Category: Liturgy

With wholehearted attention.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 06/10/2024

In today’s gospel Jesus stops the disciples turning away the children people are bring to him. He says:

“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

The theme of becoming childlike has come up several times in recent gospels. I always think it’s worth revisiting something when that happens. My experience as a primary school teacher tells me that there are many things adults can learn from children.

Reflecting on this I was reminded of a thread on Twitter that I followed some time ago about vocation and contemplation. Part of the discussion centred on the question “what is contemplation?”, A question that can’t easily be answered and several interesting suggestions were put forward.

For me image of small children at play has always spoken of the essence of contemplation. Whenever children play their activity captures their whole attention and takes all their energy. They engage in play with their whole being, totally engrossed and caught up in the moment.

The call to discipleship is a call to give our whole attention to seeking and following Christ as St Paul reminds us in the letters to Hebrews saying:

“Let us not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection…”

If we are to do as he suggests and keep our sights firmly on Jesus we need to give ourselves completely to whatever we are involved in with the same wholehearted attention that children bring to their play. If we are able to learn that skill, we will discover the presence of the kingdom in the midst of all our activities and all our interactions.

Where do you feel called to give your whole attention today?

Tags #Attention, #attentiveness, #Benedictine, #challenge, #Children, #Disciples, #Discipleship, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #LittleChildren, #love, #newlife, #trust, #Wholehearted

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

Expanding the boundaries.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 29/09/2024

Photo by Artur Kornakov on Unsplash

We are communal beings, despite the individualistic tone of our society we flourish in relationship and in community. Although it has an intensely intimate aspect our faith is a communal one. As St Benedict reminds us we travel to Christ and eternal life “altogether”, not alone.

All this is profoundly life giving, but today’s gospel points out that it also has a downside that we need to be aware of. When it stops being all inclusive community can descend into tribalism. If shifts from being a space where all are welcome, and there is only “us” to being a separatist space divided into “us and them”.

In today’s gospel, the disciples fall into this tribal trap. Shocked by seeing an outsider casting out demons in Jesus’ name they try to stop him, and then complain to Jesus. His response is unexpected. Instead of anger he replies:

“You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.”

Unlike his disciples Jesus is able to be open and inclusive, trusting the good intentions of the man’s intentions. He is able to see a bigger picture than the disciples, and reaches out, not to criticise the man, but to enlarge the disciples understanding of community and belonging.

In our challenging times when tribalism is on the increase we too are challenged by Jesus to expand our ideal of community until there is no “them and us”, but just an all inclusive us, journeying together towards the God of love.

What boundaries is Christ challenging you to expand today?

Tags #belonging, #Benedictine, #Boundaries, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #community, #Disciples, #Discipleship, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #trust, #welcome

Beatitudes Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

The challenge of the Kingdom

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 11/09/2024

Image by we-o_rd35kd13_ya7vvh7o from pixabay.com

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 and hunger. 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 as we face a cost of living crisis that is driving many more people into poverty. It seems to me that they call us question a status quo that leaves so many unable to meet their most basic needs while others, including ourselves, have so much more than needed.

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 have the material basics they need to live life with dignity.

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

Tags #beatitudes, #Benedictine, #Blessed, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #Disciples, #Discipleship, #generosity, #gospel, #Hope, #kindness, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Scripture Uncategorized

Discovering the good.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 08/09/2024

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

Today were celebrating the Birthday of Our Lady, a solemnity for our congregation. It’s the anniversary of the day I entered the monastery, so it carries a certain resonance for me, and I often find myself looking back to that day.

So I was especially struck by these words from our first reading at Mass:

“We know that for those who love God, everything works together for good…” (Romans 8:28)

These are not the words of Scripture that would have come to mind on the day I entered. I can see the truth in them with hindsight but, I’m not sure I could have seen it on that day of mixed and sometimes conflicting emotions. The reality of the hope that they express is central to our faith, yet it is very easily pushed to one side as soon as we struggle with the challenging realities of life.

When I think of Mary I imagine that she too experienced mixed and conflicting emotions as she faced the consequences of the “yes” that changed the world for all of us. Yet, she is still able to trust and rejoice in God’s great goodness:

“I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God!”

Her words offer me hope and encouragement that seem particularly important in our unsettled times. She reminds me that, unlikely as it may seem, we are loved and held by God. Whatever we face, whatever we suffer, the God of love will be there, not necessarily to remove the suffering, but to hold and support us as we face it.

Where are you being reminded of the presence of the God of love in your life today?

Tags #Benedictine, #BirthdayOfOurLady, #challenge, #faithfulness, #gospel, #Hope, #joy, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Magnificat, #MonasticLife, #newlife, #rejoice, #trust, #VirginMary

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

Love in action.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 19/08/2024

Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash

Today we’re celebrating feast of St Bernard Tolomei, the founder of the Olivetan congregation. He was a 13th century lawyer who, with a few friends, left the city to live as hermits in the hills outside of Siena.

However, things did not turn out quite as they planned. Having being led out into one of those “desert places” where God speaks to the heart, they were called back into the city to nurse the victims of the plague in 1349. It was there that St Bernard fell ill and died.

Reflecting on Bernard’s life in the light of that gospel I was touched by this:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

It sums up both the essence of St Bernard’s life and of the call to contemplation that we all experience. The result Bernard’s contemplation was not to cut him off from the world and its sufferings, but to make him more aware of them. This led him back to the city to give his life in serving others.

It’s tempting to make a division between a life of contemplation and one of service. Bernard’s life suggests that there is no such division, they are two parts of a whole. It is 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 enables us to love our sisters and brothers.

How is Christ calling you to serve today?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christlike, #Contemplation, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #prayer, #Sanits, #Servant, #ServantKing, #StBernardTolomei, #trust

Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

Changing hearts & Minds.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 07/08/2024

Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

Today’s gospel is an uncomfortable read. Jesus encounter with the Canaanite woman highlights racial tensions between two groups of people who have been at enmity for some time. When the Canaanite woman, stepping out of her comfort zone, asks for help Jesus initially ignores her. Then, when his disciples compel him to respond he brushes her aside saying:

‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’

This is not the sort of response we might expect the Jesus we know as open, loving and accepting of all people. As he is pressed by the women who continues to plead for her daughter his response becomes more negative:

‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’

It almost seems that he is confirming the prejudices of his own people rather than challenging them. The Canaanite woman is courageous or desperate enough to challenge his response saying:

“Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.”

Her persistence & courage touch Jesus’ heart changing his mind and his view of his mission. He moves from seeing this woman as a stranger, and outsider to valuing her as he does his own people:

“Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.”

In these times of racial tension this gospel challenges us and offers us hope. It challenges us to look again at those we perceive as “other”, actively seek ways of reaching out to welcome them and learn about them. The change we observe in Jesus offers us the hope that encounters across cultures and races can change our minds and expand our hearts with love.

Where is Christ challenging you to reach out to others today?

Tags #belonging, #Benedictine, #CanaaniteWoman, #challenge, #Christ, #Encounter, #faith, #friendship, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #Transformation, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Transfiguration Uncategorized

The call to transformation.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 06/08/2024

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

The Transfiguration is a beautiful feast. It gives us an insight into the mystery of God. It shows us how God’s glory can break through into our ordinary lives, transforming them and enabling us to see them in a new light. Yet it’s also full of challenge.

Like Peter, when we glimpse that glory we want to stay with it. We long to be held in the shelter of God’s presence, protected from the storms and hardships of our lives. Tempting as that is, it misses the point of the Transfiguration. Those moments of intense encounter with God are not places to hide away but ones to draw courage from so that we can face the turmoil of the challenging lives and times we live in.

It seems to me that the key to the Transfiguration is in these words spoken from the cloud:

“This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.”

It’s a call to listen to Jesus that requires we are open to those intense moments of transformation, but are also willing to move on from them. It’s a call not only to listen, but to respond to his words, allowing them to shape our actions and encounters.

It’s a call to leave the places where we feel safe and comfortable and follow him whatever challenges life presents, and to learn to respond to those challenges with love, kindness and compassion.

Where are you being called to listen to Christ in your life today?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #Elijah, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #listen, #listening, #love, #Moses, #newlife, #Transfiguration, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Communion Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

The Bread of Life.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 04/08/2024

Image by Gini George from pixabay.com

This week’s readings both focus on the reality of our physical needs and point us beyond them. It seems to me that this speaks to the heart of our reality. As humans we have real, physical needs that can’t be pushed aside if we are to flourish. This is played out in the first reading when the Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron that they have no food. When the Moses takes their complaint to the Lord it’s met, with no quibbling or blaming:

“I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content .”

But God also knows that meeting physical needs alone is not enough for true human flourishing, for that both our spiritual and physical needs need to be addressed. So, having provided manna to satisfy their hunger God seeks to draw the people into a deeper relationship saying:

“Then you will learn that I, the Lord, am your God.”

The gospel, following on from the feeding of the five thousand, has a similar pattern. Having met the physical needs of the hungry and tired crowd Jesus invited them to embrace a bigger picture:

‘I am the bread of life. Those who comes to me will never be hungry; those who believes in me will never thirst.’

In offering them himself, the Bread of Life, offers them the opportunity to accept a reality that acknowledges both their physical and spiritual needs.

Where is Christ offering you nourishment today?

Tags #Benedictine, #BreadOfLife, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #Eucharist, #God, #gospel, #Hope, #Israelites, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Moses, #newlife, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Uncategorized

Discovering treasure.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 31/07/2024

Image by Günter from pixabay.com

Today we’re celebrating the feast of St Ignatius Loyola whose spiritual exercises have done much to shape Christian spirituality through the centuries. Today’s gospel, the pearl of great price, struck me as having an enlightening resonance with the life of St Ignatius. In describing the kingdom Jesus tells his disciples the story of a someone finding treasure hidden in a field, and happily selling all their possessions to buy the field:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found… He goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.”

His desire for the pearl and his decision to act on it is completely life changing for him. St Ignatius went through a similar life changing experience. Having been seriously wounded in battle he found himself bedbound, bored and frustrated in a strange house. He had limited resources to entertain himself. He was left with nothing to read except a life of Christ and the life of the saints, which would not have been his choice.

However, as he read them and daydreamed about their stories he began to find unexpected riches buried there. The discovery led him to question how he was living and what made him truly happy. To his surprise he discovered that it wasn’t imagining himself as a great knight, performing deeds of strength and courage.

Instead he found that he was happiest when he imagined himself imitating the actions of Jesus or of the saints. This was the treasure he discovered and, he willingly gave everything he had to be able to carry on seeking that treasure.

Where are you being called to seek the hidden treasure of Christ’s presence in your life?

Tags #challenge, #courage, #discernment, #Discipleship, #gospel, #Hope, #Ignatian, #kingdom, #KingdomOfHeaven, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #PearlOfGreatPrice, #SaintIgnatiusOfLoyola, #Saints, #treasure, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Resurrection Saints Scripture Truth Uncategorized

Welcoming Christ

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 29/07/2024

Image by Pexels from pixabay.com

A post from the archives for the feast of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, friends of the Lord, an important feast for Benedictines because of of its link to hospitality. Luke tells us that Martha:

“Welcomed Jesus into her home.”

She offered him hospitality, a safe place to relax and have a meal with his friends in dangerous and uncertain times. However, John takes the hospitality she offers to a different level. He shows us a woman of faith, used to the theological reflection and conversation, and already a follower of Jesus.

Even as she grieves for her brother she is capable of questioning Jesus and of allowing his response to transform her whole life It is through their hard, challenging conversation that Jesus is both revealed and recognised as Christ:

“I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though they die they will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Central as this revelation is it is not enough by itself, and he requires a response from Martha, asking her:

“Do you believe this?”

The recognition of her response completes the revelation as she proclaims:

“Yes Lord… I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one who was to come into this world.”

I don’t think it would have been possible for Martha reach this recognition if she had only welcomed Jesus into her home. To recognise him as the Christ she must also have opened her heart to him.

By welcoming him into the very centre of her being she was able to allow him to transform her whole life. We too are called to offer the risen Christ hospitality in the depths of our heart, allowing him to enter and transform our lives with light, love and hope

What would help you to invite Christ into your heart today?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #faith, #friendship, #gospel, #Hope, #hospitality, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Martha, #MarthaMaryLazarus, #newlife, #resurrection, #trust