RULE of the Order of Centurions

IN HOC
SIGNO VINCES

RULE
of the
Order of Centurions

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts

TIME DEUM ET
OPERARE IUSTITIAM

Fear God and do what is Right

Pray "without ceasing"

Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself

Meditate on Holy Scripture

FEAR: awe, dread, respect, wonder, amazement, to revere. RIGHT: righteous, just, pure.

Acts 10:34-35 "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of person, but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him"

Objective Right: "one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and for all times, and there will be one master and one rule, that is, God, over us all, for He is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge." --Cicero (ca. 50bc Rome)

Right Fear: as described in Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan

Holy Fear and Righteous Love of God go together with Obedience always throughout scripture; hence we hear Jesus say: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." [John 14:15, 14:21, 15:10]
PRAYER: Eph. 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication

1 Thes 5:16 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Ephesians 5:18 "Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Consider a part of your prayer life in terms of the Psalter or Hymnal so as to make a "joyful noise unto the Lord."

Patrick of Ireland expressed it in this prayer: Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us, Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us, Christ on our right, Christ on our left, Christ where we lie, Christ where we sit, Christ where we arise, Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of us, Christ in every eye that sees us, Christ in every ear that hears us. Salvation is of the Lord, Salvation is of the Christ, May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.(PATRICK, IRELAND, 5TH CENT)

The continuous interior prayer is a form of communication with God. Central to it is the awareness of God's presence at all times, a prayer which is reflective of the union of heart mind, soul, and will with God. In the East, the Prayer of Jesus is a constant uninterrupted calling upon the divine Name of Jesus with the lips, in the spirit, in the heart; while forming a mental picture of His constant presence, and imploring His grace, during every occupation, at all times, in all places, even during sleep. See this article .

The World Community for Christian Meditation promotes Christian meditation following the Desert Father's - Maranantha.

The Apolstle Doctrine of Hyppolytus of Rome written in 215AD contained these instructions on prayer for the candidates for baptism: If there is a day when there is no instruction, let each one at home take a holy book and read enough of it to gain an advantage from it. If you are at home, pray at the third hour (9 AM) and praise God. If you are elsewhere at that time, pray in your heart to God. For in this hour Christ was seen nailed to the wood. And thus in the Old Testament the Law instructed that the shewbread be offered at the third hour as a symbol of the Body and Blood of Christ. And the sacrifice of the dumb lamb was a symbol of the perfect Lamb. For Christ is the Shepherd, and he is also the bread which descended from heaven. Pray also at the sixth hour (12 Noon). Because when Christ was attached to the wood of the cross, the daylight ceased and became darkness. Thus you should pray a powerful prayer at this hour, imitating the cry of him who prayed and all creation was made dark for the unbelieving Jews. Pray also at the ninth hour (3 PM) a great prayer with great praise, imitating the souls of the righteous who do not lie, who glorify God who remembered his saints and sent his Word to them to enlighten them. For in that hour Christ was pierced in his side, pouring out water and blood, and the rest of the time of the day, he gave light until evening. This way he made the dawn of another day at the beginning of his sleep, fulfilling the type of his resurrection. Pray also before your body rests on your bed. Around midnight rise and wash your hands with water and pray. If you are married, pray together. But if your spouse is not yet baptized, go into another room to pray, and then return to bed. Do not hesitate to pray, for one who has been joined in marital relations is not impure. Those who have bathed have no need to wash again, for they are pure. By catching your breath in your hand and signing yourself with the moisture of your breath, your body is purified, even to the feet. For the gift of the Spirit and the outpouring of the baptism, proceeding from the heart of the believer as though from a fountain, purifies the one who has believed. Thus it is necessary to pray at this hour. For those elders who handed down the tradition to us taught us that in this hour every creature hushes for a brief moment to praise the Lord. Stars and trees and waters stand still for an instant. All the host of angels serving him, together with the souls of the righteous, praise God. This is why it is important that all those who believe make certain to pray at that hour. Testifying to this, the Lord says thus, "Behold, a cry was made at midnight, saying, 'Behold the bridegroom is coming! Arise to meet him!'" And he adds, saying, "Watch, therefore, for you do not know when the hour is coming." Likewise, at the hour of the cock-crow, rise and pray. Because at this hour, with the cock-crow, the children of Israel refused Christ, who we know through faith, hoping daily in the hope of eternal light in the resurrection of the dead.

The [Didache 8] encouraged believers to pray the Lord's Prayer thrice daily .
SUMMARY OF THE LAW: and related passages are found in these verses: Matt 22:34 , Mark 12:29, Luke 10:25, Lev 19:18, Deut 6:4 Love
MEDITATION ON SCRIPTURE: should begin with submission to God and our supplication that he would open our eyes and bless or understanding [The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom], and may include the reading or recalling of Scripture, considering what the scripture says, what it meant in its context to its intended audience, how the original readers/hearers would have likely understood the text, and what it means for us today in the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the apostles.

I will mediate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statues: I will not forget thy word. [Ps 119:15&16]

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lectio Divina, meaning Holy Reading, is an ancient, structured, monastic form for meditating on Scripture. There is a list of links at this Order of St Benedict site. The basic form of Lectio Divinia includes four steps: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. Three additional steps include Position (focus) before the Reading, and Discussion and Action following contemplation. The Sisters of St. Clair have provided this summary on Lectio Divina, and readers may benefit from this critical analysis. The Classical Monastic Practice of Lectio Divina is also a good source document. The Jesuits of Ireland have provided this Sacred Space a 10-minute guided lectio divina.
Lectio Continua is the continual reading and consideration of scripture. John Chrysostom was an advocate of this system of devotional reading and one may see his homilies on www.ccel.org.. One may use any system that gives a continual reading of the bible, such as this Anglican calendar with propers.

Centurion of Capernaum - Ft. Leavenworth Chapel
http://leav-www.army.mil/chapel/chapels/stain_glass_history.htm

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