As you know, the Ten Commandments were given by God to the Jewish people after their escape for Egypt, and in our sessions on the Ten Commandments we have seen the meaning they have for Christian people today.  But it is also very necessary for us to have a personal rule of life which will help us keep the Commandments, loving God and loving our neighbour, and, in the words of the Baptism service, remaining faithful to Christ to the end of our lives.  So let us think now about our Rule of Life.

1. Attendance at the Eucharist

It is very important to be present at the Eucharist on all Sundays and also on special Feasts, Festivals and Holy Days.  From the very beginning the Apostles held the Eucharist every Sunday, the Lord’s own Service on the Lord’s own Day.  Not only was Sunday, the day on which Jesus rose again from the dead, a day of joy and worship; but Jesus himself, in giving them the Eucharist, had commanded them to celebrate it.  “Do this”, he said, “in remembrance of me”.  And the Church has faithfully obeyed him ever since.  So Jesus still says to us today, “Do this.  Take your part in the Eucharist”.  If anyone deliberately stays away from the Eucharist on a Sunday (unless they have a very good reason, such as being ill or looking after an ill person), what he or she is really doing is saying to Jesus, “No, I’m not going to do this, even though it is you who tell me to”. 

We should also make every effort to be present at the Eucharist on important Feasts, Festivals and Holy Days.  According to Church of England law (known as Canon Law), Holy Communion must be celebrated in every cathedral and parish church on Principal Feasts and Principal Holy Days. (1) Excluding those that fall on a Sunday, these Feasts and Holy Days are as follows:

Principal Feasts

• Christmas Day (December 25th)
• The Epiphany (January 6th)
• The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (February 2nd)
• The Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25th)
• Ascension Day (the Thursday which falls 10 days before Pentecost)
• All Saints’ Day (November 1st)

Principal Holy Days

• Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent)
• Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter Day)
• Good Friday (Friday before Easter Day – the Eucharist is not celebrated on this day, but we should try to go to church to thank Jesus for all he suffered for us on the Cross)

Other important celebrations

There several other important days which are celebrated with great joy in the worldwide Church:

• Corpus Christi (Thanksgiving for the Blessed Sacrament – the Thursday after Trinity Sunday)
• St Peter and St Paul (June 29th)
• The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15th)

Note that in some churches, a few of the Feasts or Festivals are transferred to the nearest Sunday.

2. Prayer

Prayer is talking with God in order to get to know him, to love him and to do his will.  Our rule of life should include saying our morning and evening prayers every day, and saying Grace at meals.

3. Acts of discipline

Fasting and abstinence

The Church has traditionally had days of fasting and abstinence.  Fasting actually means going without food, but a fast day is not one on which we eat nothing at all.  It is one on which we have one proper meal, and only a little to eat in the rest of the day.  Days of fasting are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Children and older people are not expected to fast.

Days of abstinence are days when we abstain or go without meat, that is, the meat of animals or birds.  Fish may be eaten instead.  Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence and Fridays are kept as days of abstinence, except when Christmas Day falls on a Friday.  Friday is a day of abstinence because that was the day of Jesus’ Crucifixion.  The purpose of fasting and abstinence is to show our love for Jesus by going without something for his sake, and also to keep ourselves from being ruled by our bodies

Recently there has been more emphasis in the Church on other forms of personal discipline and self-denial.  And this makes sense, because replacing an ordinary meat dish with a very special meal of fish would not be in the spirit of abstinence.

Days of discipline and self-denial

In Common Worship days of discipline and self-denial are the weekdays of Lent and all the Fridays in the year, except all Principal Feasts and Festivals outside Lent, and also the Fridays between Easter Day and Pentecost.  It is also appropriate to keep the days before Principal Feasts as days of discipline and self-denial in preparation for the Feast. (2) We shall come back to self-denial a little later in this course when we think about keeping Lent.

4. Confession

The purpose of going to Confession is to receive God’s forgiveness and to keep our souls clean in his sight.  And our rule is like the washing of our hands when they get dirty and also before meals.  So if we are confirmed we should make our Confession if we fall into serious sin and before the great Feasts of the Church and in particular at Easter.

5. Holy Communion

We should receive Holy Communion at least three times a year, of which Easter must be one.  Notice the words at least.  That means that three times a year is the minimum, the very least.  And in actual fact we make our Communion much more often, usually every Sunday, and as we grow in our Faith we shall find ourselves making our Communion in the week as well, if we are able.  When we receive the Blessed Sacrament of Our Lord’s Body and Blood, we become part of him and he part of us.  So we find that as Jesus becomes more and more important to us and means more and more to us, so we go to the altar to receive him more frequently.

6. Supporting the Church

We should support the Church by giving our time, talents and money, and by doing what we can to draw other people into the Church.  We shall be thinking about our time, talents and money next week.

SUMMARY

Rule of Life

1. To be present at the Eucharist on all Sundays and other special Feasts, Festivals and Holy Days.

2. To say my morning and evening prayers, and Grace at meals.

3. To mark the Church’s days of discipline and self-denial.

4. If confirmed, to go to Confession before the great Feasts and especially before Easter, and at other times as necessary.

5. If confirmed, to make my Communion on Sundays and on the great Feasts.

6. To support the work of the Church with my time, talents and money, and to do my part in helping to draw people into the Church.

References

1. ©The Archbishops’ Council (2000) Common Worship.  Rules for Regulating Authorized Forms of Service.  Available from: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/downloads/pdf/mvlectionary524-591.pdf  (Accessed 21 August 2010) (Internet).

2. ©The Archbishops’ Council (2000) Common Worship.  Rules for Regulating Authorized Forms of Service.  Available from: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/downloads/pdf/mvlectionary524-591.pdf  (Accessed 21 August 2010) (Internet).