Category: Saints

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Saints Scripture

Disrupted by resurrection

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DISRUPTION

There’s nothing comfortable about DISRUPTION, yet, it’s a word that we can’t avoid in Eastertide. The very fact of the resurrection is a disruption of everything we know about the nature of life.

All of the resurrection appearances carry an element of disruption for the disciples. In different ways everyone who meets the risen Christ has their lives disrupted in lifechanging and unimaginable ways.

Today I’m reflecting on the conversion of St Paul. It’s hard to imagine a more disruptive encounter with the Risen Christ than Saul’s. As he dashes around the country persecuting Christians, his world is literally upended as he is thrown off his horse. The disruption continues after his fall when, Jesus tells him:

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

He is led into Damascus, blinded and shaken to wait until Ananias arrives to restore his sight and baptise him. Luke tells us he then begins to proclaim that Jesus is the son of God:

“Immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.“

Saul moves from persecuting Christians to proclaiming the gospel. It may be that such a transformation is only possible after such a great disruption. It’s not surprising that the new creation we become in the risen Christ requires a certain amount of disruption.

To welcome him into our hearts our whole understanding and experience have to shift. We have to surrender control and allow our lives to be thoroughly disrupted.

Where is the risen Christ challenging you to allow him to disrupt your life this Eastertide?

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

St Joseph

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Today is the feast of St Joseph. On the surface he seems a shadowy figure. A background figure in the gospel who supports Mary and the child Jesus and brings stability and respectability to an otherwise difficult situation. Yet, if we look beyond that image we find a different story. I’m reflecting on these words from a hymn for his feast:

“His love was humble, flame of God’s own fire,
A light to guide the path he trod alone;
Like Abraham, like Moses he believed,
And went in faith to find a land unknown.”

They speak not of a shadowy figure, but of a man of great faith, courage, humility and trust. He follows in the line of Abraham and Moses who left everything to follow God into the unknown.

When we think of the blessing of welcoming, we think in positive terms. St Joseph shows us that we’re sometimes called to welcome circumstances that are difficult or challenging. Drawing on the faith of his ancestors when his life and expectations are completely turned upside down St Joseph is able to put himself in God’s hands, trusting that God will lead and guide him. It can’t have been an easy choice, it will have required both humility and courage.

It’s impossible to think of this without reflecting on the seemingly insurmountable challenges our world faces today, both at home and abroad. As we see lives disrupted and communities destroyed by war St Joseph becomes a valuable role model.

He reminds us that however dark and uncertain our lives, we are called to put ourselves into the hands of God who will lead us through the darkness into the light of his love.

What gives you the courage to trust yourself to God today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Saints Scripture

Listen with the ear of your heart.

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In the first reading the prophet Jeremiah calls the people to listen attentively to God’s voice and to follow God’s teaching. He writes:

“Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper.”

These words can only fill us with hope, and our hearts recognise that they have the potential to lead us in the way of life. Yet, even knowing that, we don’t, as Jeremiah points out, actually do it. He goes on to describe what happens to the people when they don’t listen attentively to God. Of the things he describes the one that struck me most was:

“Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”

It surprised me, I would never have thought of lack of sincerity as being a sign of not being attentive to the voice of God. Yet, it is undeniably an issue in our contemporary world.

We live in an openly “post truth” society that often seems to value appearances over either accuracy or trust. In every area of our lives it’s extremely difficult to work out what is true and what isn’t.

Sincerity doesn’t seem to be an attribute we value very much any more. It’s easy to assume that we can do nothing to change this, it’s simply the way the world is.

Jeremiah suggests that’s not the case, suggesting that we can grow in sincerity by listening attentively to the voice of God in all the circumstances of our lives. I can’t help wondering how that would alter our post truth society.

Where is God calling you to listen attentively for his voice this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Liturgy Monastic Life Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Called to be peacemakers

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As we come to the end of International women’s Day we’ve begun our celebration of one of our congregation’s saints, St Frances of Rome. She is one of a very small number of married women who are saints. She brought up a large family and did a great deal to help the poor and the sick of Rome.

This week I’m reflecting on the blessing of attentiveness. It seems to me that St Frances’ life shows us how the practice of attentiveness to God changes everything. It’s through her attentiveness to God that she’s able to see God’s presence in the people she helps.

That’s especially true in the great care she took of the poor, wrapping their clothes in lavender after she’d washed and mended them. In her role as peacemaker and reconciler shows another aspect of attentiveness. It’s written of her that:

“God gave her such an abundance of loving-kindness that those who had dealings with her immediately felt themselves captivated by love and admiration for her and were ready to do whatever she wished.”

Frances dealt with many difficult and, sometimes, violent situations. Even in those situations she was able to persuade people to change their behaviour by recognising Christ dwelling in them regardless of appearances.

As we watch our world torn apart by war Frances is an important role model. She reminds me that we are all called to pay attention to the call to be peace makers. Her example shows us that even in the most challenging situations, love and kindness have the power to change hearts, minds and lives.

Where is God calling you to be attentive to the call to be a peacemaker this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Lent Rule of St Benedict Saints Scripture

A gospel blessing.

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Love is at the very heart of the blessing of gospel living. It can be easy to see this love as an ideal, a valuable principle that we acknowledge then leave on a shelf as we go about the important daily business of living. If that is how we understand love it is unlikely to be a blessing to us or to others.

For love to be a blessing it has to be both the valuable and beautiful principle, and a practical reality in our daily lives. Jesus makes that clear to his disciples in today’s gospel. Turning all our expectations on their heads he says:

“Anyone who wants to be great amongst you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

His words make it clear that love of gospel living has to affect how we treat others. In chapter 4 of the Rule on the tools of good works St Benedict makes the same point. He reminds us “never do to another what you do not want done to yourself.”

Together the gospel and the Rule bring the blessing of gospel living back to a very basic practice that we can live each day, to treat others as we would like to be treated.

I wonder how life might change if that became the guiding principle of all our interactions. While that might prove costly the blessing of gospel living offers the hope that it will also be a life enhancing experience.

Where are you being called to treat others as you would like to be treated this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Cross Discernment Divine Office Lectio Divina Lent Rule of St Benedict Saints Scripture

A habit of listening

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Nothing speaks to the hard work of BEGINNING as much as developing a new habit. In today’s first reading Jonah, a reluctant prophet is challenged to develop a new habit of obedience. God calls to him:

“Up!…Go to Ninevah, the great city and preach to them as I told you to”

Perhaps having learned from his earlier disagreement with God Jonah obeys swiftly and without argument or prevarication:

“Jonah set out and went to Ninevah in obedience to the word of the Lord.”

His response can make obedience seem easy, straightforward and simple, but it’s more complex than that. It takes me back to the Rule of St Benedict which calls us to “unhesitating obedience”. This is not a call to simply do what we are told, though it sometimes requires that.

Rather the call to obedience is a call to listen and respond to the call of God. It requires discernment, both to hear the call and discover the response we need to make. In the first instance the call to obedience is a call to listen. Then it is a call to respond to what we hear.

We’re called to develop a habit of listening, to attune ourselves to God’s presence in every situation so that we learn to recognise God’s voice in our lives. From this listening we will be able to discern the response we’re called to make. It’s a process that requires practice. We will make mistakes, getting it wrong, trusting in God’s mercy, and being willing to try again and change direction if necessary.


Where are you being called to begin to develop a habit of listening this Lent?

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Benedictine Spirituality Candlemas Christ Christmastide Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Prayer Presentation Saints Scripture

Light in darkness

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Today were celebrating the feast of the Presentation. It strikes me as a feast that looks both backwards and forwards. Its liturgy resonates very much with the Christmas liturgy, as we revisit Christmas hymns and antiphons. Yet, it also compels us to look forward to the new beginning heralded by the coming of the Messiah.

Like Simeon and Anna, we are called to draw hope from our heritage and move forward into the unknown bearing the light of Christ for our world and our times. The second reading at the vigil is from St Sophronius. I’m reflecting on these words:

“Let us all go together bright with the light to welcome with old Simeon that everlasting shining light. Rejoicing with him in our souls, let us sing a hymn to the Begetter and Father of the light, who has sent the true light and driven away the darkness and made us all shine with that light.”

It’s not the first time I’ve reflected on them, and each time I revisit them they remind me that, in these last dark, cold days of winter we are called to be bearers of the light of Christ to each other and to the world. This year I’m very aware of the many darknesses that the world faces. It can feel overwhelming and we can easily feel hopeless.

Yet the opposite is true. In these dark times it’s even more important that we become bearers of that light for our suffering world. As well as looking back to the coming of the Light at Christmas I find myself looking forward through the pain and suffering of these times to the new light and life that Easter promises, trusting that, however small the light may sometimes feel, it will not be overcome.

As we celebrate the feast of the Presentation where is Christ calling you to be his light bearer today?

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Baptism Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel John the Baptist Lectio Divina Prayer Prophetic voices Saints Scripture

Light of the Nations

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Today’s readings are about call and response. Isaiah and St Paul reflect on their call to take the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth. In the gospel John recognises Jesus in the crowd and proclaims him as the Messiah. Reflecting on their accounts inevitably draws us back to reflect on our own call:

“I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Isaiah, St Paul and St John all heard and responded to some version of this call. Their responses may have looked different on the surface, and led them in apparently different directions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because they lived in different times, faced different situations and had different personalities and skills. This meant that they each had to spend time reflecting on what it meant for them to become “the light to the nations” in their particular situations.

Through baptism we are also called by God to be “a light to the nations”. While the heart of that call is the same as the one heard by Isaiah, St Paul and St John the practicalities of what it will look like in the particular challenges we face today are different. So today’s readings are a call to discern how to I can best bring the light of Christ love to people today in ways that will lighten their burdens and offer consolation.

How are you being called to bring the light of Christ’s love to the people around you today?

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

Waiting and hoping

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Something from the archives for the 6 day of Christmas. So many of the characters in the nativity are outsiders. This is a story that unfolds first in the lives of the marginalised, they are the ones who first recognise and proclaim the Messiah.

Today’s gospel focuses on one of those characters, the prophetess Anna. An older woman, long widowed she choses to live out her days in the Temple, praying and fasting. I can imagine that she’d have appeared at best a little unusual, as older women who defy norms so often do.

Yet, regardless of the opinions of others, she had a clear idea of what she was called to do. She was called to a life of waiting and watching for the coming of the Messiah. In doing that she was living out the call of her people who had been waiting and hoping for this through centuries when hope seemed impossible.

No one knew what the Messiah would look like, but no one, including Anna, would have expected him to appear as a vulnerable baby reliant on others for every need. Her life of faithful prayer and her life on the margins prepared her to recognise the Messiah, opening her heart to see beyond surface appearance.

Having recognised the Messiah her next step becomes clear:

“She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.”

This is not news she is to keep to herself, instead she is called to proclaim his presence to all those who had been waiting and hoping for the coming of the Messiah.

Where are you being called to proclaim Christ’s presence this Christmastide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Christmastide Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

The indwelling of God.

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From the archives for the feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. I’m reflecting on this from the 1st reading:

“Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God…”

This wasn’t a “happy ending” in any human sense. It happened as Stephen faced a violent death. This led me to think about the difference between a Christmas movie and the nativity.

I love a Christmas movie, the cheesier the better. With their beautifully decorated scenes and cosy gatherings that happen with minimal effort and stress they’re great background for getting Christmas cards written or presents wrapped.

Yet I know it’s not real. Even as we long for that happy ending we know that the reality of our lives is completely different. When our happy endings do come they are hard won and often appear a bit battered.

The nativity doesn’t offer a happy ending, instead it offers hope, new life and consolation however messy our lives are. It comes to us with a small, vulnerable, outsider baby, conceived in suspicious circumstances and born in a stable. It’s hard to imagine a less “Messiah-like” beginning. Yet, because our own lives are messy, imperfect and uncertain it is precisely the beginning we need.

The false promise of a “happy ever after” can leave us feeling we’ve failed to make the mark in some way. The alternative and real promise of the God of love who chooses to come to dwell with us in our messy and vulnerable live, brings us hope and consolation whatever we face in life.

Where are you aware of the God who offers to dwell with you this Christmastide?