The Rhythm of Rite I

During the Season of Advent, we switched to Rite I for our daily Morning Prayer services at Christ the King. My reasoning was similar to that of using Rite I in Lent - the language of Rite I is bit more penitential in some places. And one of the disciplines that the season of Advent calls us to engage is penitence. We are examining and preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ. 

Aside from the penitential ethos of the rite, something just feels right about praying the Advent liturgy in Elizabethan English. When we switch to Rite I, the rhythm of the liturgy shifts, just as the theological and scriptural themes shift (from Ordinary Time to Advent). 

So the simultaneous change in rhythm and content has an integrity that simply felt right to me during Advent. But when the season of Christmas came upon us, I switched back to Rite II. Christmas marks a new day – a new time – and new themes (scripturally and liturgically) emerge. 

But for some reason this year, the rhythm of Rite II didn’t feel right to me on Christmas Day (or the next). Perhaps I was just feeling the rub of a new rhythm, which can be a good thing. In the world of physical fitness, athletic trainers says that it is good to “confuse your muscles” from time to time. It helps them grow. 

I’m sure that by the time Ash Wednesday rolls around, I will be firmly grounded in the rhythm of Rite II, and the switch to Rite I will be disorienting. Again, this will be a good, healthy thing for my prayer life. 

The rite you use to pray the Daily Office is not the most important decision we have to make – either rite is fine. The most important choice we make is to pray the office on a daily basis, so that we get grounded in the holy rhythm of the scriptures and prayers of the church.

Christmas blessings to all of you!

Richard+