages 21-27 in the AIC Bookstore Publication, 

I’m pleased to announce the uploading for another revised episode, Episode Twenty-one in the AIC Bible Study Video series, The New Testament: Gospels. Content is Part 2 of 6 in Unique Content in the Gospel of St. Luke, including Sending the Return of the Seventy and Jesus’ encounter with Mary and Martha at Bethany.