Category: Resurrection

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection

Recognising Christ

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All week we’ve seen the risen Christ appear to the disciples in slightly different way. Each appearance is tailored in some way to touch the heart of a particular disciple, and this gives them their deeply personal and intimate quality. Today’s appearance to Thomas follows the same pattern.

He comes to his encounter with the risen Christ after what I imagine was a hard week. There’s nothing worse than being the one person in a group who missed a significant event. It must have left Thomas feeling isolated and on the fringes. His directness and honesty prevent him from taking their account on trust. He knows himself well enough to know that he needs to see this for himself, saying to the disciples:

“Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.”

I’m touched by how open and vulnerable Thomas is prepared to be about this need. Jesus’ response when he appears to Thomas is focussed on giving Thomas what he needs. He doesn’t judge or criticise, instead he invites Thomas to reach out and touch him in exactly the way Thomas said he needed:

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

Jesus’ acceptance of Thomas with all his doubts and uncertainties leads him to the light of truth, freeing him to make his profession of faith, acknowledging Jesus as the Christ:

“My Lord and my God!”

What would help you to recognise the presence of the risen Christ in your life today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture

Proclaim the Good News.

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Mark’s account of the resurrection is quite stark; it’s always left me feeling uneasy. There’s little joy of celebration in it, rather it seems full of doubt and recrimination.

With very few details he describes Jesus’ appearance first to Mary Magdalene who rushed to tell the disciples only to be disbelieved. Later, the disciples who encountered Jesus on their way to Emmaus bring the same news and are also met with incredulity.

The response is understandable, these first disciples don’t have our gift of hindsight or two thousand years of belief and theology to fall back on. Even with all Jesus told them before his death, the idea of resurrection would have seemed completely incredible.

When Jesus does appear to to eleven he berated them for their incredulity and then immediately sends them out to proclaim the good news to the world, saying to them:

“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the good news to all creation.”

Mark’s account challenges us to look honestly at the doubts we harbour about resurrection. He compels us to look at those dark corners of our lives and our world that feel beyond redemption, those places that we suspect new life will never reach, never transform.

He calls us to allow the light of the risen Christ to shine on those dark corners, offering the possibility of new life. Even in the presence of those dark corners of doubt he challenges us to proclaim the Good News to the world in whatever way we can.

How is the risen Christ challenging you to share the Good News of resurrection today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

Encounter on the shore.

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There’s a lot to ponder on in today’s gospel. Peter’s decision to go fishing, returning to the safe and familiar in times that are disturbing and unsettling. Or the lack of a catch as they fish through the night.

Or Jesus’ calling to them from the shore, telling them to try another direction, and the amazing catch that results from that. The dawning recognition of the who the stranger on the shore is. Or Peter’s impulsive dive into the sea in his eagerness to get to Jesus.

Yet every year the image that most draws me is of Jesus preparing breakfast for them while they are fishing. I imagine him gathering driftwood and lighting the fire, laying out the bread and preparing the fish, and then calling out his invitation to the cold, tired disciples:

“Come and have breakfast…”

These simple, ordinary actions are the life affirming, life giving acts of love of Christ, the servant King. They ground me in the messy and material reality of human life, the only place where we can encounter the risen Christ. They are an invitation to love and new life.

In a world full of injustice and misery the image of the servant King has new power and a deeper resonance. We are called to imitate the simple and straightforward service of the risen Christ, to help those around us with acts that can lighten burdens, bring hope and open hearts and minds.

What is the Risen Christ inviting you to this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

Calming ours fears.

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Listening to today’s gospel I’m struck by the alarm and fright that the disciples feel when the risen Christ appears among them I sympathise with their feelings. Unlike us, they don’t have the experience of hindsight, tradition and faith telling them that the resurrection is already a reality. I’m touched by Jesus’ response to their reactions. His first greeting to them is:

“Peace be with you.”

From that moment, for the rest of his time with them his concern is to calm and reassure them, explaining how the Scriptures, the Law and the Prophets refer to him and opening their hearts to understand his teaching.

There’s much in life today that can leave us fearful. The spiralling cost of living, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the growing uncertainty in areas that we thought were certain can all engender fear even before we begin to think about more personal situations. Our fear can leave us feeling just as locked in as the disciples were in those first few days after the resurrection. We think of Eastertide as a time of rejoicing, that can leave us feeling guilty if our response is less than joyful.

The Easter Gospels remind us that Jesus doesn’t criticise his disciples for their fearful response to his appearance. Instead he calms their fears, reassures them and sets them free to embrace the new life of resurrection. Whatever we face he offers us that same reassurance and freedom.

Where do you need the risen Christ to reassure you and calm your fears this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture

Holding on to hope.

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Today we hear the story of the resurrection from the perspective of two disciples returning from Jerusalem. As they walk along the road they discuss all that has happened in the previous few days Jesus comes and walks alongside them. Their sadness overflows as they tell him all that had happened finishing with:

“Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free…“

Those few words express all the pain, disappointment and disillusionment that comes when hopes and dreams are shattered. Their response to Jesus’ question shows us something we already know in our hearts; hope is absolutely essential to human life. We all know that from our own experience, from the times when we have been so hurt, let down or disappointed that we feel completely hopeless.

We recognise what a deadening feeling that is, and so we can identify with these sad and despondent disciples. In response to their despair Jesus takes them on a journey through Scripture, showing them that, contrary to appearances, their hopes had not deceive them. Eventually, with hearts burning within them, they recognise him as the risen Christ.

As we face the challenges and hardships of life we can draw hope from their story. In times when life seems hopeless the risen Christ can appear at our side. His presence can remind us that the hope he offers does not deceive us. His promise of love and of new life will sustain us as we face the challenges of daily life.

Where is the presence of the Risen Christ offering you hope today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Easter Vigil Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Scripture

A moment of stillness

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By Easter Tuesday the mixture of adrenalin and energy that carried me through the Easter Vigil is waning, and I start to feel the need to slow things down. It’s rightly an energetic season, full of rejoicing, celebration and proclamation. While that delights me, I’m also aware that I need space in the midst of it all to pause and reflect.

In Christmastide we have the example of Virgin Mary taking space to ponder the events in her heart. She reminds us that we too need time to reflect on our encounters with God. We need a similar model in Eastertide, someone who will remind us to slow down, to allow the momentous event that is resurrection to really sink in.

Listening to today’s gospel, the appearance to Mary Magdalene, I noticed a stillness in the account that I’ve missed on other occasions. After her journey through the dark and the rush to find the disciples Mary is left alone. She stops and is still, waiting in her grief for something she can’t possibly understand. It is in this moment of stillness that she encounters the risen Christ. It brings to mind part of my favourite hymn:

“She awaits a new creation in the shadow of the tomb. Hope and trust and expectation, from it will a vision come.”

Pondering this I realise that I too need a still, quiet moment to encounter the risen Christ as she did in the garden, remaining alone and quiet in his presence, allowing the new creation to take root in my heart.

Where are you finding space to encounter the risen Christ in the depth of your heart?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture Uncategorized

Resurrection Joy

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All through the Easter Octave we revisit the story of the resurrection again and again. Each time we hear it from a fresh perspective, hearing a different response and picking up a different nuance. This can sometimes feel frustrating and confusing, but there is a gift in all this variety.

If nothing else, they show us how how impossible it is to completely capture or understand the reality of the resurrection, and is good for us to know that.

They’ve gone to the tomb early Mary Magdalen and “the other Mary” they’ve come through earthquake and an encounter with an angel, before running off full of “awe and great joy” to share their news with the disciples. Their encounter with the resurrection is full of drama and movement, quite different from John’s account where Mary meets the risen Christ alone in the quiet of the garden.

When they encounter Jesus on the path he says to them:

“Do not be afraid; go tell the disciples that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.”

“Do not be afraid” is a theme that runs through the resurrection gospels, it begins almost every encounter with the risen Christ. I’m struck that Jesus acknowledges and calms their fear, yet doesn’t allow it to prevent him from sending them out to proclaim the resurrection. This is also true for us, the risen Christ knows our fears, our doubts, the uncertainties we live with. In the midst of all that he invites us to rejoice in his resurrection and to proclaim its reality with our lives.

Where is the risen Christ bringing joy into your life today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Easter Vigil Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Triduum

In the early morning.

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My head is full of the riches of our Easter vigil. It’s my favourite liturgy of the year, I love how it ties everything together, laying out the story of our salvation in word, action and sacrament. I find myself revisiting it over and over during Eastertide, allowing different aspects of it to enrich and nourish me. Today, This morning I’m reflecting on this from an Easter hymn by St John of Damascus:

“Let us rise in early morning
and instead of ointment bring
Hymns and praises to our Master
And his resurrection sing.”

I’m touched by the wisdom that it has carried through the centuries, passed from one generation of Christians to another, sometimes lost and forgotten, only to be rediscovered and valued anew.

It’s a call to sing the praises of the Risen Christ continually, whatever we are living through, whatever the prevailing view of our society. Nothing can separate us from his love, and nothing can undo the wonderful and mysterious reality of his resurrection.

However challenging or uncertain life is, he will be there inviting us to go out to meet him. Each year the challenges we face seem to become more daunting, leaving us more aware of our fragility. Yet however difficult our lives are, the risen Christ is there calling us.

He invites us to follow Mary of Magdala out into the dark of the early morning to meet him, to rejoice in his presence and to carry his love to our needy world.

As we begin to move through Eastertide where is the Risen Christ inviting you to go out and meet him?

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Welcoming Christ

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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?

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

Proclaiming Christ

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Today we are celebrating the feast of St Mary Magdalene, one of the first witnesses to the resurrection, who was sent to tell the disciples that Christ had risen. It’s sometimes easier to say who she wasn’t than who she actually was.

Despite being portrayed through the centuries as the archetypal penitent woman, she’s not the woman taken in adultery. Nor is she the woman who poured oil on the feet of Jesus, anointing him for his burial.

Jesus cast out seven devils from her. So she is a woman marked by the pain of severe mental anguish. It may have been crushing anxiety, debilitating fear, depression or a myriad of other conditions that sap the joy and hope out of life.

Freed of her demons she follows Jesus, supporting him and the other disciples from her own resources. She stayed with him until the very end, standing at the cross with the other women when the rest of the disciples fled. She follows him, even after death, to see where his body has been laid.

Even when he is laid in the tomb her desire to be close to him draws her back to his tomb in the dark of the early morning. It is there, as she stands weeping, that the risen Christ appears to her, and commissions her to proclaim the good news of his resurrection to the other disciples, telling them:

“I have seen the Lord…”

Where is Christ inviting you to seek and proclaim his presence in your life?