To Be Teachers of Prayer

In 1934 William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury[ABC] from 1942-44) instructed a teacher at a seminary as follows:

You will use it as a basis for what we need more than all else - to teach the clergy to be teachers of prayer

It strikes me that this instruction may be even more vital today.  We certainly need to expand the pool of teachers beyond the clergy as well.  At the very root of my interest in the subject that has become the project for this sabbatical has been a weakness in the teaching of prayer, especially personal prayer, in our tradition.  It first came to me as just a faint inkling in my own life as I realized how little I knew about prayer in the context of that tradition.  So when I read this quote it struck home.  This is clearly NOT a new problem.

I think it's fascinating that the Archbishop to be identifies that particular duty as "...what we need more than all else...".  I'm not sure if you asked most bishops, priests, deacons and/or lay people today to name the single most important thing our clergy should be doing that this would even make the list.  You would probably get some issues skirting around the neighborhood but my bet is nothing this clearly defined.  The local faith leaders most important duty is to be a teacher of prayer.

The church in England in 1934 and in the United States in 2010 are very different in many ways.  So I wonder if the late ABC would protest too loudly if I re-phrased it this way:

You will use it as the basis for what we need more than all else - that the church must be a teacher of prayer

I'm thinking the whole church, ordained and lay alike, dedicated to the idea of teaching prayer.  Teaching prayer in all the forms that make up the foundation of our spirituality.  That would be the Eucharist, The Daily Office and Personal Prayer/Devotions.  To my eye we stand today firmly taught in the Eucharist, barely taught in Personal Prayer and virtually untaught in the Daily Office.  The needs and understanding of the Daily Office (Morning and Evening Prayer) are beyond the scope of my project as they are properly a corporate worship.  But it becomes clear that something needs to be done.  Without endorsing or rejecting his positions I would recommend Martin Thornton's "English Spirituality" as an interesting place to start.  In the chapter dedicated to the BCP he makes some very thought provoking comments about the current version of those services in contrast to the current pastoral needs of the church (as he sees them).  I'm sure there are lots of others sources for this discussion but it was Thornton that opened my eyes to the subject.

In the meantime we need to improve the quality, depth and intentionality of our teaching on prayer.  I didn't realize it when I began but this comment from Archbishop Temple is the simplest answer of the "why are you doing this?" question.  I now believe more strongly than ever before that each element of our spirituality is necessary and strengthens the other two.  My hope is that the work emerging from my study will strength the one aspect to the benefit of them all.

Peace