Last night I was at the Redbridge and Havering Ordinariate Exploratory Group and Mass was celebrated according to the Book of Common Prayer. Like many of my generation I was brought up on the BCP and its rich and poetic language has enabled me through the years to remember the words of many parts of the services I attended in my youth. I don’t think the same will apply to our present generation using Common Worship or its predecessor the ASB. Of course, the Mass according to the BCP rite had many faults but one fault it didn’t have was it’s language. After all these years of ever-changing liturgy: Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, ASB and Common Worship, I think I only remember one beautiful prayer that was written by David Frost “Father of all we give you thanks and praise”
Father of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us so we and all your children shall be free and the whole earth live to praise you name, through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
and even that was altered in Synod; originally it said "Anchor us in the hope"... some in synod thought this too difficult [!] and replaced this phrase with "keep us firm in the hope..." losing the allusion to the anchor, the early Christian symbol of hope in the Resurrection. . . maybe the Ordinariate can reinstate it.
ReplyDelete'... one fault it didn't have was it's language ...'. In English (BCP or ASB) this would be ' ... one fault it didn't have was its language ...'
ReplyDeleteWelsh-Speaking Priest