I'm surprised that you say the Psalms is not a book of prayers to recite! Not criticizing but registering surprise. As I was growing up in the Episcopal Church it was a common notion that the Psalms were the “Prayer book of the Bible.”
The core of Catholic daily prayer outside the Mass is a 4 week cycle which involves virtually all the psalms. One impetus in the development of the Rosary was as a “poor man's Psalter,” which is why until recently the “full” Rosary was 150 Aves. Illiterates and people too poor for their own breviaries might not be able to do the “full” daily prayers, but they could do 50 Aves with meditation on aspects of Jesus’ life and the History of Salvation.
The custom of repetitive prayer which seems to have grown up independently (maybe largely in the Eastern Church?) was brought into western Christendom along with the use of beads or knotted strings to keep track.
Paternoster Row in London is so called (according to the Oxford Dict. of the Christian Church) because there were bead makers, and the word bead itself is etymological cousin to “bid” or pray. (I have no idea what they called ‘em before they were used to count prayers. “You know, those little things you put on string” seems a bit cumbersome ...)
And before the structured melange of Paternoster, Ave, and GloriaPatri apparently there was a lot of repetition of the Lord's Prayer alone.
Certainly in my old church!
"As I was growing up in the Episcopal Church it was a common notion that the Psalms were the “Prayer book of the Bible."
Ahhh, that is one of the things I have a problem with. I am in no way stating I am correct (we won't know until I'm standing in front of the Lord). Back to using the Book of Psalms as a prayer book, that is what bugs me. I think a lot of churches do that (which is why I don't like any of them).
I watch a few evangelicals on tv. I always seem to "feel it", like I am part of the congregation and am truly worshiping. I feel the Lord with me. One thing I have noticed is they don't do repetitive prayer and most of the "talking" is coming straight from the Bible. I can follow along too! And the congregation takes notes!!
It just feels less fake to me. If that was offensive, I apologize, but it's the only way I can describe my feelings (I'm pretty bad at it).
I think a lot of churches and organizations have lost their way. I can't point my finger at just one, because I think, well, they kinda all suck.
There is SO MUCH dissent between each religion within itself (how many sects do the Catholics have, the Lutherans, the Protestants, etc...)I can't trust any of them!
Likely "corns" -- The Old English corn meant "a little roundish thing," hence the reference in one OE poem ("The Seafarer" maybe?) to "corns of hail."
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread! ;-)