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St. Mary's Russell ON, Resource Center
On 29 January 1971, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada resolved to direct the National Executive Council,
"to initiate a process of revision of Church Services
without delay, which will produce alternative to services
now offered by the 1959 Canadian Book of Common Prayer;
and which will provide guidelines for their use thoroughout
the Anglican Church of Canada."
The Book of Alternative Services of The Anglican Church of Canada
ST. MARY’S CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COLLECTION
(1) What are Christian ethics?
Christian ethics consists basically of living a healthy, simple, and compassionate life within a community of care such as our parish.
Our ethics are based on the parts of our tradition closest to Jesus:
- the ethical teachings of Jesus in the gospels, primarily in the Sermon on the Mount;[1]
- the codes of conduct of the first Jewish-Christian communities;
- and the virtue ethics of the Christian tradition, which map onto the ethical teachings of Jesus.
[1] In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters five to seven. (My hope is to work next on a set of primers for the Sermon on the Mount.).
101 The Two Ways
102 Character & Virtues
103 Four Cardinal Virtues
104 Sermon on the Mount Context
(2) What is Christian spirituality?
Christian spirituality is the process of personal conversion away from self-centredness towards self-giving over a lifetime of growing allegiance to Jesus on the Way of Life. It consists of:
- gaining in spiritual wisdom through learning from our sacred scriptures, our Anglican tradition, and our reason;
- practicing a number of the twelve spiritual practices – some by ourselves, some with our parish, and some in community; and
- opening up to the indwelling of the holy Spirit – which works with us on transforming our shadow side and guides us to becoming whole persons capable of flourishing, self-giving, and sanctification.
201 Mysticism – Consciousness of the Divine
202 Spiritual Wisdom from Scripture
203 Four Inward Practices
204 Four Outward Practices
205 Four Corporate Practices
Saint of the Week
Our weekly featured patron Saint, posted to reflect on the achievements and remind ourselves of the communion of saints, of which we are part.
The Letter to the Hebrews explains it clearly:
"...since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so
closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our
faith..." (12:1-2a)
These weekly accounts follow the Supplement to the Book of Alternative Services’ Calendar of Saints called For All the Saints: prayers and readings for Saint’s days, by Prof. Stephen Reynolds.
Book of Alternative Services Calendar of Saints
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
