Category: Discernment

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Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Prayer Prophetic voices Saints Scripture St Therese of Lisieux

Love at the heart of the Church

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Today we are celebrating the feast of St Therese of Lisieux. She entered Carmel at 15 and died at 24. Once she entered Carmel she never left, she built no career, had no wealth and little influence. Even after her death, when her saintliness is recognised, she is often presented with an overlay of sentimentality and sweetness.

Her spirituality is often called “a little way” and that can make it tempting to dismiss her in these challenging times we might be tempted to look for a saint who is more obviously heroic than this young woman. To do that would be to greatly undervalue St Therese’s message.

Saint Therese was a woman of faith, courage, wisdom and discernment. Her little way takes us to the heart of the gospel. In a time when the church placed little value on love she was courageous in putting it at the heart of Christian life. Reflecting on St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians she writes:

“Love, in fact is the vocation which includes all others; it is a universe of its own, comprising all time and space – its eternal… My vocation is love… I had discovered where it is that I belong in the Church, the niche God has appointed for me. To be nothing else than love… That’s to be everything at once.”

She was able to see the one thing that she could do that had the power to change the world, one small act at a time. In these times when we are overwhelmed by the suffering we see in every area she offers us a way of making a difference. By choosing to show love in a world that often feels hateful our actions can affect real and lasting change.

Where are you being called to put love at the heart of your life today?


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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Truth

Waking to the truth.

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Today’s gospel is an uncomfortable read for those of us who live with more than we need. In his lifetime the rich man has more than he needs, he can indulge every whim and every desire without a thought for the cost. His wealth does nothing to increase his generosity or understanding of those who struggle to meet their basic needs. He seems perfectly comfortable ignoring the Lazarus begging for a few scraps at his gate.

When both men died the tables are turned, and 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 returned to earth to warn his family to change their ways, but 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.”

We can sanitise this and dismiss it as a morality tale, but it is much more than that. It’s a call to all of us who live with plenty to examine our attitudes to what we have. Unlike the rich man, we have someone who rose from the dead to show us the way of life. The call of Christ, the call of the gospel is not to gather riches, not to look after ourselves, but to share whatever we have, however little, with others.

Where is Christ calling you to share your gifts generously today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

A risky discipleship.

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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 Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Truth

With undivided heart.

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Today’s gospel is an uncomfortable read. It describes a dishonest steward, willing to cheat his master to ensure a comfortable & financially secure life for himself. He knows himself well enough to know he’s incapable of either manual work or begging. So, he sets about cutting the bills of his master’s debtor.

This is not to relieve them of their debt, but to ensure that they owe him a favour that he can call in at another time. All his self-knowledge only leads him to greater selfishness. Instead of criticising him his master expresses grudging admiration for his understanding of the ways of the world.

We all recognize the truth of this. We too live in a world, where looking after our own interests takes precedence over anything else. We live with the consequences of a worldview that values success over either truth or compassion.

While Jesus recognises this reality, he is determined to ensure that his disciples understand that this is not the way of his Kingdom. His disciples have to be alert to the ways of the world, but not to live by them. He says to them:

“No servant can be the slave of two masters: they will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.”

He makes it clear that his Kingdom has no space for divided loyalties or double dealing. We have to follow him with whole and undivided hearts. Such a wholehearted commitment to the Kingdom rules out the duplicity the steward exhibits.

Where is Christ calling you to a wholehearted commitment to him today?

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

Challenged to hope.

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Today’s feast, St Hildegarde of Bingen, is giving me a helpful perspective on a challenging gospel. Jesus, perhaps fed up with a barrage of complaints, says to the people:

“‘What description can I find for this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place: ‘We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.’”

His words challenge me to reflect on a very human tendency which we all recognize and fall into all to easily, grumbling. It can sometimes seem that whatever we have, even if we get exactly what we say we want, we are never content. We always hanker after something else.

His words take me back to the Rule of St Benedict. They almost perfectly illustrate one of the things he warns against at every opportunity. He repeatedly warns his community against “murmuring”, that low level discontent that can bubble destructively under the surface of our lives, sapping our appetite for real and constructive change.

St Hildegarde, a Benedictine nun, would have been familiar with the concept both from the Rule and from her own challenging experience of monastic life.

It’s easy to grumble in these challenging times when so much that we relied on seems to be broken or untrustworthy. This distracts us, helping us to avoid taking responsibility and appropriate action where we can. That’s never the call of the gospel.

Instead, Jesus’ words are a call to discernment. He calls us to look at where we fall into the temptation of grumbling instead of using our discontent to seek constructive solutions to our challenges.

Where is Christ challenging you to avoid grumbling today?

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Beatitudes Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

The challenge of the beatitudes.

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Luke’s Beatitudes are challenging read. Unlike Matthew, whose focus is on the spiritual attributes of the Beatitudes, Luke links them much more to the grim material reality of poverty, hunger, war and the other sufferings that we inflict on one another. For those of us who live materially comfortable lives it gives them a stark urgency, showing us precisely how different the values of the kingdom are from our human values.

Almost everything he lists as blessed, we would choose to call cursed, and vice versa. His words remind me that if we are to follow Christ we have to choose to live by values that are not the world’s. We have to be prepared both to rock the boat and to live with the consequences of that:

“Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven.”

They have particular resonance today when we see so many lives destroyed by war, violence and economic hardship. It seems to me that they call us question a status quo that accepts such suffering as long as it’s not on our own doorstep.

They call us to look hard at our own lives, the choices we make and how they impact on other people. Their concern with the material reality of life remained us that the call to build the kingdom is not just about our heavenly future. It is a call to do all we can to make it possible for everybody to live with dignity and to flourish.

How are you allowing the challenge of the Beatitudes to shape the choices you make in daily life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Supported by Christ

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In today’s gospel Jesus is brutally honest with the crowds, warning them that following him is no easy option:

“If anyone comes to me without hating their father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and their own life too, they cannot be my disciple. Those who do not carry their cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Stark as his words are, they are not intended to discourage us from following. Rather, he offers a realistic view of what we face if we choose discipleship. Jesus is making it clear that following him will not help us to avoid the suffering of life. On the contrary us he calls us to accept that suffering willingly. He invites us to refuse to give into the temptations of avoidance and grumbling, which can be so soul destroying.

We can understand this call to let go, painful as it is, when it relates to things that might be bad for us. But Jesus makes it clear that the call of discipleship might also lead us away from situations that are good and living giving as well as ones that aren’t. Accepting that is a much greater challenge. Jesus wants followers who are fully aware of the challenging path they have chosen.

This challenge can seem intolerable. It is made possible only by the accompanying promise. He assures us that whatever sufferings we face in life he will be there with us, a compassionate, loving presence in even the darkest of times. While neither the hope nor the promise will remove the sufferings, they offer a framework to encourage us to face them.

How is Christ supporting you in your suffering today?

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

A whole hearted welcome

 
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It’s a very natural human tendency to judge both ourselves and others. In today’s gospel we see the guests making swift and sure judgements about who is most deserving of places of honour at the table. Jesus is quick to point out the dangers of this:

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you may come and say ‘give up your place to this person.’”

Even with the best of intentions it’s very easy to cause more pain and discord by making wrong judgements. Reflecting on this has brought me back to two very basic Benedictine values, humility and hospitality. I think these can help us step back from the tendency to be judgemental.

Humility calls us to acknowledge that we are in no position to make judgements about how things should be arranged, or what others need or deserve. A humble attitude helps us to admit that we don’t know what is best for others and to be open to learning from them. However well intentioned our judgements can often cause hurt and distress.

Hospitality, the call to welcome everyone as we would Christ, offers us a way to avoid this. The first step in hospitality is to give another our whole attention, to allow them to tell us what they need, rather than assuming that we know. If we do that with open hearts, putting aside our own judgements, we will be able to discover what will make them feel truly welcome and accepted.

Where are you being called to put aside judgement today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Truth

The call of authenticity.

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In today’s gospel Jesus is challenging the scribes and Pharisees. He is clearly outraged by their behaviour, and is willing to call them out on it. His language is strong, forceful, and even off-putting. He calls them out for being hypocrites, for presenting a false image of themselves.

It’s so tempting to put it all on the “Scribes and Pharisees” of the past. That way we can avoid looking at our own lives to see if we are falling into the same traps. To do that robs the gospel of its power to shape us and to be a living, life-giving word for today.

Instead, this challenging passage offers us an opportunity to look at our own lives. We live in times that are very concerned with image. Our social media feeds mean it’s never been easier to create and present a persona that highlights only the good and positive in our lives, making us appear better than we are. Jesus is clear, this is hypocrisy:

“You appear to people from the outside as if you were good and honest, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

As we look around our post truth world we can’t fail to acknowledge that we know both this temptation and its dangers. In in the first reading St Paul offers us a way of avoiding this temptation:

“Live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.”

St Paul’s words call us to look honestly at where we might veer towards hypocrisy in our actions and in our thoughts. He challenges us to ensure that our ideals shape our actions and interactions so that we can live with integrity.

Where are you being called to live with integrity today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Through a narrow door.

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Today’s gospel is full of challenge. It begins with a question, one we would all like answered, though we might not all have the courage to ask it:

“Sir, will there be only a few saved?”

The challenge becomes apparent in Jesus’ response

“Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because I tell you many will try to enter and will not succeed.”

We live in a world that claims to offer limitless individual freedom and choice. This is a compelling myth. So it’s hardly surprising then that we find the idea of any sort of limitation or restriction at best challenging and at worst an outrageous infringement of rights.

The Kingdom Jesus promises is not about individual rights. It’s about love, kindness, compassion and inclusion. If this kingdom is to become a reality in our daily lives we have to walk away from that beguiling myth. We have to acknowledge that we can’t have everything we want, do everything we want, be everything we want.

To choose the way of the kingdom we have to, like the first disciples, leave something behind. We have to discern what is life-giving and what isn’t. Then, we have to put down those things that aren’t life-giving. That’s relatively easy when we are faced with things that we know are bad for us.

It’s much harder when are called to put aside something that is good and life-giving for the common good or for the good of another. But, if we want to get through that narrow door Jesus talks of that is what we are called to do.

What is Christ calling you to put aside for the sake of the kingdom today?