Devotio Antiqua
An Introduction to A Way of Ancient Devotion
Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)
The Sacred Crossroads
Every morning you wake to a crossroads. Before your feet touch the floor, before the demands of the day press in upon you, you stand at that holy intersection where eternity meets time. Will you choose the wide road of spiritual drift, that well-traveled highway of busyness, distraction, and half-hearted devotion? Or will you step onto the narrow path, the ancient way that leads to life abundant and deep communion with the living God? This is no small choice, for it shapes not only your day but the very trajectory of your soul.
The crossroads isn’t merely a metaphor; it’s the spiritual reality in which we live and move and have our being. Every choice to pray rather than scroll, to meditate on Scripture rather than consume mindless entertainment, to seek God’s face rather than human approval, these are the moments when we choose the ancient path. The voice of the Lord still echoes across the centuries: “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). He calls us not to innovation but to restoration, not to novelty but to the time-tested way of the saints who have walked before us.
The Call to Ancient Devotion
Devotio Antiqua - the Latin phrase meaning “Ancient Devotion” - is more than a spiritual discipline or theological concept. It’s a way of life, a sacred pilgrimage that draws from the deepest wells of Christian wisdom and experience. This isn’t nostalgia masquerading as spirituality, nor is it an escape from the challenges of modern life. Rather, it’s the recovery of that golden thread of devotion that runs through Scripture and the history of the Church, from the apostles to the desert fathers, from Celtic saints to medieval mystics, from Reformers to Puritans to early Methodists who caught the vision of heart religion and holy living.
The ancient path is both old and ever new, like the God who calls us to walk it. It’s the narrow way that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount, difficult to find and harder still to follow, yet the only road that leads to genuine life (Matthew 7:13-14). This path has been carved into the spiritual landscape by countless faithful souls who have gone before us, their footsteps creating a well-worn way for pilgrims like you and me. When we choose Devotio Antiqua, we aren’t walking alone but joining a great company of witnesses who beckon us forward with their prayers and example.
Walking in the Way of the Lord
Scripture speaks of the Christian life not as a one-time decision but as a lifelong journey, a pilgrimage of faith that takes us from glory to glory. The psalmist declares, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion” (Psalm 84:5). Abraham was called to leave the familiar and walk by faith toward a city whose architect and builder is God. The Israelites learned to follow the cloud by day and fire by night through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. The early Christians were simply known as followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2), recognizing that discipleship is not a destination but a manner of traveling.
Jesus himself is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), and he calls us to follow him along this ancient path. He walked it first, from Bethlehem to Calvary to the empty tomb, and now he invites us to trace his steps. This is the way of incarnation, God with us in the ordinary moments of life. It is the way of the cross, dying to self that we might truly live. It is the way of resurrection, discovering that in losing our lives for his sake, we find them again transformed and eternal.
The path of Devotio Antiqua recognizes that we are pilgrims, not tourists. We aren’t sightseeing through the spiritual life but journeying with purpose toward our true home. Every step matters, every choice shapes us, every day offers fresh grace for the road ahead.
Rooted in Scripture, Shaped by Tradition
The foundation of Devotio Antiqua is not human wisdom but divine revelation. Scripture is our map and compass, our bread for the journey and our light for the path (Psalm 119:105). Yet we do not read the Bible in isolation but in communion with the saints who’ve wrestled with its truths before us. The early church fathers, who lived close to the apostolic age, help us understand what it means to be “rooted and built up in Christ” (Colossians 2:7). The desert mothers and fathers teach us the disciplines of solitude and prayer. The Celtic saints show us how to see God’s presence in creation and daily life.
The monastic tradition offers us rhythms of prayer and work that order our days around the love of God. The medieval mystics - Bernard of Clairvaux, Julian of Norwich, Thomas à Kempis - guide us into the deeper waters of contemplative prayer and union with Christ. Where the Reformers recovered the biblical clarity of justification by faith, where the Puritans modeled serious devotion to God’s Word, where John Wesley integrated ancient practices with evangelical fervor - in these places, we find wisdom that enriches rather than replaces the older tradition.
This isn’t about choosing sides in theological debates but about drinking deeply from the wells of Christian wisdom that have sustained the faithful across the centuries. Truth is truth, whether spoken by Augustine in the fourth century or Spurgeon in the nineteenth. Holiness is holiness, whether pursued in a medieval monastery or a Methodist class meeting. The goal isn’t to become ancient but to become mature in Christ, “no longer children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).
The Contemplative Heart
In our age of noise and hurry, Devotio Antiqua calls us to a different rhythm, the rhythm of contemplation. This isn’t about withdrawing from the world but about engaging it from a different center. The contemplative life begins with the recognition that before we can do anything significant for God, we must learn to be with God. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) isn’t a suggestion but a commandment, not a luxury for mystics but a necessity for disciples.
Contemplation is the art of paying attention, attention to God’s presence in Scripture, in prayer, in the sacraments, in creation, in the faces of our neighbors. It’s learning to live from the inside out rather than the outside in. It’s discovering that “in quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). The contemplative path does not make us less effective in the world but more so, because our actions flow from the deep well of God’s love rather than the shallow cisterns of our own striving.
This contemplative dimension sets Devotio Antiqua apart from mere activism or intellectualism. It insists that the inner life and the outer life are not enemies but partners in the dance of discipleship. The same Jesus who withdrew to lonely places to pray also fed the multitudes and cleansed the temple. The same Paul who was caught up to the third heaven also planted churches and wrote letters. Contemplation fuels mission; the deeper we go with God, the further we can go for God.
The Way of the Cross
Let us be clear: Devotio Antiqua is not the easy way. It’s the way of the cross, the narrow path that requires us to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). This ancient way doesn’t promise comfort but transformation, not ease but joy, not success as the world counts it but fruitfulness that lasts. It calls us to the radical discipleship that Jesus outlined in the Sermon on the Mount - loving our enemies, blessing those who curse us, turning the other cheek, going the second mile.
The way of the cross is the way of humility, recognizing that we aren’t the heroes of our own stories but supporting characters in God’s great drama of redemption. It’s the way of obedience, learning to say “Yes, Lord” even when we don’t understand the script. It’s the way of sacrifice, discovering that what we give up for Christ is nothing compared to what we gain in him. It’s the way of radical love, love for God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love for our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31).
This is where Devotio Antiqua parts company with shallow spirituality and cheap grace. It insists that following Jesus costs everything and is worth more than everything. It echoes Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s conviction that “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Yet this death is not the end but the beginning, not defeat but victory, not loss but the most profound discovery of what it means to be truly alive.
Sacred Rhythms for Holy Living
The ancient path offers us not only a destination but a way of traveling. Devotio Antiqua provides what the monastic tradition called a “rule of life” - not legalistic regulations but gracious rhythms that help us live with intention and devotion. These are the trellises upon which our spiritual lives can grow, the channels through which God’s grace can flow more freely into our hearts and out into the world.
Daily prayer becomes the heartbeat of our journey, morning and evening offering of praise and petition that anchors us in God’s presence. Weekly Sabbath rest reminds us that we are human beings, not human doings, created for communion with God and refreshment of soul. Regular Scripture meditation feeds our spirits with the bread of life, while confession and repentance keep our hearts clean before the Lord. Fasting teaches us that we do not live by bread alone, while acts of generosity and hospitality open our hands and hearts to reflect God’s own giving nature.
These practices aren’t ends in themselves but means of grace, not burdens to bear but gifts to receive. They create space in our lives for God to work, silence in our souls for his voice to be heard, and openness in our hearts for his love to transform us. Like a well-tended garden, the soul that is cultivated by these ancient practices bears fruit that remains: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Fellowship of Pilgrims
One of the greatest lies of modern spirituality is that faith is a private matter, a journey we must take alone. Devotio Antiqua knows better. From the beginning, God has called his people not to solitary wandering but to communal pilgrimage. “Two are better than one,” says the Preacher, “for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). The author of Hebrews urges us not to neglect meeting together but to encourage one another all the more as we see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).
The ancient path is walked in company, with the communion of saints who have gone before us, with brothers and sisters who journey alongside us, and with those who will follow after us. We’re part of a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on in the race of faith (Hebrews 12:1). The Celtic Christians understood this when they spoke of the “thin places” where heaven and earth meet. The medieval mystics knew it when they wrote of the communion of saints. The early Methodists lived it when they formed bands and classes for mutual encouragement and accountability.
In our individualistic age, Devotio Antiqua calls us back to the biblical vision of the body of Christ, where every member has a part to play and none can say to another, “I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:21). We grow in grace not in isolation but in relationship, not in competition but in collaboration, not as lone wolves but as members of God’s family walking the ancient path together.
The Promise of Transformation
What does Devotio Antiqua promise to those who embrace it? Not ease, but peace that passes understanding. Not wealth, but riches in Christ that moth and rust cannot destroy. Not fame, but the approval of him who sees in secret and rewards openly. Not power over others, but power over sin and the ability to live as children of light in a world of shadows.
The ancient path promises transformation, not the superficial makeover of self-improvement but the deep work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). It promises purpose, not the frenetic busyness of trying to make our mark on the world but the deep satisfaction of knowing we are part of God’s eternal plan. It promises joy, not the fleeting happiness that depends on circumstances but the abiding gladness that comes from knowing we’re beloved children of the Most High God.
Most of all, Devotio Antiqua promises presence, the presence of God with us in every step of the journey. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). This is the greatest treasure of the ancient path, not that it takes us somewhere else but that it reveals the God who is already here, waiting for us to turn aside and see that the ground on which we stand is holy ground.
Standing at the Crossroads
And so we return to where we began, standing at the crossroads, faced with the choice that confronts every human soul. Will you choose the ancient path? Will you join the great company of pilgrims who’ve found in Devotio Antiqua not just a way of praying or reading Scripture, but a way of living that’s marked by depth, beauty, and transforming encounter with the living God?
The path is narrow, yes. The way is demanding, certainly. But it’s also the path that leads to life - abundant life, eternal life, life that’s truly life. It’s the path that Jesus himself walked, and the path on which he promises to meet us. It’s the path of the prophets and apostles, of martyrs and mystics, of reformers and revivalists who’ve discovered that in losing their lives for Christ’s sake, they have found them again.
The crossroads awaits. The ancient path beckons. The choice, as always, is yours.
A Prayer for the Ancient Path
O Ancient of Days, from everlasting to everlasting you are God, and your faithfulness extends to all generations. You have called your people to walk with you from the gardens of Eden to the streets of the New Jerusalem.
Here I stand at the crossroads of my life, hearing your voice echo across the centuries: “This is the way, walk in it.” Grant me courage to choose the narrow path, the ancient way that leads to life.
Plant my feet firmly upon the rock of your Word. Let the wisdom of the saints be my companion, the prayers of the faithful my strength, and the example of Christ my constant guide.
Make me still enough to hear your whisper, bold enough to follow where you lead, humble enough to carry your cross, and faithful enough to finish the race you’ve set before me.
Let my days be marked by prayer and silence, my work by love and service, my rest by peace in your presence, and my whole life by the pursuit of holiness that reflects your own character.
Help me walk in the power of your Spirit, not alone, but in fellowship with all who seek your face, until that day when the path brings me home to see you as you are and dwell in your house forever.
In the name of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who walked this path before me and waits for me at journey’s end.
Amen.
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