OCP Christian Unity Prayer

[thirdn6]

From the Book of Common Prayer, Article XIX- Of the Church,

The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in manners of Faith.

From the OCP Sunday missal,

Gracious Father, we pray to you for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with your truth. Keep it in your peace. Where it is corrupt, reform it. Where it is in error, correct it. Where it is right, defend it. Where it is in want, provide for it. Where it is divided, reunite it; For the sake of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

• William Laud

I believe that William Laud was an Anglican.

Questions:
Does the prayer tell us to be ecumenical,in a sense, that’s why it’s included in the Roman Catholic Sunday missal prayers?
Is it an acceptance in our part as Roman Catholics that the Church have actually erred in matters of Faith that’s why it is ok to include this in our missal?
Or somebody is brewing something here to discredit the inerrancy of the Church when it comes to faith and morals…

I am somewhat disturbed by this. Your thoughts, please…

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Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

 

[brigid12]

I don’t understand those things at all from this prayer. I understand the request that God support us, His children, in what we do and we’re sorry if we didn’t do all that He asked of us as He would wish.
It will be interesting to see what others say.
I disagree with this article from the BCP, however that is not surprising. I would be very surprised if I didn’t disagree (not to say that some things individual members have done/said and even the vatican in matters not having to do with Faith or Morals did/said weren’t wrong).

 

[thirdn6]

Maybe I should refresh my question.

Is it okay to insert an Anglican (thus, a Protestant) prayer in the parish missal used in a Roman Catholic Church that seems to imply there were errors in matters of faith?

I always believe that the Catholic Church teaches infallably in regards to faith and morals.

Why the “mixed-up”?
Thanks for any comments…

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Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

 

[benedictgal]

Maybe I should refresh my question.

Is it okay to insert an Anglican (thus, a Protestant) prayer in the parish missal used in a Roman Catholic Church that seems to imply there were errors in matters of faith?

I always believe that the Catholic Church teaches infallably in regards to faith and morals.

Why the “mixed-up”?
Thanks for any comments…

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Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

OCP does not have any legitimate Church authority. That is where the problem lies. While the Church supports ecumenism, it does not do so at the expense of the Faith.

Now, as far as the problems in the Church, I am reminded of the meditations for the Stations of the Cross that were written by the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. For the meditation on the Ninth Station he wrote:

What can the third fall of Jesus under the Cross say to us? We have considered the fall of man in general, and the falling of many Christians away from Christ and into a godless secularism. Should we not also think of how much Christ suffers in his own Church? How often is the holy sacrament of his Presence abused, how often must he enter empty and evil hearts! How often do we celebrate only ourselves, without even realizing that he is there! How often is his Word twisted and misused! What little faith is present behind so many theories, so many empty words! How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much pride, how much self-complacency! What little respect we pay to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where he waits for us, ready to raise us up whenever we fall! All this is present in his Passion. His betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his Body and Blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison * Lord, save us (cf. Mt 8: 25).

This stands in sharp contrast to what the Anglican wrote about in his prayer. The Church is a divine institution administered by men. Although there are flaws, as our Holy Father pointed out, these have nothing to do with the Truth of the Church’s teachings. OCP has some serious problems distinguishing that. They need a reality check.

 

[benedictgal]

Here is the actual prayer from the Ninth Station:

Lord, your Church often seems like a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. In your field we see more weeds than wheat. The soiled garments and face of your Church throw us into confusion. Yet it is we ourselves who have soiled them! It is we who betray you time and time again, after all our lofty words and grand gestures. Have mercy on your Church; within her too, Adam continues to fall. When we fall, we drag you down to earth, and Satan laughs, for he hopes that you will not be able to rise from that fall; he hopes that being dragged down in the fall of your Church, you will remain prostrate and overpowered. But you will rise again. You stood up, you arose and you can also raise us up. Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all.

In this prayer, the Holy Father is not referring to any issues concerning the Faith and the teachings of the Church (Dogma and Doctrine). These are not in error. The Church has the pledge and guarantee of Jesus, Himself.

What the Holy Father is referring to is the human conduct of those within the Church. That is a huge difference and something that OCP does not take into account when printing its questionable material. It’s bad enough that they have fooled around so much with liturgical music. Must OCP also stretch its tentacles to matters of prayer, as well?

 

[thirdn6]

Thank you so much, benedictgal. I was truly enlightened.

I know there are abuses in the Church… it’s sad. But they’re all just that- abuses. That’s why I felt so sad and puzzled when I saw that prayer at the back of the missal. (I usually say a prayer from the missal if I arrive early at the mass). At least, I think, if we can’t entirely prevent those abuses we can bring them out so that better minds can do something about them.

Thanks also for posting that prayer of our beloved Pope…
God bless.

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Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

 

[benedictgal]

Thank you so much, benedictgal. I was truly enlightened.

I know there are abuses in the Church… it’s sad. But they’re all just that- abuses. That’s why I felt so sad and puzzled when I saw that prayer at the back of the missal. (I usually say a prayer from the missal if I arrive early at the mass). At least, I think, if we can’t entirely prevent those abuses we can bring them out so that better minds can do something about them.

Thanks also for posting that prayer of our beloved Pope…
God bless.

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Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

Interestingly enough, the secular media really took the meditaiton apart and analyzed it to death and said that it focused on all of the problems of the Church. They failed to take into account that we, ourselves, are part of the problem, especially where liturgical abuse is concerned.

However, as I stated in my previous post, we have the unconditional pledge and guarantee of Christ, Himself, that the gates of hell would never prevail against His Church, the True Church founded and built upon the Rock of Peter.

We can be sure of that!