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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

Called to be generous

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Today’s gospel, John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand, is both beautiful & challenging. I’m touched by Jesus’ concern for the most basic needs of the crowds who have followed him. As he sits down with his disciples he doesn’t turn the crowds away hungry. Instead he challenges his disciples to find a way of feeding them, saying to them:

“Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?”

John moves us past this question quite swiftly, assuring us that Jesus already knows exactly what he’s planning to do. Generally, I’ve followed John’s lead skipping over the question and focusing my reflection on the miracle and its spiritual significance.

But I find the harsh reality of life today has made me rethink that and I’m taking Jesus’ question at face value. I’m struck by his concern and by the way he involved the disciples in his miracle. He didn’t just work the miracle by himself as he could so easily have done. Instead he took what little food they had to offer and used that as the basis for meeting the needs of the huge crowd.

When so many people are struggling to meet their basic needs, to feed and clothe their children Jesus is posing the same question to us as he did to the disciples. However impossible it might feel he is inviting and challenging us to find ways of sharing what we have in ways that are equitable and respectful.

What is the risen Christ challenging you share what you have today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Rule of St Benedict Scripture Uncategorized

With undivided hearts

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A post from the archives on the parable of the sower. It seems to me that the heart of this parable is its call to attentiveness:

“Listen, anyone who has ears!”

Jesus tells his followers at the end of the parable of the sower. There are so many things that distract us. The pressures and anxieties of life make it hard to pay attention, we often end up with half an eye and half our hearts on something else. It might be the next thing we have to do, or something in the past that we wished we’d done differently or a myriad of other concerns.

Whatever the distraction it makes us less attentive to God. Our distractions harden our hearts so that the Word doesn’t penetrate and take root and our initial enthusiasm withers in the face of hardship. It can be strangled by the thorns of anxiety and uncertainty that make up so much of all or lives today, and get no chance to grow. Or we can be so preoccupied that the Word washes over us without us even noticing.

Jesus offers another way. It is possible to prepare our hearts to receive the Word so that it grows and is able to sustain us whatever we face. The key to this preparation is to give our whole attention to the present moment, to open ourselves to the possibility that every task, every interaction is an opportunity to come into God’s presence.

What helps you to be attentive to the presence of God in the ordinary tasks of your day?

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Benedictine Spirituality Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Proclaiming Christ

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Today we are celebrating the feast of St Mary Magdalene, one of the first witnesses to the resurrection, who was sent to tell the disciples that Christ had risen. It’s sometimes easier to say who she wasn’t than who she actually was.

Despite being portrayed through the centuries as the archetypal penitent woman, she’s not the woman taken in adultery. Nor is she the woman who poured oil on the feet of Jesus, anointing him for his burial.

Jesus cast out seven devils from her. So she is a woman marked by the pain of severe mental anguish. It may have been crushing anxiety, debilitating fear, depression or a myriad of other conditions that sap the joy and hope out of life.

Freed of her demons she follows Jesus, supporting him and the other disciples from her own resources. She stayed with him until the very end, standing at the cross with the other women when the rest of the disciples fled. She follows him, even after death, to see where his body has been laid.

Even when he is laid in the tomb her desire to be close to him draws her back to his tomb in the dark of the early morning. It is there, as she stands weeping, that the risen Christ appears to her, and commissions her to proclaim the good news of his resurrection to the other disciples, telling them:

“I have seen the Lord…”

Where is Christ inviting you to seek and proclaim his presence in your life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Rule of St Benedict Scripture Uncategorized

Finding Balance

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Today’s gospel highlights a dilemma that is at the heart of Christian life and ministry. When his disciples come back from their mission Jesus’ first thought is to give them space for rest and reflection. He says to them:

“You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.”

He is responding both to their need to recover from their travels and to the situation to which they returned which was so busy that they didn’t even have time to eat. In our busy, stressful and needy world we all know this situation from our own experience. When we are presented with situations that need us it is very easy to forget the importance of our own well-being. Like the disciples we need space to rest and recover and it is a relief that Jesus acknowledges that.

Later he is presented with another challenge:

“As he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.”

His actions may seem confusing and contradictory. They leave us wondering what we should do if we are to model our lives on his. They are a reminder that, as St Benedict tells us, the Christian life is one of balance.

We are not called to choose one or the other of these ways of being, but to hold them in tension and balance. This requires discernment and self-knowledge, we have to take each situation and discern what we are being called to in it. Our discernment needs to take account of our own needs and the needs of those who come to us.

Where is Christ challenging you to find balance in the midst of your life and commitments?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Uncategorized

Wholly Attentive

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In today’s gospel Jesus once again turns our ideas on their heads. He calls his listeners to step back from their challenging, complex and uncertain lives and discover a new way of being. His alternative is a surprise, even a shock for his listeners. He doesn’t tell them to pay attention to the learned and the clever, the experts and politicians. Instead he tells them that the mysteries of the kingdom are revealed to children:

“I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learners and the clever and revealing them to mere children.”

As so often happens with the gospel we have become so familiar with this text that we no longer hear the initial surprise that must have caused. Very few people, then or now, really look at children as bearers of wisdom. The gospel calls us to examine that view. It invites us ask what Jesus saw in the children that he didn’t find in those learned and clever adults, and to look at what we can learn from them.

Children have the capacity for openness and attentiveness that we seem to lose as we grow. When they are involved in some activity they give it their whole attention, it absorbs them completely. To watch that is a delight and a challenge. We can only ever do one thing at a time, yet we prize multitasking, convincing ourselves that this is a good way to deal with the many things that we have to cope with in any day. The challenge of today’s gospel is to allow seeking the kingdom to absorb us completely, to give it our whole and complete attention.

Where is Christ calling you to give him your whole attention today?

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Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Uncategorized

Called to radical trust

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It can be hard to feel hopeful when life is tough. In challenging and uncertain times we tend to tense up and close in on ourselves. We find it hard to be hopeful, trustful or aware of our blessings. We look for ways of maintaining the status quo, and keeping ourselves safe Understandable as that is Scripture calls us to a different way of being.

In his own challenging and uncertain times Jesus sends the Twelve out to preach the Good News with nothing except his authority. Instead of allowing them to look for ways to protect themselves he challenges them to risk embracing the uncertainty:

“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to take sandals, but he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’”

We are so familiar with this passage that it’s easy to sanitise it. We can assume it’s for the disciples, but not for us today. We can allow the challenges of our lives today to overshadow that call, using those legitimate demands to avoid it. We are also called to the radical trust and hope of discipleship. That can be easier when life is good, when our nations and societies seem stable and secure.

It becomes much more difficult when we live with fear and uncertainty across the globe. Yet, while the details might look different to the instructions to the Twelve, the underlying call is the same. We too are called to live with radical trust and hope in the midst of much that would undermine that.

Where are you being called to radical trust in Christ in your life today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy Rule of St Benedict Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Ancient wisdom for modern times.

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We’re celebrating the feast of St Benedict as a new government is formed and I’m reminded of his instructions to the Superior of the community. He says that the Superior should have a treasury of knowledge both old and new to draw on in leading the community.

His words left me reflecting on what the Rule could offer to this new chapter in our public life, and that drew me back to the heart of the Rule, chapter 72. It captures the essence of the Rule with the combination of practicality and idealism that has kept the Rule relevant and grounded through the centuries. St Benedict begins by setting a high ideal for his community telling telling them to:

“Foster the good zeal which separates from evil and leads to God and eternal life.”

He then draws that ideal into the reality of daily life showing his disciples how to put it into practice:

“Try to be the first to show respect to one another, supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behaviour… No one is to pursue what they judge better for themselves, but instead what they judge better for someone else.”

He brings his ideal down to simple, straightforward actions that we can all put into practice. This good zeal that leads us to God is not beyond our reach, which is not the same as saying it is easy. It requires daily commitment and self sacrifice; we can find a myriad of ways to practice it every day.

It’s a call to be patient, considerate and kind in our daily interactions with one another. As our new government takes office I’m hoping that practicing these ancient values will shape our public discourse in ways that value every member of our society.

Where are you being called to practice good zeal in your relationships today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Uncategorized

Unsettling listening.

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In today’s gospel Jesus faces rejection by the people of his home town. It’s a familiar and understandable story. We often find it hard to recognise special qualities in people we perceive as just like us. So we find Jesus’ neighbours grumbling about him:

“Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him?”

Unsettled and disturbed by the way Jesus challenges them they turn away from him, refusing to accept his message. Jesus’ response a is challenge:

“A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house.”

It’s a call to pay attention to what is going on around us. He challenges us to look again at what we might be missing. It’s a call to listen very specifically to those we prefer to avoid, to those who challenge us and make us feel uncomfortable.

His challenge has particular resonance for me as we face a new chapter in our national life. I find myself wondering how we can ensure that the voices of those we push to the margins can are heard and welcomed. We’re called to re-examine our preconceptions and ask ourselves what we need to put aside to open our hearts and minds to those voices. Jesus challenges us to take the risk of allowing ourselves to listen to those voices, and even to allow them to change our minds and our perceptions.

Who is Jesus challenging you to listen to today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture Truth Uncategorized

Facing challenging questions.

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St Thomas is one of my favourite disciples because he is so direct and has the courage to ask awkward questions. He asked the questions that other people didn’t quite have the nerve for. His feast has particular resonance for me as we come to the end of general election campaign that has raised awkward questions in many areas of our lives.

There are many reasons why we avoid asking the awkward questions. Maybe we don’t want to be seen as troublemakers, or appear uninformed or unintelligent. Maybe we are scared that there will be no answers, or that they will be too challenging and hard for us to cope with.

We can draw courage from both Thomas’ reaction and Jesus’ response. When Jesus appears again and Thomas has the courage to voice those questions he faces neither criticism or blame. Instead Jesus offers him exactly what he says he needs to be able to believe in the resurrection:

“He spoke to Thomas ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’”

His words break down any barriers of doubt that Thomas still harboured. Jesus’ acceptance of Thomas’ position enables Thomas to open his heart to believe in the reality of the risen Christ. Jesus accepts our questions and uncertainties in exactly the same way, coming to each of us in the way that is most likely to open our heart to to accept his peace and love in our lives.

Where is the risen Christ giving you the courage to ask the awkward questions that you need to?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Scripture Truth Uncategorized

Vulnerability and Courage.

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Brene Brown describes courage as “putting our vulnerability on the line”. This seems to be a recurrent theme in this week’s gospels. The Centurion, the leper, the synagogue official, the woman with the haemorrhage all show what courage looks like in real life. In approaching Jesus, they take the risk of exposing themselves at their most vulnerable and needy.

I’m especially touched by the image of the woman with the haemorrhage. She takes overrides all the taboos of her condition and reaches out to touch Jesus, convinced that he can bring her healing. When he notices her touch and she has to reveal herself she does so in fear and trembling:

“The woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her.”

Both her fear and her courage resonate with me in our own challenging times. When life is harsh and frightening we are tempted to deny our vulnerabilities, suppressing or ignoring them. It seems to me the gospels suggest a different route.

The call of the gospel is to put that vulnerability on the line, to admit it freely and allow it to be seen, to have the courage to admit our need and to ask for help. If we can do that then maybe, with the woman we’ll be able to hear and respond to Jesus’ promise:

“My daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace.”

Where is Christ calling you to let your vulnerability be seen today?