Keynotes

Holy Hands

Sometimes when I am standing behind the table on Sunday mornings, I wonder if what I am doing physically is more mystifying than edifying. This is important to me as the gestures should not be mysterious in and of themselves, rather they should only point us towards our great mystery: Christ’s real presence in bread made body and wine made blood. The two main gestures I use in my liturgical practice are the laying on of hands and the orans position. I will save the former for another reflection and focus on the latter here.

The orans position comes from the Latin for “one who is praying” and is the lifting up of the arms with the palms directed toward the heavens. It is the most ancient position for prayer in the Christian tradition attested to by our scriptures and art. The psalms are filled with references to this physical prayer posture:

So will I bless you as long as I live

and lift up my hands in your Name (Ps. 63:4).

An early depiction of this position in art is the image above from the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome. This is the physical posture that I inhabit when we pray in our liturgy.

But what does this posture signify? “The orans is a stance of openness and vulnerability to God,” explains Episcopal priest and liturgist Patrick Malloy, “as well as a gesture of reaching toward God.” I love this description and the idea that our physical body can mirror our inner spiritual desires. This particular posture is very different from the more usual and ubiquitous prayer postures. Consider what our bodies say when we kneel and bow our heads. There is almost a protective, inward turn to such a physical stance as our bodies wrap around our vulnerable fronts. The orans is different in that it opens the body up and we have no choice but to be vulnerable as we reach out to the divine.

Within our tradition, we normally only see the presider assume the orans position with perhaps the exception of the Lord’s Prayer. We tend to think of the raising of hands as a charismatic thing, but there is historical evidence suggesting that the entirety of those gathered to worship adopted this physical posture. While I won’t insist that we all adopt the orans on Sunday mornings, I would like to invite you to consider your physical body in the practice of common prayer. I encourage you to try different things. If you normally kneel for the eucharistic prayer, try standing. If you feel comfortable, try adopting the orans position for a particular prayer such as the Collect for Purity or the Lord’s Prayer. Once you get over the strangeness that accompanies newness, notice how you feel or think or pray differently in that moment.

As I said this past Sunday, our bodies matter and what we do with them in prayer matters. They can help us inhabit an internal attitude as they become external reflections reinforcing our inward dispositions.

In Christ,

Image: By Kristicak - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38106244
Patrick Malloy. Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers. New York: Church Publishing, 2007.

Beverly Bootstraps

Thank you to everyone who donated shampoo and conditioner last month in support of Beverly Bootstraps food lockers program. Our consistent support of this program is greatly appreciated by everyone at Beverly Bootstraps.

If you don't already receive their monthly newsletter, you can check it out here.

This month we are collecting kitchen sponges and 7 oz. bottles of dish soap. They want the small bottles because they fit in the lockers. Thank you! If you have any questions, please reach out to Carrie.

Mother's Day Walk for Peace

Sunday, May 12, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – St. Peter's parishioners will once again be walking in the Mother's Day Walk for Peace, beginning at Town Field Park in Dorchester, MA 02122.

If you would like to join the St. Peter's Team, please reach out to Michelle Abell for details.

Donate Here

Spring Plant Sale

The Mindful Plant — St. Peter’s Plant Sale returns May 4

Julie Brown-Garthwaite will have a selection of houseplants, vegetable plants and garden flowers, including Brandwine and Sun Gold Tomatoes, Zinnias, Nasturtiums and more!

In addition to help setting up on Friday May 3, Julie is looking for sales help on Saturday May 4. Plant donations are welcome!

Do you have a portable canopy or other open sided tent we can use as shelter?

Contact Julie with offers of help, plants or a tent.

Friday Bible Study

Join us on Friday mornings at 7 a.m. on Zoom to read and discuss the Biblical passages appointed for the following Sunday. This discussion has frequent digressions, but we usually learn new insights. And, as a bonus, we find it makes the readings more interesting on Sunday. We pray the collect promptly at 8 am so people can leave if they wish, and usually wind up shortly thereafter.

If anyone is interested (you do not have to be a member of St Peter’s), please contact Godfrey Perrott and I will be happy to add you to the email list.

Serving on Sundays

We are tremendously blessed to have so many people who make our Sunday Worship possible: Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Altar Guild, Hospitality Hosts, Ushers, Choir Members, and more. If you are already a member of one of these ministries and would like to sign up to serve on a particular Sunday, please click the button below. If you are interested in beginning to serve in one of these roles, please reach out to Rev. Christopher. If you need help signing up for a particular slot, please contact Kristian.

Sunday Rota

Bill Graham

Bill Graham, who for decades took care of the flowers that adorned our chancel week after week, passed away yesterday. There will be a funeral at St. Peter's on April 20 at 11 a.m. More details will follow. Our prayers are with his partner Phil and all who loved him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Parish Prayers

We pray for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Alan and Carol, our Bishops; Martha, our Regional Canon; for Christopher, our Rector; for our community of St. Peter's; and for all ministers and people.

Continuing Prayers

We pray for Lily; Chris; Ron Budka; David Auxer; James and family; Sandy; Katharine Pearce; Phil; Lorraine Legendre; Nancy and Jeff Santora; Ava; Leona; Karen; Andrew; Demetrius Johnson; Wayne Ferris; Maria and Luz; Tara; the Lewis family; Christopher; Marilyn and Family; Mary Lou and Robert F. Brown, Jr.; Doug Abell; Michelle; Tiago; Cathleen Tottey; the Gillette-Scharff family; Melissa & Keith Goggin; Julie; Theresa Crotty; Michele; Amy and Helen Salvatore; Carla Wilkins; Maryjane; Carmela; Tim and Matt; Brenda; Barbara Jo and Mick Heath; and for all those affected by Covid; for those who are homeless; and for the people of Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.

For Those Serving in the Armed Forces

We pray for Ken Christian, James Daley, Justin Anaya, John Schweizer, Wesley Lefavour, Nic Jacobs, Sean Kiely, and Teddy Libelo.

We Remember

For the Month of April, we remember and give thanks for the lives of:

April 7 – Anna Furfey Hanners, A. Florence Munroe, and Elizabeth Perrigo
April 14 – Ruth Farrar
April 21 – Basil W. and Ruth Fillmore and Walter Klibansky
April 28 – Jacqueline Fillmore Davis, Tina and George Klibansky, Richard H. Boudreau, and George, Mabel, Helen, and John Wales

The Altar Flowers are offered in their memory.

Requesting Prayer

If you would like to add someone to our Prayer List, please complete the form by clicking on the button below. All responses are held in confidence and will not be shared except for the name being added to our Prayer List.

Request Prayer