Anglican Ascetic Podcast focuses on prayer life in the Anglican tradition—a tradition rooted in the New Testament Church, which became manifest when the womb of the Upper Room went Boom, into its sub-apostolic and patristic eras, and those following within the English lands, to the present moment.

The material used in this episode is found below:

Episode of Mere Catholicity I was interviewed:

A prayer of Blessed Jeremy Taylor, Bishop and Confessor (d. 1667)O Holy and ever blessed Spirit, Who didst overshadow the Holy Virgin-Mother of our Lord, and caused her to conceive by a miraculous and mysterious manner; be pleased to overshadow our souls, and enlighten our spirit, that we may conceive the holy Jesus in our heart, and may bear Him in our mind, and may grow up to the fullness of the stature of Christ, to be perfect in Christ Jesus. Amen.

1. Areas of weakness in Anglican spiritual mindset or phronema (the English School of Spirituality):

* Engagement with mystery

* Devotion to the Holy Spirit

* Doctrinal certainty

2. The Venerable S. Bede, a portion of Homily 1.1 on S. Mark 1:4-8”The desert where S. John Baptist remained separated from the allurements of the world designates the lives of the Saints, who, whether they live as solitaries or mingled with the crowds, always reject the desires of the present world with the whole intention of their minds.

3. Martin Thornton teachings

* Summery of Martin Thornton on the three biblical meanings of “eremos”—desert, lonely place, devastated country, wilderness

* the scene of danger and desolation

* the refuge of the persecuted

* a source of fruitfulness, creativity, and victory

* “‘Be still and know that I am God’ … is a necessity of the prayer life.” (Prayer: A New Encounter, chapter. 14)

* “Given goodwill and sincerity, the discipline of attention is a natural starting point: attention to one thing only ... for so many minutes a day.” (Pastoral Theology: A Reorientation, chapter. 15)

4. Evelyn Underhill teachings

* “Mystery is horrible to us.” (Practical Mysticism)

* "What is a Saint? A particular individual completely redeemed from self-occupation; who, because of this, is able to embody and radiate a measure of Eternal Life. His whole life, personal, social, intellectual, mystical, is lived in the supernatural regard. What is he for? To help, save, and enlighten by his loving actions and contemplations; to oppose in one way or another, by suffering, prayer, and work upon heroic levels of love and self oblation, the mysterious downward drag, within the world, which we call sin." (Man and the Supernatural)

* "Eternity is with us, inviting our contemplation perpetually, but we are too frightened, lazy, and suspicious to respond: too arrogant to still our thought, to let 'sensation of the divine' have its way." (Practical Mysticism)

* Gazing inward, "patiently, day after day, constantly recapturing the vagrant attention, ever renewing the struggle for simplicity of sight, you will at last discover that there is something within you--something behind the fractious, conflicting life of desire--which you can recollect, gather up, make effective for new life." (Practical Mysticism)

5. The Cloud of Unknowing

"Lift up thine heart unto God with a meek (humble) stirring of love; and mean (seek) Himself and none of his goods (gifts)." (chap. 3)

That is your intention, and the whole of the prayer time seeks to remain centered on this intention.

"So that thou mayest have better hold [of it], take thee but a little word of one syllable.... Fasten this word to thine heart ... This word shall be thy shield and spear.... With this word, thou shalt smite down all manner of thought [that have distracted you] ... If any thought press upon thee ... answer with no more words but with this one word." (chapter 7)

6. Lectio Divina (teachings from Pierced by Love, by Hans Boersma)

"Lectio divina is nothing out of the ordinary. It is what happens naturally when Christians wrestle with the biblical text." (p. 1)

"Early Christians spoke of 'attention' meaning vigilance, watchfulness, and self-awareness." (p. 2)

Guidelines for Lectio divina (p. 7):

* Find a quiet place with a short period of silence to properly focus your attention.

* Lectio (read): Read the passage repeatedly--perhaps about four times, interspersed with periods of silence.

* Meditatio (meditate): Meditate on a word or phrase that strikes you a significant. Ask yourself how it functions within its immediate context and within the Scriptures as a whole. Look for the revelation of Christ within this word or phrase. And ask what all of this has to do with your own situation and circumstances.

* Oratio (pray): As you pray, God will confront your life with the fruit of meditation. This may cause the pain of repentance. Or it may flood your heart with gratitude. In prayer, we bring our lives before God in response to the reading of the text.

* Contemplatio (contemplation): Take time throughout the process to pause and rest in silence before God. Keep Origen's advice in mind not to be hasty. It is when word and silence alternate that meaning can occur.

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