lectio divina

“Meditation and Modern Biblical Studies”

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By Martin Thornton (1978)

If there is a single exhortation to the faithful laity, common to all denominations through the Christian world, it is that they must read the Bible. What precisely does this mean? For parallel with the exhortation is the hard fact of biblical criticism, growing more and more complex, more esoteric, and throwing up the unending debate within its own ethos. If the simple (by which I mean one of integrated common sense rather than moronic) layman is to heed the exhortation then how, why and when is he to respond? Assuming that the modern layman is an intelligent and faithful, if untheologically trained, disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, then he is bound to ask questions: Why read the Bible? How read the Bible? What is the proper approach? The day-to-day pastoral situation comes up with four possible answers, none of which is very satisfactory.

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An extended excerpt from PRAYER: A NEW ENCOUNTER by Martin Thornton

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The next step of our reissuing of Martin Thornton’s books is an extended excerpt from Prayer: A New Encounter, and it is now available. This extended excerpt includes both Forewords that John Macquarrie wrote, first for the 1972 edition from Hodder and Stoughton, and second for the 1988 reissue by Cowley Publications. An intriguing bit from the … Read more

The Case for a Prologue Office of Praise

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“It is not sufficient to participate regularly in the Eucharist, with its unequal stress on individuality and formalism; rather we have to be eucharistic people. We have to live perpetually in the eucharistic context and this means preparation in the form of constant attempts to resolve the underlying paradoxes involved. The cosmic and the local, … Read more

The Prayer Book as Regula, a Slideshow

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If the first Christians were Catholic, it was because of their threefold prayer life (Acts 2:42) seen as the total, systematic means for repentence and baptismal reality taught by Saint Peter and the Apostles. That is the template, or Regula (Rule), of Catholic life; the threefold Regula orders the repeatable dimensions of Baptism by which … Read more

Notes on the Divine Office

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(Notes taken from The Rock and the River, by Martin Thornton. New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1965.) What is the Divine Office? (1) The Church’s daily offering of praise to God the Father through Christ; its fundamental emphases are corporate, objective, and self-effacing — the “pulse” of the organism. A specific, attentive response to God who is at … Read more

Homily: Savoring God’s Word

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Deuteronomy 26:5-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Psalm 91; Luke 4:1-13 [NB: The Gospel is read by Father Thomas Fraser.] [display_podcast] In recent decades, there has emerged a movement of people who practice “Centering Prayer”. For those unfamiliar with it, Centering Prayer originates in the ancient Benedictine tradition of lectio divina, and presents itself as practice to cultivate … Read more

Nine Texts toward Catholic Renewal in Anglican Parishes

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If over the coming years a critical mass of faithful Anglicans become serious students of English spirituality, does that in fact enact a Catholic renewal? That very question gets to the heart of the mission of Akenside Press. In our view, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. If our sense is accurate, … Read more

Trinity through Anglican historical theology

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First, some background. Part of the work of renewing Anglicanism in parishes is finding through-lines in our tradition. Our theological tradition is, of course, nothing to sneeze at (if you are unclear on that point, I invite you to click on the map at right, and of course give serious study to Martin Thornton’s English … Read more

Martin Thornton on Lectio Divina

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Martin Thornton taught that ordinary devout Christians need, perhaps more than anything, to learn how to meditate upon holy Scripture. To do so is to learn the ancient practice of lectio divina, or “sacred reading” for formation of our lives. Here is his description of the principles involved with meditatively reading the Bible: 1. Bible … Read more