Category: Prophetic voices

Hospitality of the heart.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 29/07/2023

Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash

Today we are celebrating Martha, Mary and Lazarus, friends of the Lord, an important feast for Benedictines because of of its link to hospitality. Luke tells us that Martha:

“Welcomed Jesus into her home.”

She offered him hospitality, a safe place to relax and have a meal with his friends in dangerous and uncertain times. However, in today’s gospel John takes the hospitality she offers to a different level. He shows us a woman of faith, used to the theological reflection and conversation, and already a follower of Jesus.

Even as she grieves for her brother she is capable of questioning Jesus and of allowing his response to transform her whole life It is through their hard, challenging conversation that Jesus is both revealed and recognised as Christ:

“I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though they die they will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Central as this revelation is it is not enough by itself, and he requires a response from Martha, asking her:

“Do you believe this?”

The recognition of her response completes the revelation as she proclaims:

“Yes Lord… I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one who was to come into this world.”

I don’t think it would have been possible for Martha reach this recognition if she had only welcomed Jesus into her home. To recognise him as the Christ she must also have opened her heart to him. By welcoming him into the very centre of her being she was able to allow him to transform her whole life. We too are called to offer the risen Christ hospitality in the depths of our heart, allowing him to enter and transform our lives with light, love and hope

What would help you to invite Christ into your heart today?

Tags #challenge, #Christ, #gospel, #Hope, #hospitality, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Lazarus, #lectiodivina, #love, #Martha, #Mary, #resurrection, #Transformation, #trust, #welcome

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Good Shepherd Gospel Lectio Divina Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Bearers of Good News

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 12/07/2023

Image by StockSnap from pixabay.com

In today’s gospel Jesus commissions the 12 Apostles, giving them authority and sending them out to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of heaven. He says to them:

“Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.”

His words bring to mind the image of the good Shepherd, calling his sheep by name, seeking out those who are lost to bring them back into the fold of his loving care. I imagine that as the apostles listened to his words they were very aware of the people around them who felt overwhelmed and lost in the face of their challenging times.

His words resonate with me particularly because of the many people in our times who are also lost, seeking meaning, security, love and compassion in our own challenging times.

Jesus knew he was sending the Apostles on a mission that would be dangerous, uncertain and challenging. It’s a call that’s as essential for us today as it was then. Listening to the gospel this morning I thought of the many women and men who have taken up that call through the ages, seeking to support the lost and marginalised of their own times.

We are called to carry on their work, bringing the Good News to those who feel lost today, seeking them out, helping them find their way through the challenges of life, offering them the love and compassion of Christ.

How is Christ calling you to share the Good News with those you encounter today?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #Disciples, #Discipleship, #GoodNews, #goodshepherd, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Lost, #love, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Lectio Divina Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Hagar’s challenge

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 05/07/2023

Image by Manuel Darío Fuentes Hernández from pixabay.com

Today’s first reading is one of the most challenging pieces of Scripture we hear. The story of Hagar, Abrahams’ slave girl and mother of his first child is raw and full of pain. Hagar was given to Abraham as his mistress by his wife Sarah in order to provide a son. Later, becoming jealous Sarah insists that Abraham sends Hagar and her son away to protect Isaacs’ inheritance, so Hagar is sent out into the wilderness with a small amount of food and water. When this runs out Hagar leaves her baby to die. The angel of the Lord appears to her, telling her not to be afraid, that God has heard the child’s cries and promises to make him into a great nation:

“Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”

There is no way to avoid the many challenges it presents us with. Hagar lives on the margins of her society, as a slave she has no value and no rights. It would be comforting to brush the story aside as something that happened in the distant past, but is no longer relevant to us.

A quick glance at any news outlet shows us how false that perception is. Hagar’s story compels us to look again at the times we live in. It challenges us to look out for the people pushed to the margins of our society, offered no support and protection. It asks us what steps we can take to improve their lives and their situation.

Where is God calling you to reach out to those on the margins today?

Tags #Abraham, #AngelOfTheLord, #challenge, #covenant, #Encounter, #Genesis, #Hagar, #Hope, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Margins, #promise, #Sarah, #Scripture, #suffering, #Wilderness

Divine Office Monastic Life Prayer Prophetic voices Saints St Julian of Norwich Uncategorized

God loves it…

Image by Alicja from Pixabay

Some thoughts from our archives for the feast of St Julian of Norwich…

I’m revisiting the work of Julian of Norwich on her feast day. She has a gentle and unshakeable certainty that is calming and soothing in challenging times. Today I’ve been reflecting on these words:

“And in this he showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand…In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third is that God preserves it.”

They’re some of her most famous and well known words. They remind me of the of the fragility of our human life and of all of creation. The crises we’ve faced in the past few years have taught us taught us how little control we have over the events that affect us. We will never again be quite so enthralled by that beguiling myth that we control our own destiny.

The pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis have left us all too aware that our lives are every bit as small and fragile as the hazelnut Julian describes. We will always now wonder, as she did, how anything so small and fragile could exist. That could be a despairing thought, especially in these times.

Yet, Julian’s revelation carries on and God shows her that it is held in being by the love of God. That love turns any despair we might feel in the face of our fragility into hope. As we tentatively navigate these challenging and uncertain times, that hope in the loving presence of God, holding us in being, gently cradling us in our fragility is essential.

Where are you aware of your need to be cradled in the love of God today?

Tags #calm, #challenge, #creation, #Fragility, #Hope, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Revelation, #RevelationsOfDivineLove, #SaintJulianOfNorwich, #Saints, #Strength, #tenderness, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Good Shepherd Gospel Lectio Divina Prophetic voices Rule of St Benedict Scripture Uncategorized

Called and Led

Photo by Robinson Recalde on Unsplash

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and the worldwide day of prayer for Vocations. With that in mind I’m reflecting on these words from Today’s Gospel:

“One by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice.”

These words go to the heart of the gospel and of Christian vocation. They take me back to the Rule of St Benedict which begins with the call to “listen…with the ear of your heart.” However our vocation is lived out, it’s this listening with the ear of our hearts that enables us to recognise the voice of Christ calling each one of us, and gives us the courage to follow where he leads us.

The more challenging life becomes the more voices seem to demand our attention. It’s easy to feel distracted and overwhelmed, to surrender to the loudest or the most frightening. This makes it even harder than usual to hear and recognise the gentle, persistent, truthful and hopeful voice of Christ calling us to follow him.

It seems to me that as we negotiate the many challenges we today face it’s essential that we give our attention to the voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd calling us to follow him. As we move forward it will be the voices that we listen to that will shape our lives.

As we move through Eastertide what helps you to hear the voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd, calling you to follow him?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Follow, #goodshepherd, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #listen, #listeningheart, #love, #newlife, #trust, #VocationsSunday

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Eastertide Eucharist Gospel Lectio Divina Monastic Life Prayer Prophetic voices Resurrection Scripture Uncategorized

Believing in Christ

Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash

Reflecting on today’s gospel I’m struck by these words:

“Jesus said to the crowd: ‘I Am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never be hungry; those who believes in me will never thirst.’”

His words resonate because they take me back to our most basic needs, the things we need to to sustain life. Without the basic necessities of food and water we cannot live. Jesus is not speaking of our physical needs in this case. Instead, he reminds us that that our spiritual needs are as basic and as intrinsic to human flourishing as our physical needs are. To be full alive we need to have both spiritual and physical needs met. We cannot live well if one or the other is not lacking.

Living through a cost-of-living crisis that leaves so many people unable to feed their families adequately or to heat their homes only increases the impact of his words. It’s impossible to hear Jesus speak of hunger and thirst without thinking of those in our society who don’t have enough to eat. In those circumstances I can’t help but feel that his words should cause us some discomfort.

The new life the risen Christ offers us necessarily turns us back towards those who have less than we do. In inviting us to come to him Jesus also challenges us us to do everything in our power to ensure that we strive for more equitable society where everyone can have their basic needs met with dignity and respect.

Where is the risen Christ challenging you to do everything you can to meet the needs of others today?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #life, #love, #newlife, #Servant, #ServantKing, #service, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Eastertide Lectio Divina Monastic Life Prayer Prophetic voices Resurrection Saints Uncategorized

Pierced by living light

Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash

A few thoughts from our archives to celebrate St George. As it’s Eastertide the feast of St George has been transferred to from yesterday to today. St George seems a particularly good saint to reflect on in these challenging times. As we face the “dragons” unleashed by the wars, economic, social and political challenges of these times we can draw strength and courage from the story of his dragon slaying. As a Syrian in the Roman army who is patron saint of at least England, Russia, Ethiopia and Georgia he has more to offer us.

He reminds us that our common humanity extends beyond borders and nationalities and that it compels us to reach across our boundaries to help and support each other. Always a valuable thought to have at the forefront of our minds.

I’ve revisited Malcolm Guite’s poem for the feast. I’m finding that these lines especially speak to me:

“Stand here a while and drink the silence in.
Where clear glass lets in living light to touch
And bless your eyes. A beech tree’s tender green
Shimmers beyond the window’s lucid arch.
You look across an absent sanctuary;
No walls or roof, just holy, open space,
Leading your gaze out to the fresh-leaved beech
God planted here before you first drew breath.”

They allow us to see the world rinsed clean, bathed in light and restored to something of the newness of creation. They remind me that we’re still in Eastertide and call me to celebrate the new creation that the risen Christ offers us. Yet more than any of that they offer me a place of rest and refreshment. They promise somewhere to rest from the struggles and challenges of these hard times, a still place to pause and draw strength before we face the challenges ahead of us.

As we celebrate the feast of St George where is the living light of Christ piercing your heart?

You can read the whole poem here: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2018/04/21/hatley-st-george-a-poem-for-st-georges-day-5/

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #ChristOurLight, #eastertide, #Hope, #kingdom, #light, #love, #newcreation, #newlife, #silence, #StGeorge, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Gospel Lent Prayer Prophetic voices Resurrection Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Freedom and Truth

Image by mohamed_hassan from pixabay.com

I’ve been reflecting on these words from today’s gospel:

“If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free.”

They offer us a place where we can be completely at home, welcomed and free. They hold and extremely attractive promise, especially in these unsettled times of fake news and the multiplicity of “truths” that contradict each other.

The gospel offers us a deeper truth, the truth that will lead us to find our true freedom in the heart of Christ. It’s not a promise that is easily received, it’s one we have to struggle towards understanding and accepting. Even as we long for that freedom we know that accepting it is not so easy and we sometimes prefer to stay within the safe confines of our prisons.

Over the past few weeks the Gospels have shown us several disciples struggling towards accepting that truth. The Samaritan woman, the blind man and Martha all come to the freedom that truth offers through their frank conversations with Jesus.

There is no record of any conversation Lazarus had with Jesus after he was raised to life. Yet, I imagine, that he must also also have struggled towards a new understanding of the discipleship, of truth and freedom in the light of his experience. As we seek to surrender ourselves to the one truth that can offer us the freedom to to grow into true disciples of Christ we can draw strength and courage from their stories.

Where is Christ calling you to respond to the truth that will bring you freedom?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #courage, #Disciples, #freedom, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Lazarus, #lectiodivina, #love, #Martha, #newlife, #SamaritanWoman, #trust, #Truth

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Revelation and recognition

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 26/03/2023
2 Comments on Revelation and recognition

Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash

As I’ve listened to the Sunday Gospels over the past few weeks I’ve been struck by the themes of revelation and recognition that have gone hand-in-hand. As the stories of the Samaritan woman, and the blind man unfolded it seemed to me that this process has come about through challenging and honest conversations between Jesus and those he encounters. Those conversations that required deep thought, honest reflection and an openness to change.

This week, as we encounter Martha grieving for her brother, that pattern continues. Martha, a follower of Jesus already, is clearly a woman of faith, used to the theological reflection and conversation.

She is capable of standing her ground with Jesus, and even of questioning him. She is also capable of allowing his response to transform her whole life. It is through their hard, challenging conversation that Jesus is both revealed and recognised as Christ:

“I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though the day they will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Central as this revelation is it is not enough by itself, and he requires a response from Martha, asking her:

“Do you believe this?”

The recognition of her response completes the revelation as she proclaims:

“Yes Lord… I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one who was to come into this world.”

I’m left wondering about the implications of this for our own conversations with Jesus. If we are to come to the life changing recognition that Jesus is the Christ we too have to risk engaging in challenging conversations with him, acknowledging our uncertainties and allowing his revelation to transform our lives.

Where is Christ calling you into conversation with him this Lent?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #conversation, #faith, #gospel, #Hope, #Jesus, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Martha, #newlife, #RecognisingChrist, #Revelation, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Prayer Prophetic voices Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Surrendering control

Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash

I didn’t have time to write a new post today, but it seemed a shame to let the feast of St Joseph pass without some acknowledgement. It’s all to easy to overlook his significance for us. So here is something from the archives for his feast.

Today’s gospel focuses on Joseph, who often seems a shadowy figure. Unlike Mary, he is not asked to give his consent to the angel’s message. When the angel appears to him everything has already been decided and he presented with a situation that must have left him reeling. It’s hard to imagine just how out of control he must have felt his life was when the angel said to him:

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.”

Reflecting on Joseph’s situation through the filter of the psalm I was struck by this from psalm 23:

“Let the Lord enter! He is the King of glory.”

Whatever his initial response to Mary’s pregnancy and the angel’s message we know that he was a man of faith. With the rest of his people he waited faithfully and hopefully for the coming of the Messiah. So however startling and disturbing he found the angel’s message he was prepared to take the risk of accepting it. His story highlights something that we easily forget, to welcome Christ into our lives we have to risk completely surrendering control. We have to be willing to give up our own plans to follow the new direction that Christ shows us, however startling it might be. Like Joseph we have to be willing to let ourselves be led in new and unexpected ways.

Where are you willing to invite the disturbing presence of Christ into your life this Lent?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #ChristOurLight, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #messiah, #promise, #Prophetic, #Stjoseph, #trust, #welcome