COMMENT
Night Office From the writings of Saint Clement of Night Office Reading
All our life we must honour God We are commanded to worship and honour this same person, whom we believe to be the Word, our Saviour and ruler, and through him the Father. Nor must we confine our worship to special days, but offer it perpetually throughout our lives and in every way. The chosen race, justified by the commandment, declared: Seven times a day I praise you. Ps. 118(119):164. So he who possesses true knowledge honours God, that is, thanks him for his gifts of spiritual knowledge and right conduct, in no specific place or appropriate sanctuary, still less at certain feasts or on definite days, but everywhere and all his life, whether in solitude or with others of his own faith.
Now the presence of some good man, because it inspires respect and reverence, is always an influence for the better on those who chance to meet him. Then surely one who is always in the presence of God, through spiritual knowledge and a life of cease less thanksgiving, cannot help but become a better person in every way, in deed, word, and thought. Such is the man who is convinced of God's presence everywhere, refusing to believe that he is enclosed in any specific place. Then because of this conviction of ours that God is present everywhere, our whole life becomes a celebration. We praise God as we till the fields or sail the seas, and in all the other ways of life in which we employ our skills. Thus he who possesses true knowledge draws closer to God, and is always serious and always happy. He is serious because his attention is concentrated on the divine being, and happy because of his continuous awareness of the blessings which God has given to mankind.
Yet petitionary prayer is not superfluous, even though we receive blessings without asking for them. Both thanksgiving and prayer for the conversion of his fellowmen are required of the true Christian. That is the very way in which our Lord prayed. First he gave thanks because he had fulfilled his earthly ministry. Then he prayed that as many as possible might receive true knowledge so that thanks to that knowledge they might set out on the road to salvation, and by their salvation glorify God, and so that he who alone is good, and alone is the Saviour, might be recognized through his Son for all eternity. And yet, the faith of one who believes that he will receive what he has need of is in itself a kind of prayer, stored up within the spirit. But if prayer is an opportunity for communion with God, like any other opportunity of approach to God we must not neglect it. The sanctity of the man who possesses true knowledge is combined with God's blessed providence, and in the voluntary profes sion of Christian faith shows forth the perfection of God's kindness to men. For that sanctity in a way corresponds to providence and is a return of affection on the part of God's friend. God is not compelled to do good, but chooses to reward those who of their own free will turn to him. For the care that God takes of us is not at all like the menial service that an inferior being bestows on a superior; on the contrary, it is out of pity for our weakness that the dispensations of providence are active in our concerns. There is the same relationship between a shepherd and his sheep, a king and his subjects, as well as between ourselves and the rulers to whom we owe obedience, those who hold their appointed offices as a duty which God has entrusted to them. So the true worshipers and servants of the divine being are those who offer him the most free and the most royal service, arising both from a devout mind and from spiritual knowledge. Responsory Zep 2:3; Ps 22:26 Seek the Lord, all you in the land who live humbly, obeying his commands. + Seek integrity, seek humility. V. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord shall praise him. + Seek integrity ... + + + + + + + + + + St. Clement of Alexandria St. Clement of Alexandria studied under Pantaenus. He later succeeded him as the director of the school of catechumens in Alexandria , Egypt around the year 200 A.D. Clement may be considered the founder of speculativetheology. He strove to protect and deepen faith by the use of Greek philosophy. Central in his teaching is his doctrine of the Logos, who as divine reason is the teacher of the world and its lawgiver. Clement's chief work is the trilogy,Exhortation to the Greeks, The Teacher, and Miscellaneous Studies.http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-instructor-book1.html
"The Blood of the Lord, indeed, is twofold. There is His corporeal Blood, by which we are redeemed from corruption; and His spiritual Blood, that with which we are anointed. That is to say, to drink the Blood of Jesus is to share in His immortality. The strength of the Word is the Spirit just as the blood is the strength of the body. Similarly, as wine is blended with water, so is the Spirit with man. The one, the Watered Wine, nourishes in faith, while the other, the Spirit, leads us on to immortality. The union of both, however, - of the drink and of the Word, - is called the Eucharist, a praiseworthy and excellent gift. Those who partake of it in faith are sanctified in body and in soul. By the will of the Father, the divine mixture, man, is mystically united to the Spirit and to the Word.",
-"The Instructor of the Children". [2,2,19,4] ante 202 A.D.,
"The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. 'Eat My Flesh,' He says, 'and drink My Blood.' The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery!", -"The Instructor of the Children" [1,6,41,3] ante 202 A.D.. , www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/father/a5.html
From: John ......
To: Donald
Sent: Thu, 1 July, 2010 18:56:35
Subject: St Clement
Yours ...
"Thus he who possesses true knowledge draws closer to God, and is always serious and always happy". This kind of quotation is asking for assistance from friend artists with Power
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Thursday, 1 July 2010
Seven times a day I praise you
Dear Donald, thanks very much for your email and the impressive commentary. We are so blessed to have such a rich heritage. It gives us hope and encouragement in the times we are living in ...
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13th Week Ordinary Time THURSDAY Year IIThe Night Office Reading this morning was beautifully resounding through the monastic life.
It seemed so very up to date.
And, in fact, goes back to Alexandria about 200 A.D., Saint Clement, (see below).
The words breath through the Presence of God and being happy:
... ...
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