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Ascension

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ASCENSION

Ascension is one of the feasts I find most difficult for a variety of reasons. It’s very easy to see it as otherworldly, focussed more on eternity than on the nitty-gritty of human life. It also has an element of letting go.

Once again, we see Jesus leaving the disciples to face an unknown and uncertain future. This compels us to recognise the reality of our own uncertain and unknown future.

In my struggles to ground the feast in the reality of daily life I looked at the Scripture readings. I found two things that helped me. The first was from Matthew’s Gospel. He tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus:

“They fell down before him, though some hesitated.”

So it seems like some of those first disciples were also ambivalent about what was going on. I find consolation in that, and in Jesus’ response to it. He doesn’t criticise them or turn them away. Instead he sends them out with their ambivalence and uncertainty to spread the Good News of salvation.

The second helpful thing was in last night’s vigil reading from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

“Be humble, gentle and patient always. Show your love by being helpful to one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives, by the peace that binds you together.”

His words call us to strive to live up to the standard God sets not in terms of a future heavenly kingdom, but in very practical ways that we can all practice.

If we can find ways of being kind and helpful to those around us we will be able to make the Good News of the kingdom a reality in our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

Where is Christ calling you to live up to his standards in your daily life?

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A Spirit of truth and discernment.

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DISCERNMENT

In the lead up to Ascension Jesus is preparing his disciples for change. Once again they face a departure that will require them to let go of everything they thought they understood. Jesus says to them:

“I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes you will be led to the complete truth…”

His words touch on something that we both desire and fear, the complete truth. We are surrounded by voices telling us they have the truth that we need.

In today’s “post-truth” world it can be especially challenging to DISCERN the truth. We know our need for truth in order to be able to live well and with integrity, yet we struggle to know where we should turn to find it.

Jesus answers that for us, telling us he will send the Spirit of truth who will lead us this truth that we can rely on and trust. But to discover it we need to be open to and prepared.

The truth that the Spirit brings us will not necessarily appear obviously and easily. It will require us to be attentive to all that is going on in our lives and our times.

We need to be prepared to do the hard work of listening and discerning its presence in the midst of the myriad of voices that make up our daily lives. To do that we have to be prepared to let go of everything we thought we understood in order to be open to the new possibilities the Spirit brings.

As we move towards Ascension where is Christ calling you to discern the truth the Spirit is offering you?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Celebration and rejoicing

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CELEBRATION

Today’s Eastertide word is CELEBRATION. Eastertide is a long season. It’s easy to remember it’s a season of celebration at the start. Fresh from the joy and excitement of Easter vigil we know we have something to celebrate.

As time goes on it gets harder to remember that we are still in a season of celebration. As the concerns of our lives take over again it can be hard to find the space to reflect on the resurrection and the joy and hope it brings to our lives today.

It might be possible to keep some sense of the Celebration alive in good times. When our societies and countries feel stable and secure we might find the space to celebrate. But our times are challenging, fearful and uncertain.

The peace and stability that we’ve relied on for decades seems to be crumbling before our eyes. In such times CELEBRATION seems an impossible dream.

Today’s first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles celebrates the resurrection in the most challenging of circumstances. Paul and Silas, miraculously released from prison, convert their jailer and baptise his whole family. Luke tells us:

“He took them home and gave them a meal, and the whole family celebrated their conversion to belief in God.”

They were at risk of persecution and even death, yet they could still celebrate their belief in God. They remind me that however challenging our lives are we too can still celebrate the joy and hope of the resurrection in the midst of it.

How is the risen Christ calling you to celebrate his presence in your life this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

With open hearts.

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OPEN HEARTED

Today’s Eastertide word is OPEN HEARTED. The Acts of the Apostles, introduces Lydia, a devout business woman from Thyatira. She is in the purple dye trade, which was very much at the luxury end of the clothing market of the day.

She’s a skilled, successful woman, capable of running her business and household. This gives us an interesting and valuable insight into the lives of women at the time which deepens our understanding of the people who made up the early Church.

But, fascinating as that is, it’s not the most interesting, important or exciting thing about Lydia. Luke tells us:

“The Lord opened her heart…”

The interesting thing about Lydia is that she opened her heart so that the Lord spoke directly to her and changed her life forever. Building on the devout faith she already had Christ opens her heart to a new and deeper reality, a faith based on the good news of resurrection.

We don’t know all the details of how that change played out through the rest of her life. We only see its beginnings in the fact that she and her household were baptised and in her compelling Paul and Barnabas to come and stay with her.

She reminds me that, if we allow him to the risen Christ can open our hearts to the new life his resurrection offers. He can change our lives just as much as he changed Lydia’s.

Where are you being called to open your heart to the risen Christ this Eastertide?

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Remembering…

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REMEMBER

Today gospel is full of challenge. Jesus reminds us disciples that they will face persecution because of him. It’s a dark gospel for Eastertide which we think on as a time of joy and celebration.

While that is true it doesn’t wipe out the suffering that makes up any life. So today my Eastertide word is REMEMBER. Jesus tells his disciples:

“Remember the words I said to you…”

He reminds them that they can draw comfort, support and strength for the sufferings they face from his teaching. He knows that they won’t remember everything, even from their own intimate experiences with him.

He makes allowances for that. He tells them elsewhere in John’s gospel that the Holy Spirit will come and “remind” them of all he has taught him. His words remind me of the importance of memory for our faith journey.

It’s important for us as a Christian community to remember all that God has worked in the life of the church, even when the church has been broken and sinful.

t’s important each of us to remember where we have known the presence of God and the working of the spirit in our own lives, even when those lives have been full of struggle and pain.

Eastertide calls us to actively remind ourselves of the times when we’ve been aware of Christ’s presence so that we can draw strength from them to face the hardships of these challenging times we’re living through.

What is the Risen Christ inviting you to remember this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

Christ’s Chosen

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CHOSEN

Today’s Eastertide word is CHOSEN. We live surrounded by choices that often require a lot of time, thought and effort. This can give us a sense of control, but if I’m honest it also manages to feel both overwhelming and limiting.

We can cause ourselves a lot of anxiety in our efforts to make the “right” choice in every situation. On the surface it looks like this myriad of choices is a good thing, that’s not always the case

Jesus brings a whole new perspective to the idea of choice, reminding us that, in his love, he chose us first. His words draw me to a deeper reality that is both truer and more liberating. He says to his disciples:

“You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last…”

His words go to the heart of our Christian vocation, recalling the words of psalmist quoted by St Benedict:

“Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?”

In our yearning for life all we have to do is to respond to the choice Christ has made. So I find these gospel words both hopeful and humbling. They remind me that my role is to listen and respond.

They call me back to humility, telling me that control is not in my hands, but in the hands of Christ. They fill me with hope as they tell me I am already chosen. Christ has already chosen me, and each one of us, and is waiting with love for us to respond to his call to new life.

How are you responding to being chosen by Christ this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

A moment of stillness

REMAIN

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Today’s Eastertide word is REMAIN. It’s a call to stillness in the midst of a busy, action packed season. Eastertide is so full of movement and momentum as the disciples discover the resurrection and rush to share its joy and hope.

We see it in Mary Magdalene setting out before dawn, in Peter and John racing each other to the tomb, in the disciples on the road to Emmaus turning round and rushing back to Jerusalem. This carries on in the Acts of the Apostles as the disciples begin to teach, preach and establish their new community.

In today’s gospel Jesus tells the disciples to:

“Remain in my love.”

His words are a call to pause and ground ourselves in the love of the risen Christ. It’s not a call to walk away from preaching, teaching and sharing the good news. Rather, it’s a call to ensure that all of those actions grow out from a time of stillness in the presence of the risen Christ.

That’s not always an easy call to hear especially in a world that values busyness and productivity. We are generally more comfortable being active than we are being still.

Yet, if we desire to embrace the new life the risen Christ promises, we have to learn to be still in his presence. We have to risk letting go of all our activity and busyness, and let his call to new life echo through our hearts.

Where is Christ calling you to be still in his presence this Eastertide?

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Intertwined with Christ

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VINE

In today’s gospel Jesus uses the image of a vine to explain the relationship between his Father, himself and the disciples:

“I am the true vine; you are the branches.”

It’s an image that we hear repeatedly in the Gospels. sometimes such images can become so familiar that they lose their potency. Sr Verna Holyhead gave me a fresh perspective on this:

“The vine is a radically non-hierarchical image of the people of God for all the branches are so intertwined that…it is almost impossible to tell where one branch begins and another ends.”

She reflects that this is a radically new way of thinking about relationship and community. It suggests a closeness and equality of relationship that treasures each member and the gifts they bring to the whole.

It’s an image that works against our natural inclination to be independent, to look after ourselves first at the expense of others.

This reminds me of my favourite part of the Rule of St Benedict, chapter 72 where St Benedict tells his community they should:

“Support with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behaviour… No one is to pursue what the judge better for themselves, but instead what the judge better for someone else… Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and maybe bring us all together to everlasting life.”

His words highlight in a very practical way what a community based on this beautiful image of the vine would look like. They remind us that our goal is to come to Christ all together, not racing ahead and leaving others behind, but finding ways of supporting and encouraging one another on the journey, making sure everyone has what they need.

Even in these most challenging times we have choice and opportunity. We can choose to build communities based on the love, hope, trust, mutual respect and interdependence that the gospel suggests. While that choice is challenging it has the potential to bring us to new life in ways we could never have imagined.

As we move through Eastertide how does being intertwined with Christ shape your life and your relationships?

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An Eastertide Peace

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PEACE

In today’s gospel Jesus offers his disciples the gift of PEACE:

“Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.”

We always need this gift of PEACE We can sometimes lull ourselves into a sense of false security, accepting a surface status quo as peace, ignoring the conflicts that lie beneath it.

In reality, however much we disguise it, there is always some situation in our personal lives or in our societies that needs the healing touch of peace.

Having said that there also seems to be times when our need for peace is more obvious and urgent. There are times when those conflicts and disagreements that have simmered under the surface breakout bringing violence and destruction in their wake. We are living in such a time now.

There are so many places today facing war and conflict. We can no longer ignore the huge costs of these conflicts to ordinary people. The destruction they bring to ordinary lives and communities is truly horrific.

This gives Jesus’ offer of peace a new and deeper meaning. When our own fragile attempts at peace making feel our only hope is to trust in the peace he offers. His peace is universal; it is offered without judgement or partisanship.

If we are to have any hope of healing our war-torn world, we each have to open our hearts to accept the peace he offers. We have to it to shape our life, and share it with others in ways that change and rebuild broken relationships.

Where is Christ challenging you to accept and share his peace this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

Taught by the Spirit

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TEACH

Today’s Eastertide word is TEACH. In today’s gospel Jesus is teaching his disciple about the centrality of love in all relationships. He tells them that it is central to his relationship with the Father, to his relationship with the disciples and to the disciples’ relationships with one another.

He knows they will not understand everything. So, he has a backup. He promises them that when he goes to the Father, he will send the Holy Spirit to remind them of everything taught them and to show them how to put it into practice:

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

This his words, and his example, reminds me that teaching is a relational activity. It is only really effective when it’s based on a relationship of trust, openness and mutual respect. Jesus invites and challenges us to allow him to teach us everything he knows about love and relationship.

To truly learn from his teaching we have to come to him with open hearts. If his teaching is to do more than skim the surface of our lives we have to be vulnerable in his presence and to be open to change.

To allow him to teach us to love we need the humility to admit what we don’t know. Like the disciples we have to take the risk of bringing him our questions and uncertainties. Then, we have to be prepared to allow his responses to puzzle us and to change us.

What do you most need the risen Christ to teach you this Eastertide?