Time, Technology and Newer Rites of Grace
There is a line in Saint Thomas Aquinas’ ‘Pange Lingua Gloriosi’ that holds me captive. In the fifth stanza, his Latin composition goes ... ‘ Novo cedat rítui: Præstet fides suppleméntum, Sénsuum deféctui’ – Newer rites of grace prevail: faith for all defects supplying, when the feeble senses fail. Newer rites of grace prevail – wow. What a lovely way of enlivening fresh hope to infuse our spirits. To be honest, I tend to see rituals as conveying legalistic fervour. But far beyond my ignorance (and from evidenced centuries), they hold dear profundities for wearied souls. Perhaps such practices could offer us a precious pathway to outlast this long-drawn COVID-19 spell, and trials down the road. And rituals of grace do sound inviting ... full of divine generosity. In a world of time-poverty and technological overwhelm, tapping into the empowerment of such grace is critical if I am to stay the course towards ‘winning the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Je