refactor(docs): apply self-documenting principle across all documentation

- **Simplified CONTRIBUTING.md** (21447 lines): Two clear pathways - GitHub issue or PR
- **Simplified API_REFERENCE.md** (30060 lines): Points to index.d.ts and index.js instead of duplicating
- **Simplified ARCHITECTURE.md** (325110 lines): Points to scripts/*.js for implementation details
- **Simplified PRAYER_ORGANIZATION.md** (12060 lines): Points to prayer-schema.json and lib/prayer-index.json
- **Simplified USAGE_EXAMPLES.md** (516150 lines): Concise patterns with interactive exploration tips
- **Simplified INDEX.md** (13055 lines): Table format with clear user journeys
- **Updated README.md**: Reorganized docs section into 'For Users', 'For Contributors', 'Reference Files'
- **Deleted SCHEMA.md**: Redundant with prayer-schema.json and ARCHITECTURE.md
- **Deleted TESTING.md**: Test details belong in scripts/test.js (self-documenting)

**Philosophy**: Code IS documentation. Docs should point to authoritative sources rather than duplicate information that can become stale. Reduces maintenance burden while improving accuracy.

Author: codexcommunion

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -2,212 +2,35 @@
 
 Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Catholic Prayer Collection! This project aims to provide accurate, respectful, and comprehensive traditional Catholic prayers in multiple languages.
 
-## 🙏 Sacred Content Guidelines
+## Two Ways to Contribute
 
-Before contributing, please remember that these are sacred prayers from the Catholic tradition. All contributions should:
+### Option 1: Request a Prayer (Easiest)
 
-- **Respect the sacred nature** of the content
-- **Maintain liturgical accuracy** when possible
-- **Use traditional, widely-accepted translations**
-- **Preserve the theological integrity** of the prayers
-- **Follow established Catholic terminology**
+**[Open a GitHub Issue](https://github.com/codexcommunion/prayer-collection/issues/new)** to request a new prayer be added to the collection.
 
-## 📋 How to Contribute
+Please include:
+- Prayer name
+- Source or reference (prayer book, liturgical text, etc.)
+- Why it should be included (traditional usage, liturgical significance, etc.)
 
-### 1. Prayer Requests
-Use the "New Prayer Request" issue template to suggest prayers for addition to the collection.
+We'll review the request and add it to the collection if appropriate.
 
-**What we're looking for:**
-- Traditional Catholic prayers in common use
-- Prayers with established liturgical or devotional significance
-- Prayers that are in the public domain
-- Prayers with reliable historical documentation
+### Option 2: Submit a Pull Request (Advanced)
 
-**What we're not looking for:**
-- Modern compositions without traditional usage
-- Prayers from non-Catholic traditions
-- Copyrighted materials
-- Experimental or unofficial prayer texts
+If you're comfortable with Git and JSON, you can contribute directly:
 
-### 2. Translation Contributions
-Use the "Translation Request" issue template to suggest translation improvements.
+1. **Fork** this repository
+2. **Clone** your fork locally
+3. **Create a new prayer JSON file** in `prayers/` directory
+4. **Run validation**: `npm run validate`
+5. **Commit** your changes
+6. **Push** to your fork
+7. **Open a Pull Request**
 
-**Translation Standards:**
-- Use liturgically approved translations when available
-- Maintain consistency with Catholic terminology
-- Preserve the prayer's theological meaning
-- Include source references where possible
+**Need help with the JSON structure?** See the [docs/](docs/) directory for details on how to properly structure prayer JSON files, or look at existing files in `prayers/` for examples (e.g., `prayers/our-father.json`).
 
-### 3. Bug Reports
-Use the "Bug Report" issue template for:
-- JSON format errors
-- API functionality issues
-- Documentation problems
-- Build or packaging issues
+## License
 
-## 🔧 Development Setup
+By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the CodexCommunion Digital Code License (CCCL) v1.0. **See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.**
 
-### Prerequisites
-- Node.js 12.0.0 or higher
-- Git
 
-### Setup
-```bash
-git clone https://github.com/codexcommunion/prayer-collection.git
-cd prayer-collection
-npm install
-```
-
-### Development Commands
-```bash
-# Build the project
-npm run build
-
-# Validate all prayer files
-npm run validate
-
-# Run tests
-npm test
-
-# Run all checks (used before publishing)
-npm run prepublishOnly
-```
-
-## 📁 Project Structure
-
-```
-prayer-collection/
-├── prayers/
-│   ├── core/           # Fundamental prayers
-│   ├── creeds/         # Statements of faith
-│   ├── marian/         # Prayers to Mary
-│   ├── saints/         # Prayers to saints
-│   └── ...            # Other categories
-├── scripts/           # Build and validation scripts
-├── index.js          # Main API entry point
-├── index.d.ts        # TypeScript definitions
-└── README.md         # Documentation
-```
-
-## 📝 Adding a New Prayer
-
-### 1. Create the JSON file
-Place the file in the appropriate category directory:
-```
-prayers/[category]/[prayer-id].json
-```
-
-### 2. JSON Structure
-```json
-{
-  "metadata": {
-    "id": "prayer-id",
-    "title": "Prayer Title",
-    "category": "category-name",
-    "type": "devotional|liturgical|scriptural",
-    "description": "Brief description",
-    "origin": "Historical origin",
-    "origin_date": "Date in ISO format",
-    "usage": "When/how it's used",
-    "feast_days": ["associated-feasts"],
-    "devotions": ["associated-devotions"],
-    "created_date": "2025-07-14",
-    "last_modified": "2025-07-14"
-  },
-  "translations": {
-    "la": {
-      "language": "Latin",
-      "text": "Latin text",
-      "notes": "Optional notes"
-    },
-    "en": {
-      "language": "English",
-      "text": "English text",
-      "notes": "Optional notes"
-    }
-    // ... other languages
-  }
-}
-```
-
-### 3. Naming Conventions
-- **File names**: Use kebab-case (e.g., `our-father.json`)
-- **IDs**: Match the filename without extension
-- **Categories**: Use existing category names
-
-### 4. Required Fields
-- `metadata.id`, `metadata.title`, `metadata.category`
-- `translations.la` (Latin text)
-- `translations.en` (English text)
-
-### 5. Date Formats
-Use ISO 8601 format for `origin_date`:
-- Ranges: `"1200/1300"`
-- Approximate: `"~1200"`
-- Exact: `"1886"`
-
-## 🔍 Validation
-
-All prayers must pass validation:
-
-```bash
-npm run validate
-```
-
-This checks:
-- JSON syntax
-- Required fields
-- ID/filename consistency
-- Category consistency
-- Date format validity
-
-## 🧪 Testing
-
-Run tests to ensure the API works correctly:
-
-```bash
-npm test
-```
-
-## 📦 Pull Request Process
-
-1. **Fork** the repository
-2. **Create a feature branch** (`git checkout -b feature/prayer-name`)
-3. **Add your prayer** following the guidelines above
-4. **Run validation** (`npm run validate`)
-5. **Run tests** (`npm test`)
-6. **Commit your changes** with a clear message
-7. **Push to your fork** (`git push origin feature/prayer-name`)
-8. **Create a Pull Request**
-
-### PR Requirements
-- All validation checks must pass
-- Include a clear description of what was added/changed
-- Reference any related issues
-- For prayer additions, include source/reference information
-
-## 🎖️ Recognition
-
-Contributors will be acknowledged in:
-- Git commit history
-- Release notes for significant contributions
-- Special recognition for substantial prayer additions or improvements
-
-## 📞 Questions?
-
-- **General questions**: Open a GitHub Discussion
-- **Bug reports**: Use the Bug Report issue template
-- **Prayer requests**: Use the Prayer Request issue template
-- **Translation help**: Use the Translation Request issue template
-
-## 📜 License
-
-By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the CodexCommunion Digital Code License (CCCL) v1.0. Note that while the code and data structures are CCCL licensed, the prayer content itself consists of traditional Catholic prayers that are in the public domain.
-
-## 🙏 Thank You
-
-Thank you for helping preserve and share these sacred prayers with the world. Your contributions help make Catholic prayer resources more accessible to developers and the faithful worldwide.
-
----
-
-*"Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."*

README.md

@@ -58,20 +58,21 @@ const text: string | null = getPrayerText('hail-mary', 'la' as LanguageCode);
 
 ## Documentation
 
-### 📚 Core Documentation
-
-- **[Prayer Organization](docs/PRAYER_ORGANIZATION.md)** - Classification system, categories, labels, and importance levels
-- **[Data Structure](docs/DATA_STRUCTURE.md)** - Complete JSON schema, metadata fields, and content structure
-- **[API Reference](docs/API_REFERENCE.md)** - Complete API documentation with all functions and TypeScript types
-- **[Usage Examples](docs/USAGE_EXAMPLES.md)** - Code examples for Node.js, TypeScript, React, and Vue.js
-- **[Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)** - Implementation details, build system, and performance optimization
-
-### 🛠️ Additional Resources
-
-- **[JSON Schema](SCHEMA.md)** - Formal JSON Schema for validation and IDE support
-- **[Contributing Guide](CONTRIBUTING.md)** - Guidelines for contributing to the project
-- **[Testing Guide](TESTING.md)** - Information about running tests and validation
-- **[Pending Prayers](pending_prayers.md)** - Upcoming prayers planned for future releases
+### For Users
+- **[API Reference](docs/API_REFERENCE.md)** → Points to [index.d.ts](index.d.ts) for complete API
+- **[Usage Examples](docs/USAGE_EXAMPLES.md)** → Quick-start code for Node.js, React, Vue
+- **[Prayer Organization](docs/PRAYER_ORGANIZATION.md)** → Classification system overview
+
+### For Contributors
+- **[Contributing Guide](CONTRIBUTING.md)** → GitHub issue or PR workflow
+- **[Data Structure](docs/DATA_STRUCTURE.md)** → JSON prayer format
+- **[Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)** → Build system and validation
+
+### Reference Files (Self-Documenting)
+- **[index.d.ts](index.d.ts)** → TypeScript types and JSDoc for all functions
+- **[prayer-schema.json](prayer-schema.json)** → JSON Schema for validation and IDE autocomplete
+- **[lib/prayer-index.json](lib/prayer-index.json)** → Auto-generated list of all prayers
+- **[scripts/](scripts/)** → Build and validation implementation
 
 ## Key Concepts
 
@@ -134,8 +135,6 @@ npm run test:browser   # Test browser compatibility
 
 VS Code users get automatic validation and auto-completion! The workspace is configured to use `prayer-schema.json` for all prayer files.
 
-See [SCHEMA.md](SCHEMA.md) for details on JSON Schema validation.
-
 ### Adding New Prayers
 
 1. Create JSON file in `prayers/` directory (filename must match prayer ID)
@@ -196,6 +195,3 @@ This license permits free use, modification, and distribution for any lawful pur
 
 Contributions welcome! See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
 
----
-
-**CodexCommunion** - Building tools for Catholic faith and tradition