March 5

Throughout Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday, I have been reading Living Prayer by the Orthodox Archbishop Anthony Bloom. I am using Archbishop Anthony's text as the bases of the meditations for our Parish Lent services. I would like individuals to read along for themselves, but Living Prayer is apparently out of print.



Living Prayer is written in eight chapters, with an epilogue. On Wednesday, March 5, I referred to chapter 5 — Unanswered Prayer and Petition. Bloom challenges the "ifs" of our faith and prayers. He cites the

"episode of the Canaanite woman (Mt 15:122)" . . . . she comes with complete faith and does not even say 'if you can', she just comes, . . . . she is the wrong sort of person. Christ has come for the Jews, she is a pagan . . . . And she stands, trusting in the love of God.

Do we stand trusting in the love of God?

A couple of years ago I read Bishop Norman T Wright's book, For All the Saints.

While Living Prayer is apparently out of print — Beginning to Prayer, which was first published in 1970, was reprinted in 2004 and is available from Amazon and Chapters.