From: Robert Schneider (rjschn39@bellsouth.net)
Date: Wed Aug 06 2003 - 21:49:45 EDT
One thing that happened at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church
did not catch the attention of the popular press, but might interest ASA
members who admire C. S. Lewis. A few weeks ago, during a discussion on
this list that broached the subject of the propriety of the invocation of
saints, I mentioned that the liturgical calendars of the Episcopal and other
Anglican churches set aside days of commemoration not to invoke but to honor
those who have gone before and by their example of Christian witness may be
beacons of inspiration to the rest of us. These men and women represent
every age of Christendom, from the apostles and early fathers of the Church,
to medieval Christians, to the giants of the Reformation, to figures of our
own day. Mary Magdelene, the Venerable Bede, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of
Avila, Martin Luther, John and Charles Wesley, the Anglican Martyrs of
Uganda, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are among the many who have received a day
of commemoration. They may be chosen for intellectual as well as spiritual
gifts, for piety as well as witness in suffering or death.
Those honored in Anglican calendars have not undergone the arduous process
of identification followed in the Roman Catholic Church. No miracles or
other extraordinary signs are required. In the Episcopal Church the
Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music receives recommendations, and at
General Convention recommends changes or additions to the calendar. The
latter, if accepted, receive a period of trial usage in worship, and they
eventually may be admitted to the calendar with the sort of long-term
approbations given others. A prayer is composed thanking God for the life
and service of the person, and appropriate passages of Holy Scripture are
assigned for usage if the person is remembered in formal worship.
This General Convention, approval was given for trial use of a day
commemorating the life, gifts and Christian witness of C. S. Lewis.
November 22 was chosen for this "Apologist and Spiritual Writer" who died in
1963. The following scriptures were designated: for the Psalm 139:1-9 (BCP
version); for the Lesson 1 Peter 1:3-9; and for the Gospel John 16:7-15.
And here, in contemporary form, is the prayer:
O God of searing truth and surpassing beauty,
we give you thanks for Clive Staples Lewis
whose sanctified imagination lights fires of faith
in young and old alike;
Surprise us also with your joy
and draw us into that new and abundant life
which is ours in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever. Amen.
I discovered and read Lewis' apologetic works, as well as his science
fiction writings, while a student at Sewanee, and later came to appreciate
his considerable gifts as a scholar of English literature. Recently I've
become aware just how much Lewis' works are admired by evangelical as well
as catholic Christians. All of us who have made our own acts of submission
to God's holy will can deeply resonate with his remarkable witness to his
own commitment to Christ. Surely that most of all accounts for his
universal appeal. I am glad that my Church has chosen to honor that
commitment in its practice of common prayer.
Grace and peace,
Bob Schneider
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