Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The BCP Needs to Go!

I am really tired of the Book of Common Prayer. Who needs it? I am, of course, talking of Western Rite Orthodox Christians, not Anglicans. And I say again, why is it such a topic of debate amongst Orthodox of both rites? The Western Rite has enough issues defending the authentic expression of itself without worrying about making sure our Bishops don't figure out what the Liturgy of St. Tikhon actually is. If it needed all those improvements to make it Orthodox, why are we using it? If I need to look up a ton of extra material to supplement my "English Office" as it is known, why should I use it? I find it extremely odd that the Tikhonite liturgy is based on an Anglican liturgy that was made to try and be as similar to the Tridentine rite as possible! And that the Tridentine rite can be found in the same Orthodox Missal! I should be clear here that I am not really advocating liturgical archaeology and trying to figure out what Western Rite folk were doing in 1054 (the texts themselves don't cut it in my opinion.) Indeed, most Western Christians before the schism spent their time in Church thumbing beads and reciting the two or three prayers they knew by heart. The traditional Mass of the West needs virtually no additions or subtractions to make it entirely Orthodox as it really hadn't changed all that much since the schism. In fact, I really don't think the additions made by the AWRV are needed, and are offensive to the historical Orthodoxy of the rite. Also, using 1054 as a cut-off is a modernist use of history. Just like the uniates, I would not be surprised if many Christians even in the year 12 or 13 hundred would not be very offended if you told them they were under the direct control of the Pope! Surely the Lord still recognized them as Orthodox Catholic Christians? To me, using more or less the Tridentine rite Mass, along with the Monastic Offices and all the goodies that come along with that (Gradual Psalms, the Seven Psalms, etc.) is a fully Orthodox usage that really needs very little defending. Get rid of the Angelus, chuck out the modern statues, use only the Salve Regina Antiphon at Compline, chop off the modern bits of the Ave Maria, throw out your novena's, stop saying the mysteries with your Rosary and you have an authentic piety that is still organic! I am a Western Rite Orthodox Christian, and I demand that the BCP Mass and office be done away with. They are borderline heretical, protestant, ecumenical, and plain out not needed. (Disclaimer- I have nothing to do with decisions made about the Vicariate. I am just a member expressing my opinion and my displeasure. Naturally, if I didn't think the clergy and faithful were committed to Orthodoxy I would not be a member.)

1 comment:

  1. P.S. And it would't require Byzantizations either! (also you would have to get rid of the organs and pianos.)

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