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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Scripture Uncategorized

Attentive to the call of love

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Today’s gospel, the conversation between Jesus and one of the Scribes, is a call to be attentive to the real essentials in life. That’s an important message for us living as we do in times of distraction and shortening attention spans. It highlights two essential aspects of faith that we’re called to be attentive to, love and respect for others.

It’s not clear if the scribe is trying to catch Jesus out on this occasion, or if he is genuinely seeking understanding. Either way, Jesus decides to take the question at face value, treating it a genuine request for greater understanding, and giving the scribe the benefit of the doubt. Having being asked by the scribe about the first of the commandments he replied:

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart…You must love your neighbour as yourself.”

It takes us back to the heart of the gospel and reminds us that love is the core of our faith. Jesus responds with love to the scribe’s question, answering sincerely and respectfully, and ending the conversation by saying:

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Our challenging times make it very easy to hear a criticism in every question and to respond with defensiveness or even aggression so that we lose sight of love and the relationship falters.

This draws us away from the call to love that is the heart of the gospel. Jesus shows us another way to respond, keeping his attention focussed on loving and respecting the scribe.

Where are you being called to be attentive to the call of love this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Saints Scripture

Listen with the ear of your heart.

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In the first reading the prophet Jeremiah calls the people to listen attentively to God’s voice and to follow God’s teaching. He writes:

“Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper.”

These words can only fill us with hope, and our hearts recognise that they have the potential to lead us in the way of life. Yet, even knowing that, we don’t, as Jeremiah points out, actually do it. He goes on to describe what happens to the people when they don’t listen attentively to God. Of the things he describes the one that struck me most was:

“Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”

It surprised me, I would never have thought of lack of sincerity as being a sign of not being attentive to the voice of God. Yet, it is undeniably an issue in our contemporary world.

We live in an openly “post truth” society that often seems to value appearances over either accuracy or trust. In every area of our lives it’s extremely difficult to work out what is true and what isn’t.

Sincerity doesn’t seem to be an attribute we value very much any more. It’s easy to assume that we can do nothing to change this, it’s simply the way the world is.

Jeremiah suggests that’s not the case, suggesting that we can grow in sincerity by listening attentively to the voice of God in all the circumstances of our lives. I can’t help wondering how that would alter our post truth society.

Where is God calling you to listen attentively for his voice this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Rule of St Benedict Scripture

Attentive to forgiveness

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Today’s readings call us to be attentive to our relationships. The first reading, from the book of Daniel, call us to reflect on our relationship with God. It encourages us to be attentive to our need of God, and especially to our need for God’s mercy and compassion.

The people, having wandered far from God have realised their need of God, and return to God aware that all they have to offer is their humility and neediness. He writes:

“And now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more. Do not disappoint us; treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful.”

The gospel calls us to be attentive to our relationships with one another. We soon recognise that our relationships with one another are often broken. Whatever our best intentions we end up wounding each other in a myriad of ways throughout the day. We have a real interest in Peter’s question about the limits of forgiveness.

If we’re honest, like Peter, we’d like a limit put on that forgiveness. We’d like to know there’s a point at which we can close the door on a troublesome situation. But Jesus’ response extends the limits of forgiveness, saying:

“‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.”

He goes on to tell a story that highlights the ways we might subvert the challenging work of forgiveness. He ends by calling us to learn to forgive as God does, from the depths of our hearts:

“Forgive your sister or brother from your heart.”

The blessing of attentiveness invites & challenges us to recreate our relationships in ways that reflect the love and compassion that God lavishes on us.

Where is Christ calling you to be attentive to your relationships this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Liturgy Monastic Life Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Called to be peacemakers

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As we come to the end of International women’s Day we’ve begun our celebration of one of our congregation’s saints, St Frances of Rome. She is one of a very small number of married women who are saints. She brought up a large family and did a great deal to help the poor and the sick of Rome.

This week I’m reflecting on the blessing of attentiveness. It seems to me that St Frances’ life shows us how the practice of attentiveness to God changes everything. It’s through her attentiveness to God that she’s able to see God’s presence in the people she helps.

That’s especially true in the great care she took of the poor, wrapping their clothes in lavender after she’d washed and mended them. In her role as peacemaker and reconciler shows another aspect of attentiveness. It’s written of her that:

“God gave her such an abundance of loving-kindness that those who had dealings with her immediately felt themselves captivated by love and admiration for her and were ready to do whatever she wished.”

Frances dealt with many difficult and, sometimes, violent situations. Even in those situations she was able to persuade people to change their behaviour by recognising Christ dwelling in them regardless of appearances.

As we watch our world torn apart by war Frances is an important role model. She reminds me that we are all called to pay attention to the call to be peace makers. Her example shows us that even in the most challenging situations, love and kindness have the power to change hearts, minds and lives.

Where is God calling you to be attentive to the call to be a peacemaker this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Liturgy Scripture

An attentive heart

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This week I’m reflecting on the blessing of attentiveness. We all recognise it as essential for a life centred on seeking God. Learning to live attentively can be difficult. We have to step back from the multitude of demands and distractions that we live among on a daily basis.

While, in the midst of a busy life, that can seem an attractive idea, the reality is much harder. When we step back from those external distractions we are swamped by a multitude of inner distractions that often prove much more challenging than the external ones could ever be.

Reflecting on all of this I especially struck by the response to today’s psalm:

“O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.”

It’s the first psalm verse that we sing on Ash Wednesday and sets the tone for all of Lent. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge that time and experience have hardened our hearts. It invites us to begin to let that hardness crack and fall away by paying attention to where the voice of God might be speaking to us in our lives.

Of course, we can expect to discover that voice in our prayer. If we actively seek this blessing of attentiveness, giving all our attention to the tasks we are engaged in and to the people we meet we will also find that God speaks to us in every situation, in the midst of every task and in every encounter.

Where are you being invited to be attentive this Lent?

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

The gift of mercy

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The gift of mercy is part of the blessing of gospel living that is especially important today. In our public spaces we see situations where no apology is acceptable. There is no way back from a mistake, no make a fresh start or second chance.

Alongside that there are people who seem immune to any sort of sanctions, however they act they never have to face the consequences. Both signal a devaluing of this essential quality of gospel living.

In that situation we’re called to pay even more attention to them. They offer us both challenge and hope Its challenge is in its call to admit our faults & failing, to confess that we all need mercy in our lives. We both stand in need of God’s mercy and are called to be merciful towards others.

Another challenge of mercy is that it can only come as a gift, we can’t demand it, earn it or get it for ourselves. The most we can do is ask for it when we recognise our need strive to be open to receive it. Mercy also offers us hope. In today’s first reading the prophet Micah writes:

“What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?”

His words remind us, not only that God knows our faults and is willing to be merciful, but that the mercy is offered freely and generously, with delight. The source of God’s mercy towards us is love, the love that holds us in being, the love at the heart of the gospel.

Where are you being offered God’s mercy this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Scripture Uncategorized

Margins and keystones

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We live in an age of spin, and quick fixes. Across the globe political leaders tell us they can solve everything. All our problems, personal, national and international can be resolved easily, with no compromise, no pain, no sacrifice.

In our hearts we know this can’t be true, yet we desperately want to believe it, so we allow ourselves to be beguiled by those promises. In that climate the honesty and directness of Jesus in the gospel offers a refreshing and challenging alternative. That is one of the blessings of gospel living.

He tells the story of the vineyard owner whose tenants beat his servants and kill his son. His words are a reminder that to follow Christ is to choose a hard path. It’s not a choice that will make us popular or lead us to the centres of power. Instead, he offers the exact opposite:

“It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.”

The call of the gospel is a call to the margins. We can accept that in principle. It becomes harder when we have to look at what this means in practice. We are called to stand on the edge, to be with the marginalised and rejected.

It means we encounter Christ in those people who disagree with us. We discover Christ’s presence in those whose behaviour and lifestyles make us uncomfortable. It is by standing with those marginalised people that we discover the blessing gospel living can offer us.

Where is Christ calling you to stand with those on the margins this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Scripture Uncategorized

Generosity of heart

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We live with the expectation and hope that the blessings we receive are always positive. We expect them to bring us all we need to live well. Today’s gospel challenges that idea.

We hear the story of a rich man who can indulge every whim and every desire without a thought for the cost. It might seem that he is the very epitome of the blessing. Lazarus on the other hand appears to us to be cursed rather than blessed. He is so poor that he is reduced to begging, and is ignored and reviled by all.

As the story unfolds this is questioned. The rich man’s wealth doesn’t open his heart, it hardens it. He’s perfectly comfortable ignoring Lazarus begging at his gate. When they die the tables are turned, Lazarus is held and cherished “in the bosom of Abraham” while the rich man is tormented in Hades

His agony awakens him to the truth and he begs that Lazarus return to earth to warn his family to change their ways. Abraham tells him that even if someone were to return from the dead, they would not believe him:

“If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

The blessing of gospel living is that we already know the call of the risen Christ. His call is to let go of all that would harden our hearts. He calls us to allow our hearts to become as generous and open as his.

What are you being called to let go of to grow in generosity of heart this Lent?

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

A gospel blessing.

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Love is at the very heart of the blessing of gospel living. It can be easy to see this love as an ideal, a valuable principle that we acknowledge then leave on a shelf as we go about the important daily business of living. If that is how we understand love it is unlikely to be a blessing to us or to others.

For love to be a blessing it has to be both the valuable and beautiful principle, and a practical reality in our daily lives. Jesus makes that clear to his disciples in today’s gospel. Turning all our expectations on their heads he says:

“Anyone who wants to be great amongst you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

His words make it clear that love of gospel living has to affect how we treat others. In chapter 4 of the Rule on the tools of good works St Benedict makes the same point. He reminds us “never do to another what you do not want done to yourself.”

Together the gospel and the Rule bring the blessing of gospel living back to a very basic practice that we can live each day, to treat others as we would like to be treated.

I wonder how life might change if that became the guiding principle of all our interactions. While that might prove costly the blessing of gospel living offers the hope that it will also be a life enhancing experience.

Where are you being called to treat others as you would like to be treated this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Scripture

Beyond appearances

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Today’s gospel speaks to the heart of what appears to be a very modern dilemma. Jesus is warning his disciples not to fall into the trap of being beguiled by appearances. He warns them against behaving in ways which attract attention and focus on the externals, saying:

“Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.”

In an age that seems to be obsessed by appearances his words have a particular resonance. While he wasn’t talking about social media, we all recognise the similarities. Valuable as social media is it constantly presents us with images of “the perfect life” that we are all meant to be living.

This is attractive and beguiling, but not necessarily life-giving. As anyone who spends time on social media is aware this can lead us to be harshly judgemental of others and of ourselves.

This means that what could be a valuable tool becomes a burden to ourselves and to others. This is not the way of the gospel and it carries no blessing with it.

Jesus is quick to show his disciples another way of being. Having told them how not to behave he carries on:

“The greatest among you must be your servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

His words call us to reflect on how we engage with social media. The call of gospel living is not to make ourselves the centre of attention, but to focus on serving others. It’s blessing for our image obsessed age is that it sets us free from worrying about appearances and from the anxiety and judgement that can come with that.

How is your use of social media reflecting the blessing of gospel living this Lent?