Category: Prophetic voices

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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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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 Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Being Courageous

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There’s a resonance between the story of Elijah in the first reading and of disciples on the stormy lake in the gospel. They are a call to focus our whole attention on God without allowing ourselves to be distracted by the inevitable storms of life.

Elijah waits attentively in his cave through mighty winds, earthquakes and fire, until he discovers the presence of God in the quiet of a gentle breeze. On the storm tossed lake Jesus invites Peter to walk across the water towards him.

While Peter focuses his whole attention on Jesus everything is fine, but as soon as he is distracted by the force of the wind he begins to sink. As Jesus walked across the water to his disciples he calls out:

“Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”

Both the story of Elijah and of the storm tossed disciples require courage and trust. It takes courage to sit out the storms of life, not letting them blow us off course. It takes trust and faith to keep ourselves focused on Christ when life is challenging, uncertain and frightening.

We live in stormy & uncertain times. In the midst of those Christ calls to us not to be fearful, but to focus on his presence with us. As Julian of Norwich tells us that presence will not remove us from those storms, but it will prevent them from overcoming us.

Where do you need the courage to stay focused on Christ’s presence in your life 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 Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture

Change and Growth

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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 divisive times 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 allow your mind to be changed 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 Prophetic voices Scripture

A promise fulfilled

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Today’s readings are full of joy, gratitude and promise. In the first reading Zechariah tells the people of Zion to rejoice because the King who promises peace is coming. The gospel begins with Jesus blessing his Father for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom in ways that are open to everyone. He also carries on with the promise saying,

“Come to me, all you who labour, and are overburdened and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn for me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When life is challenging, difficult and painful it can be very hard for us to find anything to be grateful for. With good reason our burdens overwhelm us to the point where it takes all our strength to get from one day then to the next.

The struggles of daily life can sap our energy so that we lose sight of anything that offers us hope, or anything that we can be grateful for. In those situations we tend to struggle on, relying on our own strength and judging ourselves harshly when it isn’t enough.

These are the times Jesus is speaking about when he tells to bring our burdens to him. He promises that there will be no words of criticism or blame because of all that weighs us down.

Instead his promise is that there will warm, gentle and loving welcome into a place where we can find peace and rest. When life is challenging it can take more courage to trust and accept that promise than it does to struggle on alone.

What gives you courage to trust the promise Christ offers you today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Treasures, new and old.

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We are fascinated by novelty. There is a particular attraction in something new, something we’ve never come across before. Novelty is often captivating and exciting. Without it so much of human development and flourishing would have been impossible.

However, there is another side to this that is particularly pertinent in this age of ever-increasing technological development. Sometimes as we are caught up whatever the next new thing is we lose sight of the value of what we already have. We seem to think that something new invalidates all that went before. In today’s gospel Jesus warned his disciples against this very attitude:

“Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved.”

In the excitement of listening to Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom it would be easy to think that the Law and the Prophets, are no longer relevant. Instead, Jesus tells them that his kingdom is built on the teaching of the Law and the Prophets that they already know and love. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and.

It can be hard to hold those two together. It’s so much more exciting to abandon the old and rush forward to embrace the new. That is not the way of the Kingdom. It requires a slower approach, one that allows us to reflect on what can be let go of because it no longer serves us well and what we need to carry forward as we embrace the challenges of our present age.

What part of our faith heritage do you most need to to help you embrace the challenges of the present?

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

United in love.

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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?