THE PENITENTIAL RITE Facing the People, the Deacon or Priest says: Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees. The People kneel. Silence may be kept, and then the Priest, facing the altar, begins as follows and the People join in saying: ALMIGHTY God,

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

maker of all things, judge of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent,

and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us,

have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past;

and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life,

to the honour and glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Priest says: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him, have mercy on us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. THE COMFORTABLE WORDS

Then, facing the People, the Deacon or Priest may rehearse one or more of the following sentences:

“Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.

Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.” Matthew 11:28….

What struck me at the first Anglican Usage Mass I attended, was the difference in language: the thees, thous, verbs ending with “th.” (Refer to the quote above from the Anglican Usage Missal.) This Elizabethan flavor reflects the origin of the “Book of Common Prayer,” (BCP), from which the liturgy of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Church and thence that for the Anglican Usage are derived. Since 1549, when Thomas Cramner, Archbishop of Canterbury and architect of the English Reformation, composed the BCP, it has undergone many changes. But despite these changes, the beautiful Elizabethan language, that of Shakespeare, remains largely intact.

If you read the quote for the Penitential Rite carefully you’ll see that there are “you, your” besides the “thees, thous, thys.” Why the difference? “You” in its various forms can refer to the plural, so that form is appropriate when the priest is addressing the congregation as a whole. What about the “thees, thous and thys?” To many of us it seems excessively formal, but a historical analysis shows that shouldn’t be so. The usage is archaic informal, which is to say that the address is for the second person singular and informal, as between friends. In archaic English, after the Norman Conquest and up to Elizabethan times and a little later, this was the familiar form used, as in the French “tu” and the German “Du.” In olden times upper classes addressed themselves as “you” and expected that form from the lower classes. Now isn’t it wonderful that we can address Our Lord in a familiar form, as to a friend?

HOLY GHOST VERSUS HOLY SPIRIT

Another difference in liturgical language is the use of “Holy Ghost” for the third person of the Holy Trinity, rather than “Holy Spirit.” I’ve discussed the difference (if there be one) between the two terms at length in another article, so I won’t repeat those arguments here. However, I should note that this use of “Holy Ghost” is not universally applied: for example, at the beginning of Mass in the “Collect for Purity” there is “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,..” Some argue that using “Holy Ghost” rather than “Holy Spirit” endows the third person of the Trinity with a more personal character. Judging from comments to the article linked above, I conclude that most of those who could be classed as “liturgically conservative” favor “Holy Ghost” over “Holy Spirit.”

KNEELING AT THE ALTAR RAIL—RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION

There are other differences in the liturgy: perhaps the most significant being the reception of Holy Communion. The congregation, row by row, in turn, go up to the altar rail. (See the featured image taken from The Personal Chair of St. Peter website, St. John the Baptist album.) Each recipient kneels to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, with intinction—the host is dipped into the Precious Blood. Those who cannot kneel because of infirmity receive Holy Communion standing or the priest will come to them if they’re unable to move to the altar rail. I can say that receiving Holy Communion is an experience in itself, whatever the manner of reception. (Older Catholics may recall this as the usual practice before Vatican II.)

Nevertheless, I find that it easier to maintain a reverent attitude while kneeling, not worrying about “is that person in front of me in the line going to the priest or one of the extraordinary ministers, do I have room to bow, will the priest be able to give the Host on my tongue, etc.” I am fortunate that at 88 I can still kneel, although it is uncomfortable verging on painful. But, posture leads to an attitude. Thus, the kneeling, the waiting for the priest and the final reception helps me to focus on what is happening: I am receiving the Body and Blood of Our Lord, who gave Himself up for me.