Category: Liturgy

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

The challenge of discipleship.

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In today’s gospel Jesus makes clear to his disciples that he is heading towards Jerusalem and suffering. His words are stark and challenging. Once again, I find myself sympathising with Peter’s response. He says to him:

“Heaven preserve you, Lord;… This must not happen to you.”

Peter rushes to make things better, to help Jesus avoid the suffering. We often feel like that when we encounter a loved one in pain. Our first instinct is to do whatever we can to remove the pain, to “make everything better”. We do this even when we know from experience it is not necessarily the best or most helpful way.

Jesus points out that God’s way is different. God calls us not to avoid the necessary suffering life brings, but to accept it:

“Those who want to be followers of mine must renounce themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their lives will lose them; but those who lose their lives for my sake will find it.”

We can all identify with the suffering this passage talks about. Jesus is not glorifying suffering, or suggesting that we should deliberately seek or hang onto it when it comes. Instead, he suggests that in embracing the suffering that comes our way we move through into the new life that he promises.

The cross is a vital part of our faith, that we all experience in some form. But it is not the point of the gospel, or the end of the Christian story. Sometimes it is more challenging to trust and embrace that hope of new life than it is to accept the suffering of the cross.

Where is Christ inviting you find the hope of new life in the sufferings you face?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prophetic voices Saints

Recognising Christ

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This Sunday’s gospel returns to a question that is at the heart of Christian life. Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about him. It highlights Jesus’ humanity, like all of us he wonders what people think of him, and how much impact his message is having them.

He gets a varied response from the disciples. Some people say he’s John the Baptist, or Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Brushing this mixed bag aside he asks the disciples:

“But you…who do you say I am?”

This question moves the discussion to a deeper level. Directed, not to the crowds who hear him in the market place or synagogue, but to the people who left everything to follow him. It requires a deeper response than the comments the disciples have passed on.

I can imagine the silence that fell as the disciples realised this and pondered their response. As usual it is Simon Peter who has the courage to break that silence as he says:

“You are the Christ…, the Son of the living God.”

As the rest of the passage unfolds we see how life changing this response is for Peter. It’s left me pondering my own response to the question. It’s one we’re very familiar with and can easily take for granted.

Yet, each time it arises it has the potential to be as life changing for us as it was for Peter. Whenever it comes up we’re called to give it our whole attention so that we, like Peter, can answer it from the depths of our hearts.

How does recognising Christ transform your life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Prayer Prophetic voices Rule of St Benedict Saints Scripture

With softened hearts

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In challenging times such as ours it can be helpful to look to our Christian past for role models whose example can give us courage and hope. St Bernard Tolomei, the founder of the Olivetan congregation, whose feast we celebrate today is one of those. He was a 13th century lawyer who, with a few friends, left the city to live as hermits in the hills outside of Siena.

13th century Siena could be a violent and dangerous place. Bernard and his companions may have been glad to leave all that behind as they chose a radical form of contemplative life. But choosing the contemplative life is an act of love, not an escape from the challenges of living with others. This was summed up this morning at Lauds:

“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

That call of Love leads us into desert places to spend time alone with God. It can also, as Bernard and his companions found out, lead us back into the midst of the bustle of society with all its challenges.

When plague struck Siena in 1349 the Love that called Bernard and his companions into the desert called them back to nurse the victims of the plague. It was there that Bernard fell victim to the plague himself and died.

His life suggests that it’s our time spent with God that enables and sustains our service to others. It is the love we discover in the heart of God that softens our stony hearts and enables us to love our sisters and brothers.

How is God softening your heart towards your neighbour today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prophetic voices Saints Scripture

Called to integrity & justice.

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It’s tempting to divide the world into “them and us”. This is especially true when we feel threatened or endangered, when we tend to look for someone or something to blame. We close in on ourselves locking into our own communities, and viewing those we consider to be “different” to us with suspicion.

All of that is a perfectly normal, human reaction to threatening a dangerous situation. In our current times, fraught with danger and uncertainty in so many different directions we can already see the effects of such attitudes on our communities and societies.

Today’s readings point us very clearly in a different direction, pointing us towards the all-inclusive nature of God’s love. In the first reading the prophet Isaiah makes it clear that God expects his people to act with integrity towards those who are considered “other” saying:

“Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.”

His words, written thousands of years ago, could have been written have real resonance for today. He reminds us that we are called to treat all people with justice and integrity. It’s a call we hear again and again through Scripture. This is not an optional extra to Christian faith, imitating this all-inclusive love of God is essential.

We can’t all be campaigners or policymakers, but we can all strive to make a difference. We are all called to do whatever we can to ensure everyone has what they need to live with dignity and self-respect whatever their background.

Where is Christ calling you to act with integrity today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

In trust and hope.

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Today as we’re celebrating the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary I’m revisiting Luke’s account of the Visitation. It’s a beautiful encounter of two women connected by family ties and by the unusual, miraculous circumstances they find themselves overtaken by. It shows us Mary at the beginning of a life’s journey that culminates in the Assumption.

The young Mary can have had no idea of where this journey would lead her. Yet, despite her trepidation she is already full of the Spirit. She has the courage to use the words that have been passed down through her faith sing of the greatness of the God who has transformed her life:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my saviour…”

It is easy to imagine that Mary knew how her life would unfold. We easily forget that she didn’t have our gift of hindsight. She had no idea of how her “yes” would shape her life and all our lives. She was a young girl stepping out into the unknown, hanging on to a promise from God that she didn’t fully understand.

It must have taken huge amount of courage and trust to take that step, singing God’s praises and trusting that the promise would be fulfilled.

In our own uncertain and challenging lives and times we are called to follow her example, trusting in dark times that God’s promise will also be fulfilled in our lives in ways beyond our dreams.

Where is Christ inviting you to step out in trust today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prophetic voices Scripture Transfiguration

A life transfigured

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The Transfiguration is a beautiful feast that both draws us into the glory of God and grounds us in the reality of our daily lives on earth. Peter, James and John are drawn into the mystery and wonder of God’s presence.

In the midst of what started out as an ordinary walk up a mountain they see Jesus transfigured, conversing with Moses and Elijah, and they hear the voice of God speaking from within a cloud:

“This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.”

It must have been a life changing, and life shattering encounter. I can understand their fear, and Peter’s desire to control the situation by building tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

So often when we encounter the reality of God’s mystery we look for ways of taming it, of making manageable and understandable to our human minds. Or, we seek to hang on to the experience, not wanting to leave the place where we have encountered God’s presence.

The Transfiguration moves us beyond both of those natural human responses. It calls us to listen with our whole hearts to the voice of God. It invites us to be open to those moments in our own life when God’s presence breaks through and transfigures our reality.

Yet, even as it allows us to draw strength from such times, it moves us beyond them. It challenges us to listen to Jesus and to allow his presence to transform the ordinariness of our daily lives.

Where is Christ inviting you to allow his presence to transfigure your life today?

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

Come to the water

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Today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah is one of my favourites. It’s depiction of the loving and compassionate care that God lavishes on us both soothes me and fills me with hope. Isaiah writes:

“Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat, and, at no cost, wine and milk.”

It reminds me that we are the children of a generous and loving God who knows all our needs. Yet, I have to confess it has a new and disconcerting resonance for me this year as I look at an England ravaged by drought and heat wave. Having been brought up in the damp West Coast of Scotland I never really expected to be concerned about water supplies.

I carry this new resonance forward into the other readings for today. In his letter to the Roman St Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. The gospel brings us back to the generosity of God in meeting our needs as Jesus performs the miracle of the loaves and fishes, ensuring that the crowds following him had everything they needed

In challenging and unsettling times these readings carry a promise and a challenge. The challenge calls us to imitate the generosity Isaiah describes and that Jesus demonstrates. It calls us to be generous towards others, however little we have, even as uncertainty urges us in the opposite direction. The promise is in Isaiah’s vision, reinforced by St Paul:

“For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What are the challenges that Christ calls due to face with courage and generosity today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

Seeds of life.

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Today’s gospel sees Jesus teaching through parables once again. The parable of the sower is full of rich resources for us to ponder. Each time we visit it there seems to be something new to discover and reflect on.

The image that has stayed with me today is that of the seed. Seeds are small, and apparently insignificant. Their potential is so well hidden that it can be easily overlooked or brushed aside. Yet, as Sister Verna Holyhead says in her reflection on the passage:

“The seed is a wonderful symbol of the kingdom. Small, hard, unattractive to the senses, yet within it lies the future promise and hope of green and growing things, of harvest and bread.”

Jesus tells his disciples that the meaning of the parable lies in how we receive the seed of the kingdom into our hearts. We can receive it in ways that stifle or prevent its growth, and so receive either only a fleeting benefit or no benefit at all. Or, we can prepare the soil of our hearts opening them to the life changing presence of Christ:

“Those who receive the seed in rich soil are the ones who hear the word and understand it; they are the ones who yields a harvest and produce now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.”

To open our hearts in this way is risky. There is so much in our lives and our societies would harden our hearts. The challenge of living in difficult times can make us us wary and untrusting.

Jesus offers us a different way. He promises that if we give our whole attention to listening to the Word, allowing it to shape every aspect of our lives we will yield a rich harvest for ourselves and for all those we encounter.

How is Christ helping you to prepare your heart to allow his words to take root in your heart today?

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

Treasures new and old.

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As we celebrate the feast of St Benedict in increasingly uncertain times I’m reminded of his instructions to the Superior of the community. He says that the Superior should have a treasury of knowledge both old and new to draw on in leading the community.

His words left me reflecting on what the Rule could offer these times when we are so keen to embrace novelty. It drew me back to the heart of the Rule, chapter 72.

It captures the essence of the Rule with the combination of practicality and idealism that has kept the Rule relevant and grounded through the centuries. St Benedict begins by setting a high ideal for his community telling them to:

“Foster the good zeal which separates from evil and leads to God and eternal life.”

He then draws that ideal into the reality of daily life showing his disciples how to put it into practice:

“Try to be the first to show respect to one another, supporting with the greatest patience one another’s weaknesses of body or behaviour… No one is to pursue what they judge better for themselves, but instead what they judge better for someone else.”

He brings his ideal down to simple, straightforward actions that we can all put into practice. This good zeal that leads us to God is not beyond our reach, which is not the same as saying it is easy. It requires daily commitment and self sacrifice; we can find a myriad of ways to practice it every day.

It’s a call to be patient, considerate and kind in our daily interactions with one another. As we rush to develop new ways of engaging with one another and the word I hope we allow these ancient values to help shape our lives.

Where are you being called to practice good zeal in your relationships today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

Uncertainty and Belief

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Today were celebrating the feast of St Thomas. He is one of my favourite disciples because he is so direct and has the courage to ask awkward questions. I often think that he asked the questions that other people don’t quite have the nerve for.

I always feel sorry for him at the beginning of today’s gospel. There is nothing more isolating than having missed a life changing experience that everyone else in your group is talking about.

I imagine that the eight days between the two resurrection appearances must have been extremely uncomfortable for Thomas. As he heard the other disciples discussing their experience he must have wondered why he was left out. I can sense both sadness and disappointment in his response to their enthusiasm.

Yet, all that changes when Jesus appeared to them again. He doesn’t criticise or blame Thomas for his response, instead he offers him exactly what he needs to be able to believe in the resurrection:

“He spoke to Thomas ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’”

His words break down any barriers of doubt that Thomas still harboured. His acceptance of Thomas’ position enables Thomas to open his heart to believe in the reality of the risen Christ.

Jesus accepts our questions and uncertainties in exactly the same way, coming to each of us in the way that is most likely to open our heart to to accept his peace and love in our lives.

Where is the risen Christ offering you peace and love today?