Category: Benedictine Spirituality

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

In the hands of God.

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Today’s gospel is very direct about where following Christ might lead us, and it’s not a comforting picture. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be persecuted, exiled and imprisoned. This is something that none of us want to face any more than the disciples did.

Common sense tells us that if we do have to face it, we want to have our arguments and strategies honed and ready. We want to be able to answer for ourselves, convince others and so when the day. I am a planner, I like to feel prepared for every situation. So I am immediately challenged when Jesus says to his disciples:

“You are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.”

His words go against all my natural inclinations to the extent that they almost seem like madness. Yet, they also call to a new way of being. They are call to let go of my need to be in control. The required that I admit that maybe I don’t have all the answers and I can’t fix everything.

They are a call to trust that Jesus will always be at my side, leading me and protecting me, whatever I face. They are a call to allow myself to be vulnerable in the presence of Christ, fully aware of my limitations and failings. His words compel me to accept that I can’t bring about my salvation by myself, it is purely the result of his grace and gift.

Where are you being called to trust in God’s grace in your life today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Christ The King Cross Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

Jesus remember me…

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The feast of Christ the King is one of the most challenging feasts in the year. In times that are, often justifiably, suspicious of authority figures we have to really think about what Christ the King can mean to us today.

We can no longer align that title to any earthly understanding of leadership. Maybe that was always a mistake because throughout the gospel the leadership Jesus shows us is different to any other leadership we have known.

This is highlighted in today’s gospel. It doesn’t show us a king enjoying power and ruling in majesty. Instead, it shows us a man, undeservedly dying a painful and humiliating death mocked by his enemies and abandoned by his friends.

Throughout the gospel Jesus has been telling his disciples that his kingdom is like no earthly kingdom. He makes it clear to them that kingship in the kingdom is to be based on loving service of others, especially of the poor, the needy and the outcast.

Even as he is dying on the cross the question that has followed him throughout his ministry is still ringing in the air with its notes of uncertainty, disbelief, surprise and now mockery: “Are you the Christ?”

Yet even here Jesus lives up to his own model of leadership. When the thief, dying alongside him glimpses something of who he really is, saying:

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom…”

Jesus welcomes him with his whole heart, promising that:

“Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

As we move towards the end of this liturgical year where do you need to know that Christ the King remembers you in his heart?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Uncategorized

Small acts of faithfulness.

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Seen through the lens of modern sensibilities today’s gospel is at best uncomfortable. In a world all too aware of the damage caused by unethical business practices it raises challenging questions.

That can make it tempting to turn away from it or dismiss it as irrelevant. We are called to dig deeper than that. We are called to go beyond our initial discomfort, or even to use that discomfort, to help us find something of value in the text.

Today I am focusing on these words:

“You have proved yourself faithful in a very small thing…”

It seems a very small glimmer of light in a very challenging gospel. Yet, it reminds me of the importance of small things that we might undervalue or overlook. As we look around the world today there are so many big problems, big issues, big situations that need resolving, renewing or remaking.

We hear a narrative that tells us everything is broken, and that it’s all too big for us to fix. we stop to even look for things that we might do to help the situation. We get it into our heads that big problems need big solutions, and that small actions that we might take will have no effect.

It seems to me that’s today’s gospel suggests a different way. It suggests small acts of faithfulness can make more of a difference than we might think. Far from being pointless or useless our small acts of faithfulness can bring hope and help make these hard times more bearable for us all.

What small act of faithfulness are you being called to today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Enduring in love.

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As we approach the end of the liturgical year the readings are full of challenge and warning. They are extremely honest about all the things that might tempt us away from that call, and how hard they will be to resist. In the northern hemisphere at least, as we approach the darkest, coldest part of the year, they seem to be reminding us of all that would lead us astray.

In the unsettling times we live in, with so many conflicting views and opinions circulating, these warnings seem to be particularly relevant. It’s hard to know who to believe, or which source to trust.

Jesus warns his listeners precisely of this danger:

‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them.”

His words call us to stay focused on the values of his kingdom despite the distractions and temptations that come our way. He warns us that this will not be an easy choice. It will lead to misunderstandings and even persecutions. But he does not leave us without hope. Having been completely honest about the challenge and difficulties he reminds us of the hope that will sustain us:

“You will be hated by all people on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’”

He reminds us that whatever we face in life we are held in the embrace of a loving God who will not allow even one hair from our heads to be lost.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year where do you most need the loving embrace of God in your life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Encounter on the margins.

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For the past few days I’ve been reflecting on the story of the ten lepers that we heard earlier this week. Usually I reflect on the gratitude/ingratitude of the lepers, but this time I’ve been taken in another direction, and have been sitting with this:

“On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.”

It made me aware of how often Jesus is a marginal figure in the Gospels. His teaching, his lifestyle, the people he chooses to engage with all mean that he often walks a fine line along the borders of his day. He chooses to embrace this risky endeavour, knowing that as well as risk it gives insights and opportunities that might otherwise be lost.

Part of our call to follow Jesus is a call to the risk being on the margins. It’s a call that can leave us feeling like outsiders, alienated and even abandoned. Yet, it also carries hope, possibilities and blessings.

It can give us insights and perspectives that we might otherwise miss. Being open to that when we feel the vulnerability of marginalisation isn’t easy. It requires the openness to change that Ezekiel talks about when he says:

“I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove from your bodies the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh instead.”

This is one of my favourite texts, yet it’s also a hard one. To allow our hearts to be released from their protective covering of stone isn’t easy. It may only be possible if we are able go out to meet Jesus in those border places.

Where is Christ calling you to explore the border places in your life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

The Temple of the Living God.

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The feast of the Lateran Basilica is a good time to reflect on what it means to be church. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds us that the church is more than a building, it is a community of people, with all the challenges and blessings that brings. Writing to the Corinthians he says:

“You are God’s building…Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?… the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.”

His words are hopeful and empowering. They remind us however challenging we find life the spirit of God is dwelling in it with us. Yet it is not enough to believe these words in our hearts, they have to shape how we live and that brings a whole new challenge with it.

It’s easy to believe that we are the living stones that make up the community of the church when we are with people who agree with us, who are like us, who we feel comfortable with. That is not our call.

The temple Paul calls us to be part of is a community of love that includes everyone. It includes those we feel comfortable with, those who challenge or offend us and even those who we find simply annoying. George Eliot’s sums up the call to be church up in her book, Adam Bede:

“Everyone, must be accepted as they are – you can neither straighten their noses, nor brighten their wit, nor rectify their dispositions; and it is these people – amongst whom your life is past – that it is needful that you should tolerate, pity, and love…”

The church is not a church of people who know the answers, who are right, who have their lives under control. Instead, it’s a church of the ordinary people with life’s that are sometimes messy, broken and damaged. That is the source of our hope and rejoicing because it means that we can find a home here with whatever messiness and brokenness we carry

Where are you aware of God’s indwelling spirit in your life today?

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#ConsecrateLife Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Psalms Rule of St Benedict Saints Scripture

Taste and See…

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Today we’re celebrating the dedication of our Oratory. I had intended to write a new post, but events overtook me. So I’m reposting this from the archives. The scripture reading at the vigil was from the first letter of St Peter:

“Be sure you are never spiteful, or deceitful, or hypocritical, or envious and critical of each other. You are new born, and, like babies, you should be hungry for nothing but milk – the spiritual honesty which will help you grow up to salvation – now that you have tasted the goodness of the Lord.”

Several things resonate with me in in. It’s reminder of how we are called to behave and to treat one another seems especially important just now. Living through stressful and challenging times can give us all a short fuse and doesn’t always bring out the best in us. St Peter reminds us that, whatever challenges and uncertainties we face we are called not to give into the temptation to spitefulness and criticism. The call is still to become more Christlike whatever we face.

He goes on to tell us that as we have tasted the goodness of the Lord already our desire and long should be for those things that will help us grow into our salvation. This brings to mind a favourite psalm, psalm 34, “taste and see that the Lord is good”, and I’m reminded to keep seeking the goodness of the Lord in whatever challenges and uncertainties life is currently throwing at us.

Where are you tasting the Lord’s goodness in the challenging times you have to face?

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All Souls Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

Consoled and Comforted.

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A reflection from our archives for All Souls Day. Despite the change in tone from one feast to another, All Souls Day is intimately connected to All Saints Day. At heart both feasts speak to the basic equality of Christian faith. We are all one in Christ, and through our baptism, we are all equal before him.

Today’s feast is a time for acknowledging our mortality. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge that death is a completely natural part of life. It is something we all share in and will all experience. This is one of the areas where we are called to stand out against the world’s way.

Today’s world denies death, pushing it aside or trying to micromanage it because of the pain, suffering and uncertainty it brings. Our faith calls us to look at death differently. It doesn’t call us to deny the pain, suffering and loss that death brings, but to accept it and embrace it. We are also called to look beyond it, to the hope that Christ offers us, even as we grieve.

The invitation & challenge are summed up for me in the prophet Isaiah’s words:

“The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek… That day, it will be said: see, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation… We exalt and we rejoice that he has saved us.”

All Souls allows us to remember & grieve our loved ones. Yet, even as we grieve, it reminds us that the God of love will comfort and console us, offering us promise of new life in God’s presence.

Where do you need God’s comfort and consolation in your life today?

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All Saints Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

In the Company of Saints

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A reflection from the archives for the feast of All Saints. The feasts of all Saints and All Souls are intrinsically linked. I can never think of one without being aware of the other. They speak of a deep seated equality that is at the heart of the gospel. All Saints reminds us that through our baptism we are all one in Christ, equally called to live lives shaped by the gospel. Tomorrow’s celebration of All Souls allows us to reflect that other great equaliser, the impermanence of human life.

Today I’m reflecting on this from the first letter of St John:

“My dear people, we are already the children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.”

This is not a feast of the canonised and recognised saints of the church. They have their own feasts when we rightly celebrate their lives and example. Yet, while we greatly value this, it can distract us from those other unnamed and unrecognised saints who have built up the church through quiet, unrecognised faithfulness to the gospel and to their baptismal promises.

This is a celebration of the ordinary Christians who have striven to be faithful in all ups and downs of ordinary life. The people who have allowed their lives to be shaped by their faith so that in thousands of small, seemingly insignificant, ways they ease the burdens of those around them.

This is a day for celebrating all the children of God who will never be recognised officially as saints, but who have through their actions and example shared the love of God with their families, neighbours and workmates.

Where is Christ inviting you to share his love today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Being Ready

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Waiting is one of the hardest things we have to do in life. The end of the year is fast approaching. The Autumn colours, the cooler temperatures, the darker mornings and evenings are all pointing in that direction.

The same is true of today’s gospel. Its call to be alert and ready, waiting and prepared for the coming of the Lord reminds me that Advent is just around the corner. I’m struck by this in today’s gospel:

“You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Waiting is generally an uncomfortable experience, it’s often frustrating and stressful. It brings us face to face with the uncertainty we live with, with all those aspects of life that we can’t control.

It compels us to admit our lack, our limitations and our neediness. We can find a myriad of activities from constant busyiness to endless online connectivity to distract us from the discomfort it brings.

The gospel calls us away from those distractions. It invites us to embrace our times of waiting, giving our full attention to it, acknowledging its discomfort, and actively seeking the blessing it promises. As I reflect on this passage one of our Advent antiphons is running through my mind:

“Stand erect, hold your head high because your liberation is close at hand.”

It helps me to put this challenging call to wait into a wider context. This call to be ready comes with a promise. We stand ready, waiting for this promise to be fulfilled, trusting that the Lord will come to set us free from all that would distract us.

Where are you being called to be ready for the coming of the Lord today?