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1.
Introduction |
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11.
Vestments |
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2.
Work |
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12.
Continued formation |
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3.
Being part of the One Church |
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13.
Holy Orders |
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4.
Working in the community |
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14.
Membership of the Order |
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5.
Liturgy |
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15.
Overseas Provinces |
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6.
Prayer |
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16.
Resignation from the Order |
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7.
The Bible |
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17. |
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8.
The place of ‘the traditions of the church’. |
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18. |
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9.
Language usage |
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19. |
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10.
Authority within the Order |
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20. |
Prayer.
1)
Prayer is an integral part of both the faith and life in the Order.
Prayer is a spontaneous response and expression of love rather than a
duty or obligation.
2)
Because our lives are frequently busy, it is helpful to begin the
day with prayer and ask God for the opportunity to serve, for wisdom
and discernment, for the necessary gifts to meet each encountered
need and for the needs of those whose lives impact on our own.
3)
We should also pray for the work and ministry of the Order and its
members, that each shall be faithful to the will of God in all things.
4)
Our prayer should also be that our actions, thoughts and words shall
not cause another person to turn away from God but that the light of
God’s love shall shine through us unhindered and may draw all
and welcome all we meet into His presence.
5)
It is also helpful to prayerfully review each day at its closing and
offer God our own failings and the successes He has wrought through
us. Our attitude should be one of thankfulness and humility as we
look for the many different ways God has touched us and others in
each passing moment. If we find fault in our words, thoughts and
actions, we may also need the forgiveness of God and should ask
without fear, trusting in His infinite grace and love for us.
6)
Because prayer is not a matter of duty but of love, the traditions
of the cloistered monastic Orders regarding prayer need not be
applied corporately unless agreed by those able to meet together and
then only for a season unless otherwise discerned ‘lest it dulls
the spirit’.
7)
It is the rule of life within closed Orders that prayers are offered
to God in faith and love at morning, noon, and night. As On Call is a
dispersed Order, there is no insistence for compliance with this
tradition. Nevertheless, it is a good discipline, and is helpful for
spiritual growth. For this reason it is recommended to the individual member.
8)
No one form of liturgy is prescribed as all have some benefit in
being explored. What one finds useful, another may not and it shows
wisdom to accept what is good and remain silent on the remainder lest
the seeds of doubt and uncertainty are sown in another’s mind.
9)
Concerning both public and personal prayer, a few thoughtful and
loving words in prayer are of greater benefit than an undisciplined
outpouring – an example may found in God’s creation that
the gentle rain is sufficient to encourage fruitfulness from the
ground rather than the great flood which washes everything away.
10)
Silence in prayer is a virtue in that still small voice of God may
be heard. It is only when we are silent that we begin to listen with
both heart and mind.
11)
In public worship and prayer, the needs of others shall take
precedence over our own personal preference. We are called to
minister to the needs of others, not to fulfil our own personal needs.
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