Category: Discernment

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Saints Scripture

Disrupted by resurrection

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DISRUPTION

There’s nothing comfortable about DISRUPTION, yet, it’s a word that we can’t avoid in Eastertide. The very fact of the resurrection is a disruption of everything we know about the nature of life.

All of the resurrection appearances carry an element of disruption for the disciples. In different ways everyone who meets the risen Christ has their lives disrupted in lifechanging and unimaginable ways.

Today I’m reflecting on the conversion of St Paul. It’s hard to imagine a more disruptive encounter with the Risen Christ than Saul’s. As he dashes around the country persecuting Christians, his world is literally upended as he is thrown off his horse. The disruption continues after his fall when, Jesus tells him:

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

He is led into Damascus, blinded and shaken to wait until Ananias arrives to restore his sight and baptise him. Luke tells us he then begins to proclaim that Jesus is the son of God:

“Immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.“

Saul moves from persecuting Christians to proclaiming the gospel. It may be that such a transformation is only possible after such a great disruption. It’s not surprising that the new creation we become in the risen Christ requires a certain amount of disruption.

To welcome him into our hearts our whole understanding and experience have to shift. We have to surrender control and allow our lives to be thoroughly disrupted.

Where is the risen Christ challenging you to allow him to disrupt your life this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Called to believe.

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BELIEVE

Throughout the Resurrection appearances Jesus is encouraging his disciples to BELIEVE. With each appearance he encourages and challenges them to believe that what he told them has come to pass.

He challenges them to believe the witness of their own eyes when what they see before them seems truly unbelievable. In last Sunday’s gospel he tells Thomas to move on from his doubting, saying to him:

“Doubt no longer, but believe.”

It’s a call to believe that he is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of the living God that’s echoed in today’s gospel. His popularity has increased as a result of the feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus knows that the crowds have been attracted by the food producing miracle rather than by faith in his message. Vital as that is he calls them to go deeper, seeking beyond the surface for the real meaning of his action, that brings life and hope. He says to them:

“Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offering you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.”

His words carry a particular challenge for us. In our world that endlessly promotes image with little concern for truth it can be hard to discern what to believe. There is an answer to that dilemma in Jesus’ response to the crowd:

“You must believe in the one God has sent.”

The risen Christ invites us to BELIEVE in him even though, in our broken and damaged world, that is not always easy. He calls us to BELIEVE that he is with us, offering us new life in the midst of our brokenness.

How is the risen Christ inviting you to deepen your belief in him this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture

With Fears Calmed

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FEAR

FEAR is another word we don’t often connect with Eastertide. Yet there is a plenty of fear in the resurrection gospels as the disciples try to process all that has gone on. Today’s gospel reflects the disruption of that time. Our own stormy times make it easier to identify with the disciples response to the unexpected storm that threatens them.

I imagine them longing for rest and the opportunity to process some of the strange events they’ve witnessed over the previous days. As darkness falls and they climb into the boat they must have been hoping for a quiet, peaceful crossing to Capernaum.

It wasn’t to be, as they get further from the shore the wind and the waves get stronger and a storm blows up. They find themselves buffeted on all sides as wave after wave threatens to overwhelm their small boat.

Struggling to control the boat they see Jesus walking towards them across the water. Initially his appearance seems to do little to help their situation. The strange sight of him walking towards them over the stormy lake only increases their already mounting fear. Then Jesus speaks to them, and everything changes:

“It is I, do not be afraid.”

His words offer them consolation and calms their fears and they reach the shore safely. As we face our own stormy times we too need to hear Christ’s voice calming our fears and assuring us that, with his grace we will come through our storms.

Where do you need to hear the risen Christ calming your fears this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

Into the light

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LIGHT

Today’s word is LIGHT. Our times seem to be growing increasingly dark. In every direction it seems that life is getting harder. The cost of living crisis leaves people struggling to feed their families.

The disruption and suffering of war affects more and more people. The world order that we thought was stable & secure appears to be crumbling before our eyes, leaving life feeling unsettled and vulnerable.

In such times it’s hard to see how any light could penetrate the gloom. As the struggles of daily life get harder we can easily forget the light Christ brings us.

We can even be scared of what it might expose in our lives and relationships. Today’s gospel, part of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, speaks to this dilemma.

Like us, Nicodemus lived in precarious times. A wealthy man, walked a thin line between the Roman occupying forces and commitment to his own people and faith. Jesus challenges him to step away from the darkness into the light of God’s love:

“Those who live by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what they do is done in God.”

We too need and desire this love. We know that this is the light that will lead us through the darkness of our times to the new life offered by the risen Christ. It’s a light that will expose our darknesses. It’s also the light that will heal our wounds and allow us to grow and flourish in the presence of the light of the risen Christ.

Where is Christ calling you to come out into the light of his love this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Holy Spirit Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

Called to Action

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ACTION

ACTION is at the heart of Eastertide. It starts with the women stepping out in the dark to anoint the body of Jesus and carries on to the proclamation of the Good News at Pentecost.

The message is clear Eastertide is a dynamic time, full new discoveries and developments. That can give it a real buzz. It can seem attractive and exciting, with the potential to change the world.

Yet, living in busy, frenetic times likes ours, I’m aware that “action” can be double edged. We know all to well that it can lead to a restless busyiness than can leave us feeling rootless and unfocussed. That is not the “action” that the resurrection calls us to embrace.

The “action” that Eastertide calls us to embrace is grounded in the recognition of the risen Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This action has an inner and outer aspect. The disciples’ actions grew from a whole range of experiences.

They’ve faced the failure of having run away, having cowered in locked rooms, doubted one another and even their own experience. Having faced this mixed bag of experiences Peter and John are able to return to the community from prison. Then having prayed together they are able to see how to act:

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God boldly.”

Our world desperately needs us to take action that will bring the light of the risen Christ to the people and situations we encounter. It’s action that needs to be grounded in, but not stop with, prayer.

What action is the risen Christ calling you to this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Easter Sunday Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture

Space for Christ

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By Easter Tuesday the mixture of adrenalin and energy that carried me through the Easter Vigil is waning, and I start to feel the need to slow things down. It’s rightly an energetic season, full of rejoicing, celebration and proclamation. While that delights me, I’m also aware that I need space in the midst of it all to pause and reflect.

In Christmastide we have the example of Virgin Mary taking space to ponder the events in her heart. She reminds us that we too need time to reflect on our encounters with God. We need a similar model in Eastertide, someone who will remind us to slow down, to allow the momentous event that is resurrection to really sink in.

Listening to today’s gospel, the appearance to Mary Magdalene, I noticed a stillness in the account that I’ve missed on other occasions. After her journey through the dark and the rush to find the disciples Mary is left alone. She stops and is still, waiting in her grief for something she can’t possibly understand. It is in this moment of stillness that she encounters the risen Christ. It brings to mind part of my favourite hymn:

“She awaits a new creation in the shadow of the tomb. Hope and trust and expectation, from it will a vision come.”

Pondering this I realise that I too need a still, quiet moment to encounter the risen Christ as she did in the garden, remaining alone and quiet in his presence, allowing the new creation to take root in my heart.

Where are you finding space to encounter the risen Christ in the depth of your heart?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Scripture

Held in the gaze of God

BACKGROUND READING LUKE 2:22-38
AND Mark 12: 38-44

Image © Ally Barrett (www.reverendally.org) and used by permission

Anna’s story offers some background to the gospel story of the widow’s gift. It takes us beyond the story of a poor and destitute woman. Anna has not always been the poor woman of the gospel, struggling and doubting the faith that has sustained her for so long.

She once knew both material and spiritual security. She had a comfortable life, married with a family. A woman of faith, she’s a descendant of Anna the prophetess, who held the Messiah in her arms. She is called after that Great Aunt and remembers being taught the faith by her. Her faith was the centre of her life:

“The Temple, God’s Temple has been the centre of my life…Wherever I go the Temple is in the corner of my eye…reminding me that no matter what happens, God, my God, is right there with me.”

Then, everything suddenly changes. A mystery illness sweeps through the city, killing her parents, her sons and her husband. Post Covid this scenario touches us deeply, we can no longer dismiss it as something that was only a possibility in the distant past.

She’s left alone and poor. As age and poverty make her increasingly invisible to others she begins to question her faith. Her sense of being held in the loving gaze of God waivers. But it doesn’t quite die.

She makes the hard journey to the Temple to make her last tiny offering. It’s then that Jesus sees and comments on her offering:

“She, out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.”

She senses his gaze recognising his love and respect…and everything changes. Once again, she recognises the loving gaze of God on her. This enables her to accept the hospitality her neighbour Miriam offers her as a gift of love.

Where do you need to feel the loving gaze of God in your life this Holy Week?

You can listen to Paula Gooder read Anna’s story here:

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Lectio Divina Lent Prophetic voices Rule of St Benedict Scripture Uncategorized

Celebrating St Benedict

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Today we’re celebrating the feast of the passing of St Benedict. This post from the archives takes me back to the heart of the Rule, the call to listen…

Lent is the time for turning back to God. It encourages us to reassess our practices and to recommit ourselves to those that will draw us closer to God. With this in mind I’m reflecting on this from the prophet Jeremiah:

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

His words take me back to the Rule of St Benedict. He begins his rule by saying:

“Listen carefully to the master’s instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart.”

We all know that listening is central to our faith. We also know how that in the hubbub of challenges and anxieties that make up daily life we can easily miss that gentle voice of God calling us. St Benedict and Jeremiah both call us to take the time to tune the ear of our hearts to resonate with that gentle call.

Lent is certainly a good time to practice this listening, but there’s more to it than that. The listening that they require is a life changing experience. It starts with the attentive listening with the ear of our heart and moves on to action that affects every part of our life.

St Benedict carries on saying that having listened to the master’s instructions we are to “faithfully put into practice” what we hear.

Jeremiah’s call to listen and follow makes the same point. The listening we are called to is to is to shape how we live. The way we treat one another, the way we work, the way we treat our tools and utensils are all to be formed by this attentive listening to God in every circumstance.

As we move through Lent what are you being called to faithfully put into practice?

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

Christ on the margins

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This week I’m reflecting on the blessing of welcoming. I’m aware of how often we’re called to recognise Christ by welcoming what we consider marginal. We see that in today’s gospel. It’s a man who is outcast, ignored and undervalued who recognises and proclaims Christ to his people.

He is the last person anyone would have expected to speak and reflect theologically. We see this in the response of his neighbours, who no longer recognise him, and in the Pharisees who refuse to accept someone so marginal can presume to teach them anything about God.

The man doesn’t crumble under their badgering questions, instead he faces them confidently, reflecting on his experience with Jesus in the light of his Jewish faith, saying to them:

“We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to people who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard-of for anyone to open the eyes of someone who was born blind: if this man were not from God he couldn’t do a thing.”

As the man moves from claiming that he only knows Jesus’ name to proclaiming and worshipping him as Christ he welcomes him with a truly open heart. It may be that his marginal position helped him to recognise Jesus as the Christ, and give him the freedom to worship him.

This gospel challenges me to be attentive to those parts of myself that I push aside, allowing them to point me towards Christ in ways that I might not expect or be entirely comfortable with.

It also challenges me to be attentive to the people we marginalise today, leaving me with an uncomfortable question, would we respond any better than the Pharisees should any of them proclaim Christ to us?

How is Christ calling you welcome the marginal in your life today?

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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?