Category: Prayer

In the secret of our hearts

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 17/06/2026

Photo by Jon Tyson on unsplash.com

In today’s gospel Jesus warns us against seeking attention and admiration for our faith and our good deeds. It’s a message that very much goes against the wisdom of age, which encourages us to seek notice and attention in every situation. It’s a call to live humbly. Humility is essential in Benedictine spirituality.

It’s not easy, it requires self-knowledge, self-awareness, self acceptance and self-love. It calls us both to accept our limitations and our giftedness, to acknowledge that we are both made of dust and the beloved children of God. As I reflected on this I was touched by these words from the gospel:

“When you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.”

It seems to me that Jesus shows us the best way to learn to live humbly. He calls us to come alone into God’s presence, to spend time in a quiet, private, intimate space with God. It’s not an easy or comfortable place to be. Like the desert, it can be a place where we both wrestle demons and discover angels.

Entering that private place where God is we can come to acknowledge our weakness and our failings, learning to accept them lovingly as God does. We can discover the precious gifts that God has given us and discern how best to use them in the service of others. The secret place where we encounter God is a place of challenge, it is also a place of consolation, healing and encouragement.

How do you draw strength from your times alone in God’s presence?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christlike, #discernment, #Discipleship, #Gift, #gospel, #Hope, #humility, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #prayer, #secret, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Communion Corpus Christi Eucharist Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture

United in love.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 07/06/2026

Photo by Considerate Agency on unsplash.com

Corpus Christi being celebrated on two different days gives me another opportunity to revisit its rich readings.

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

His words are full of hope, speaking to the unity we all desire. It’s a unity that has two dimensions. There is the personal union with Christ that we are all called to, but desirable as that is it is not enough. So alongside that there is a call to unity with our sisters and brothers.

The call to follow Christ, while it is deeply personal, is not individual. It’s a call to community. As Benedict reminds us we go to Christ “altogether”.

In a world where we are all too aware of our disagreements and divisions, both in society and in the church,St Paul’s words can seem impossibly idealistic. When we look at the divisions between our churches his vision can seem like an unachievable dream.

With this in mind I turned to the readings for the 10 Sunday of ordinary time. I found that they laid out a pathway to the unity St Paul speaks of. In the first reading the Prophet Hosea reminds the people that God calls them to be people of love:

“What I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts.”

This gives me a deeper understanding the unity at the heart of Corpus Christi. It is first a call to build a community of love that is inclusive and welcoming to all who seek God.

As we celebrate Corpus Christi how are you being called to help build the church into a community of love?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Church, #Communion, #community, #CorpusChristi, #gospel, #Hope, #Hosea, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #trust, #unity

Ascension Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Eastertide Holy Spirit Lectio Divina Pentecost Prayer Prophetic voices Resurrection Scripture Uncategorized

The abundant generosity of the Holy Spirit.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 24/05/2026

Image ©Turvey Abbey

ABUNDANCE

My final Eastertide word is ABUNDANCE. All of Eastertide expresses the overflowing abundance of God’s love for us. That’s especially true as we celebrate the ABUNDANCE of gifts the Holy Spirit showers on us at Pentecost.

This comes to mind when I reflect on our Pentecost tapestry and how it highlights the themes of the feast, listing our hopes for the coming of the Spirit into our lives:

“Come, cleanse, renew, heal, guide, fill, strengthen.”

I often find myself thinking that it seems a little bit crowded. The words seem to be jostling for space, almost overflowing the narrow hanging. This thought was in my mind as I read the first reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He tells us:

“There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.”

In the light of his words I it seems hardly surprising that the words on the tapestry seem to burst out of the available space. Pentecost is a feast overflowing with a generosity and energy that are impossible to contain. The variety of gifts God pours out at Pentecost cannot be contained.

They overflow, just like the words on our tapestry, insisting that we use them in all sorts of different ways to help, support and nurture the people of our times.

Just as the disciples were compelled to reach out to the world by wind and fire the Spirit demands that we burst out of whatever upper room imprisons us to share her gifts generously with our needy world.

What gift of the Spirit do you want to overflow in your heart this Pentecost?

Tags #Abundance, #Benedictine, #challenge, #eastertide, #Eastertide2026, #EastertideLexicon, #GiftsOfTheSpirit, #gospel, #HolySpirit, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #Pentecost, #trust

Ascension Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Prayer Resurrection Scripture

Coming to know Christ

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 21/05/2026

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez unsplash.com

KNOW

Today’s Eastertide word is KNOW.

The farewell discourse in John’s gospel are full of riches as Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure he seems he does everything he can to make himself known to them in the fullest possible way:

“I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.”

His words remind me that we our Christian call is to an intimate relationship with Christ. We are called to get to know him as well as we would know our best friends.

To do that we have to spend time with him, listening to his teaching, watching his actions, learning what matters most to him.

It’s not only are called to come to know Christ. The call to friendship is never one way so it’s also a call to allow Christ to know as. Christ opens himself to us in the Gospels, showing himself as he truly is.

He calls us to open ourselves to him in the same way, allowing him to see us truly are. It’s a beautiful idea, one that really touches our hearts and the depth of our longing. Yet the reality is it can be quite hard to be open ourselves to the love and friendship that Christ offers.

The knocks and bumps of daily life very quickly overshadow that longing. Our relationships and their experiences leave us wounded and hurt. Often we feel frustrated, isolated and unloved. It’s so tempting to give into those feelings and then it becomes very hard to allow ourselves to be known by Christ.

How is Christ inviting you to get to know him this Eastertide?

Tags #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #eastertide, #Eastertide2026, #friendship, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Know, #known, #lectiodivina, #listen, #love, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Prayer Resurrection Scripture

Remembering…

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 09/05/2026

Photo Vitaly Gariev on unsplash.com

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?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christlike, #eastertide, #Eastertide2026, #gospel, #HolySpirit, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #Remember, #resurrection, #RisenChrist, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Resurrection Rule of St Benedict Scripture

An Eastertide Vocabulary.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 13/04/2026

Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on unsplash.com

One of the most helpful books I’ve read is “Amazing Grace, a vocabulary of faith.” By Kathleen Norris. She describes it as “an exploration and record of some of the words in the Christian lexicon that most trouble and attract me.”

The book reminded me of an important Benedictine principle, that words matter. They shape us, form us, challenge us and help us grow.

Last year I made a Lent lexicon. This year I’m aiming to make an Eastertide one. I’ve chosen words that attract and sometimes scare me. They also both shape and challenge my experience of Eastertide.

I’m including words that are particularly connected to Eastertide, and words that, though they’re connected to other seasons might have a different resonance in this Eastertide.

Tags #Benedictine, #BenedictineSpirituality, #challenge, #eastertide, #Eastertide2026, #EastertideLexicon, #gospel, #Grace, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #resurrection, #trust, #Vocabulary

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Divine Office Holy Saturday Holy Week Lectio Divina Lent Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture

In The Emptiness

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 04/04/2026

Photo by Anton Maksimov on unsplash.com

After the high drama of Good Friday people often talk of Holy Saturday as a “tomb day”, a time to sit with the emptiness that follows death, to allow the events of Good Friday to sink in. I recognise the yearning for that and its wisdom. Yet, it’s not an experience I recognise from monastic life.

In practice, for many of us Holy Saturday is very much a hybrid day, we are aware of its emptiness, the mourning and the uncertainty. We also have to acknowledge that the Easter vigil is fast approaching and that Easter liturgies and treats do not plan themselves. So it is also a day of preparation and anticipation that can be very busy.

As we move through this hybrid day I’m reflecting on these words from the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah from this morning’s Office of Readings:

“The favours of the Lord are not all past, nor his kindnesses exhausted; every morning they are renewed: great is his faithfulness. My portion is with the Lord says my soul, and so I will hope in him.”

Even in the midst of his lamentation Jeremiah is able to acknowledge the kindness and faithfulness of God, and to put his hope in that. His words speak to me of the hybrid reality of the day. It seems to me that the emptiness of Holy Saturday calls us to imitate God’s kindness to others as we get on with the many preparations for Easter, and to ourselves as we seek small moments of quiet during the day.

In the emptiness of Holy Saturday where are you aware of the Lord renewing your capacity for kindness?

Tags #challenge, #DivineOffice, #emptiness, #faithfulness, #HolySaturday, #HolyWeek, #Hope, #Jeremiah, #kindness, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Lamentations, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #love, #Triduum, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Liturgy Prayer Scripture

Overshadowing

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 25/03/2026

Photo by Alex Wigan on unsplash.com

Today celebrating the feast of the Annunciation I’m struck by the mixture of calm, serenity, and chaos that it portrays. It’s generally depicted in art and literature as a beautiful moment of calm encounter between Gabriel and Mary, between heaven and earth, leading to Mary’s act of obedience.

That is certainly one aspect of the gospel, but as I reflected on it today I’m very aware that there is also another side to it. The news the angel brings to Mary must have been both surprising and overwhelming to a young, unmarried woman who was not expecting to become pregnant.

It must have seemed to her that she was facing at best a challenge and at worst a disaster. Yet in the midst of the upheaval she was able to find a way through the chaos to say yes. I’m especially struck by the angel’s response when she asks, “How can this be?” He replies:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…”

His words take me back to the Spirit hovering over the waters at Creation drawing life out of chaos. That’s a comforting image image in these times when so much of our world seems to teeter on the brink of chaos.

In our dark and frightening times this image offers hope and encouragement. I find it helpful to remember that however chaotic our situation the Spirit hovers, overshadowing us and promising new life.

Where do you need the Spirit’s overshadowing in your life this Lent?

Tags #AngelGabriel, #annunciation, #Benedictine, #challenge, #gospel, #HolySpirit, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #Lent2026, #love, #newlife, #Obedience, #Overshadow, #trust, #VirginMary

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

Christ on the margins

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 15/03/2026

Photo by Vishnu Vijayakumar on unsplash.com

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?

Tags #Benedictine, #BlindMan, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #Lent2026, #love, #Marginal, #Margins, #newlife, #trust

Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Prayer Scripture

In need of mercy.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 14/03/2026

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on unsplash.com

Today’s gospel presents a stark contrast between two men who have gone up to the temple to pray. The first is a Pharisee, the second a tax collector. The Pharisee is confident and sure of himself. He is aware of his position in the community and in his faith.

He is certain that his religious practices place him in good standing with God. He expects his prayers to be heard and responded to. He is completely unaware of any sin or failing in himself or his life

The tax collector, on the other hand, is all too aware that his job makes him a bit of an outcast in his community. He knows that it leaves him in situations that can sometimes be morally ambiguous. Unlike the Pharisee, he comes to prayer all too aware of his failings and his sin saying:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Jesus is very clear that it was the tax collector, who knew his failings and his need of God who went home at right with God.

In telling the story to an audience that is sure of its virtue Jesus is presenting a challenge. He’s inviting them, and us, to develop a new attentiveness. He is challenging us to look beyond the surface of our religious practices.

He is asking us to be attentive to how those practices enable us to develop a more compassionate and kind heart.

How are your lent practices helping you to grow in compassion and kindness?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #compassion, #forgiveness, #gospel, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #LentPractices, #love, #mercy, #newlife, #Pharisee, #TaxCollector, #trust