OPEN LETTER FROM BISHOP BRIAN J. KENNEDY, O.S.B.

http://www.celticorthodoxchurch.com/ENTER.html 

TO DAILY PRAY THE PSALMS AND SCRIPTURE 

THE LECTIO DIVINA OF THE PROPHET DANIEL IS THE

DAILY OFFICE OF THE CELTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH

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TO PRAY AS DID THE EARLY CHURCH

“YOU ARE MISTAKEN, NOT KNOWING THE

SCRIPTURES NOR THE POWER OF GOD”

(Jesus Christ reported in Matthew 22:29)

THE LECTIO DIVINA / DAILY OFFICE OF THE PROPHET DANIEL IS A GIFT FROM THE

ANCIENTS TO US TODAY AND OUR LEGACY TO A GENERATION NOT YET BORN

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Daniel 6:10

Now, when Daniel knew this, that is to say, that the law was made, he went into his house: and opening the windows in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem, he knelt down three times a day, and adored and gave thanks before his God, as he had been accustomed to do before.

The Lectio Divina of the Prophet Daniel is designed to be prayed three times a day.  Three Chapters from Scripture with the attendant Psalm is prayed in the morning, one at mid-day and three at evening time. The practice of reading and praying the Scriptures three times a day was a firmly established practice in the Jewish community before and during the life of Christ. To this day, the Orthodox Jews continue to pray three times a day.  This practice, evidenced by the Prophet Daniel continues in the Celtic Orthodox Church today.  

CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES PRAYED THREE TIMES A DAY

The first coincided with the morning sacrifice, at the 3rd hour of the morning, at 9 A.M.  The second was at the 6^th hour, or at noon, and coincided with the thanksgiving for the chief meal of the day.  The 3rd hour of prayer coincided with the evening sacrifice, at the ninth hour (3:00 P.M.)

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice."

(Psalm 54:18)

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.”

(Daniel 9:2)

THIS OLD TESTAMENT PRACTICE WAS CARRIED

ON BY THE APOSTLES AND THE EARLY CHURCH 

    Acts 3:1

    Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer. 

    Acts 10: 3

    This man saw in a vision manifestly, about the ninth hour of the

    day, an angel of God coming in unto him and saying to him: Cornelius.

    Acts 10:9

    And on the next day, whilst they were going on their journey and

    drawing nigh to the city, Peter went up to the higher parts of the

    house to pray, about the sixth hour.

    Acts 10:30

    And Cornelius said: Four days ago, unto this hour, I was praying in

    my house, at the ninth hour and behold a man stood before me …

THE PRACTICE OF PRAYING AT THE

3^RD, 6^TH, AND 9^TH HOURS LIVES ON IN

THE CHURCH AS THE LECTIO DIVINA

THAT IS PRAYED THREE TIMES A DAY.

THREE CHAPTERS IN THE MORNING,

ONE CHAPTER IN THE AFTERNOON

AND THREE CHAPTERS IN THE EVENING.

IN THIS WISE WE PRAY THE PSALMS

AND SCRIPTURE SEVEN TIMES A DAY.

Daily praying the Scriptures

is part of the faith as once delivered to the Saints.

(Bishop Brian J. Kennedy, O.S.B.)

“IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE IS

IGNORANCE OF JESUS”

 (Saint Jerome)

Soul saving repentance is not possible apart from praying the Scriptures, as the Scriptures in a unique way convict us of sin. Through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart, soul and mind of the need for repentance and through the Word of God blesses us with the grace of conversion leading to salvation in Christ.

Without the Scriptures it is impossible to know Jesus or understand the power of God.

The Spirit in the words of Scriptures reverberates in the heart creating a closer union with Christ and through Christ with the Father.  This “Synergy with the Father in Christ” is the product of the Holy Spirit and can only come to fruition through the abiding presence of the Word of God.

Christ continues to bring the love of the Father to His people and reveal His own love for us from the Tabernacle on the Altar. Christ continues to be our Savior, our Redeemer, our life, our sweetness and our hope. From the Tabernacle on the Altar Christ ALONE remains the gate of Heaven, the SOLE arbiter and dispenser of all God’s Graces and gifts; The Mediator of all graces. We are healed by the Sacred Wounds of Christ, we are redeemed by His Precious Blood and we are made clean by His spoken word.  It is impossible to be sealed in the Blood of the Lamb without also experiencing the spoken Word of God by which we are made clean. (John 15:3)

St. Benedict calls the disciple to the school of the Gospel: “Let us walk in the paths of the Lord by the guidance of the Gospel” (R Prol). By these words the Father of monks expresses his intention to estab­lish a life patterned after the Gospel. This is the only true foundation on which a community rests. St. Benedict was well aware that his work represented an embodiment of the Gospel.  St.  Benedict called praying the Scriptures the “OPUS DEI”, which is Latin for “WORK OF GOD.”

 THE MASS AND THE DAILY PRAYER AND STUDY

OF SCRIPTURE ARE TOGETHER THE TWIN PILLARS

UPON WHICH REST OUR HOPE FOR SALVATION

(BISHOP BRIAN KENNEDY, O.S.B.)

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THE CELTS ARE ISRAELITES UNDER ANOTHER NAME
 
The word Celt is the Anglicized form of the Greek word Keltoi, which means "the people who are different." In Scripture, all nations, except the Twelve Tribes of Israel, are referred to as Gentiles (Foreigners), so the only people who are different are Israel. The word Celt is therefore another word for Israelite. The Celts are part of the Ten "lost" Tribes of Israel; as are the Tuatha de Danaan and Milesians. The Irish people are a mixture of Celts; Danaans; Milesians; Judah/Zarahites (of the "Red Hand" - Genesis 38:28-30); (Dan-ish) Vikings and Norsemen and are all racially cousins.

THE CELTS, ACCORDING TO GOD, ARE ISRAELITES.

The word British is not English; it is Hebrew.
Brit (Berit) means Covenant in Hebrew and Welsh
Ish means man or people of, in Hebrew and English
Therefore British means The People of The Covenant,
in other words, the People Israel of The Covenant.

However, the Celtish / Irish people are Israelites descended from Jacob/Israel's fifth of his twelve sons, who was called Dan and fathered the Tuatha de Danaan - the Tribe of Dan (the Irish and Danish). Therefore the Irish people are Celtish / British-Israelites by birth i.e. People of The Covenant in the Torah in the Bible and in The Ark, which is buried at Tara.

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THE NUMBERING OF THE PSALMS AND THE

OLD TESTAMENT QUOTES ARE FROM THE

SEPTUAGINT TEXT OF SACRED SCRIPTURE.

THE SEPTUAGINT TEXT IS OLDER THAN THE

JEWISH, PROTESTANT OR CATHOLIC BIBLE.

See:  http://www.celticorthodoxchurch.com/septuagint.html

THE ANGLO-CELTIC LECTIO DIVINA /

DAILY OFFICE OF THE PROPHET DANIEL

 Preface

The Celtic Orthodox Lectio Divina opens with the “Songs of Ascent. The Songs of Ascent appear in Hebrew and English on the wall at the entrance to the City of David, Jerusalem, Israel.

Songs of Ascent is a title given to text Psalm 119 – 133.  Each psalm starts with the ascription Shir Hama'aloth (Hebrew: שירהמעלות, meaning "Song of Ascent"). They are also variously called Gradual Psalms, Songs of Degrees, Songs of Steps or Pilgrim Songs.

The worshippers sang these psalms as they ascended up the road to Jerusalem to attend the three pilgrim festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16) or by the kohanim (priests) as they ascended the fifteen steps to minister at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Each Psalm ends with “Holy God, Mighty God, God Immortal have mercy on us”.  After praying the Psalms of Ascent as shown above, Psalm 94 closes out the preface.

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ESTABLISHED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ERA, TERTULLIAN IN THE

SECOND CENTURY CALLS THIS PRAYER A GIFT FROM THE ANCIENTS. 

THEN FOLLOWS THE FIRST STANZA FROM PSALM 118 FOLLOWED BY ONE CHAPTER FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS.  THE FIRST STANZA IS REPEATED EACH DAY AS A PREFACE TO THE CURRENT READING FROM PROVERBS. THE CHAPTER OF PROVERBS FOR THE DAY CORRESPONDS WITH THE DATE OF THE MONTH.  (EX: ON THE 3^RD OF EACH MONTH YOU PRAY THE 3^RD CHAPTER AND ON THE 28^TH OF EACH MONTH YOU PRAY THE 28^TH CHAPTER ETC) THE DATE OF THE MONTH DETERMINES THE APPROPRIATE CHAPTER FROM PROVERBS.

THE GOAL IS SEVEN CHAPTERS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT ONE DAY, SEVEN CHAPTERS FROM THE EPISTLES THE NEXT DAY AND SEVEN CHAPTERS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT ON THE THIRD DAY.  EACH CHAPTER FROM THE SCRIPTURES IS PREFACED BY ONE STANZA FROM PSALM 118.  EACH STANZA OF PSALM 118 ENDS WITH “HOLY GOD, MIGHTY GOD, GOD IMMORTAL HAVE MERCY ON US” AND THEN THE READING.  AFTER THE READING FOLLOWS ONE PENITENTIAL PSALM.  THE PENITENTIAL PSALM IS READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE READING AND BEFORE THE NEXT STANZA FROM PSALM 118.  THERE ARE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS AND YOU WILL HAVE PRAYED ONE OF THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS AFTER EACH ONE OF THE SEVEN READINGS FROM SCRIPTURE.

PENITENTIAL PSALMS

http://www.celticorthodoxchurch.com/psalms

HISTORY OF THE CELTIC ORTHODOX BENEDICTINE FATHERS

http://www.celticorthodoxchurch.com/two.html