Category: Scripture

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture Uncategorized

Bearers of the peace of Christ

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Today’s gospel focuses on the sending of the seventy-two to preach the Good News. It’s a passage full of promise and uncertainty. I imagine the disciples listened to their commission with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

Jesus gives them very specific instructions, telling them what to take and how to behave as they travel around the country. On their journey they are called to trust themselves completely to the providence of God and the kindness of strangers.

But he doesn’t send them out completely empty handed. He gives them a gift to pass on to the people they encounter:

“Whatever house you going to, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if people of peace live there, your peace will go and rest on them; if not it will come back to you.”

As we see more and more communities torn apart by war and conflict across the world it’s hard to imagine a time when that peace has been more needed. This peace is no quick papering over of cracks. It’s not the false calm that comes from denying differences or pushing aside injustices, It requires that we do a certain amount of inner work to be able to receive it and share it.

If we are to be people of peace, we have to allow our hearts to be changed. We need to risk letting the stories of the other change us. We have to be willing to let go let go of much that we cherish. We have to accept that we are not right about everything and to be willing to compromise.

Where is Christ calling you to change so that you can accept and share his peace today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Saints Scripture Truth

Finding faith

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Today were celebrating the feast of St Thomas. He is one of my favourite disciples because he is so direct and has the courage to ask awkward questions. I often think that he asked the questions that other people don’t quite have the nerve for. I always feel sorry for him at the beginning of today’s gospel. There is nothing more isolating than having missed a life changing experience that everyone else in your group is talking about.

I imagine that the eight days between the two resurrection appearances must have been extremely uncomfortable for Thomas. As he heard the other disciples discussing their experience he must have wondered why he was left out. I can sense both sadness and disappointment in his response to their enthusiasm.

Yet, all that changes when Jesus appeared to them again. He doesn’t criticise or blame Thomas for his response, instead he offers him exactly what he needs to be able to believe in the resurrection:

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

His words break down any barriers of doubt that Thomas still harboured. His acceptance of Thomas’ position enables Thomas to open his heart to believe in the reality of the risen Christ. Jesus accepts our questions and uncertainties in exactly the same way, coming to each of us in the way that is most likely to open our heart to to accept his peace and love in our lives.

Where is the risen Christ offering you peace and love today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

On the margins

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Today’s first reading is one of the most challenging pieces of Scripture we hear. The story of Hagar, Abrahams’ slave girl and mother of his first child is raw and full of pain. Hagar was given to Abraham as his mistress by his wife Sarah in order to provide a son.

Later, becoming jealous Sarah insists that Abraham sends Hagar and her son away to protect Isaacs’ inheritance, so Hagar is sent out into the wilderness with a small amount of food and water.

When this runs out Hagar leaves her baby to die. The angel of the Lord appears to her, telling her not to be afraid, that God has heard the child’s cries and promises to make him into a great nation:

“Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”

There is no way to avoid the many challenges it presents us with. Hagar lives on the margins of her society, as a slave she has no value and no rights. It would be comforting to brush the story aside as something that happened in the distant past, but is no longer relevant to us.

A quick glance at any news outlet shows us how false that perception is. Hagar’s story compels us to look again at the times we live in. It challenges us to look out for the people pushed to the margins of our society, offered no support and protection. It asks us what steps we can take to improve their lives and their situation.

Where is God calling you to reach out to those on the margins today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

Saints Peter and Paul.

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Today were celebrating the feast of St Peter and Paul. At first glance it’s hard to imagine two more different men. Peter, one of the first disciples called by Jesus, who followed him on his journeys through the region.

He was a fisherman and is unlikely to have had much formal education. One of the first disciples Jesus called, he left his family and livelihood to follow him and was with him throughout his ministry. He he could be impetuous, sometimes to the point of foolishness, direct and passionate.

Paul, on the other hand was well educated, articulate and sure of himself. Never having met Jesus, he spent his life zealously persecuting Christians. Then an encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus turned him into a passionate Christian. He gave his life over to spreading the gospel and his work still shapes the church today.

Despite their apparent differences of personality and background there is an underlying bond between them. These words from Jesus’ conversation in today’s gospel sums up the source of that bond. When he asked the disciples, “But you,… Who do you say I am?” It is Peter who is able to answer:

“You are the Christ… The Son of the living God.”

Their conviction that Jesus is the Christ and their willingness to leave everything to follow him is the source of their connection. Their feast calls us to reflect on how our belief that Jesus is the Christ shapes the way we live our lives.

How is Christ calling you to follow him today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Lectio Divina Liturgy Sacred Heart Saints Scripture

Trusting the Sacred Heart.

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Today we’re celebrating the feast of the Sacred Heart. The readings are full of the rich imagery that fuel the feast. There’s the good shepherd in Ezekiel, echoed in the gospel parable of the lost sheep. Then there’s St Paul’s reflection on the love of God being poured into our hearts from his letter to the Romans, and that’s what I’m reflecting:

“We are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.”

This joyful trust Paul describes is easy when life is good, when our national and international institutions seem stable and to have our best interests at heart. When our needs are met we can believe God’s love is poured out into our hearts, and trust the promise of reconciliation that Paul speaks of.

It’s not so easy when we are surrounded by uncertainties, wars and fears. In times of uncertainty, suffering and pain we can be drawn into despair and hopelessness. The harshness of daily life and our fear of the future can smother the love, joy and trust that are the heart of the gospel.

Yet, it is when life is at its hardest and most challenging that we need that joyful trust. The harsher our world becomes the more we need the transforming love of God to be poured into our hearts to nurture and sustain us both in our personal struggles and in our interactions with others.

I’m grateful for Paul’s reminder that whatever challenge and uncertainty we face we can trust that God’s love will be with us, sustaining, comforting, healing.

What helps you to keep trusting Christ’s promise in difficult times?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Prophetic voices Scripture Uncategorized

Considered choices

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In today’s gospel Jesus warns his disciples to be on their guard against false prophets:

“Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves.”

He calls us to pay attention to the false prophets within ourselves who would draws down personal path that would lead us in ways that are life denying rather than life-giving, however delightful they might appear at the outset. There is also a communal element to this call for discernment as we consider the common good.

There is a cacophony of voices out there telling us what is best for ourselves as individuals and our society as a whole. This can be disconcerting, confusing and overwhelming.

In both cases Jesus’ advice to his disciples can stand us in good stead. Having warned them of the dangers he goes on to offer a solution saying:

“You will be able to tell them by their fruits… A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit… I repeat you will be able to tell them by their fruits.”

It seems to me that his words are a call to discernment on both a communal and a personal level. He calls us to pay attention to where we find good or bad fruits in our personal life and in the lives of our communities.

He invites us to think carefully about the choices we make and where they lead us. His words remind me of Deuteronomy’s call to choose life over death.

Where are you being called to turn away from false prophets today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Holy Spirit John the Baptist Lectio Divina Liturgy Prophetic voices Saints Scripture

Marked by God

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Today we’re celebrating the birth of St John the Baptist, prophet and precursor of Christ. His role is central to the gospel. He is called to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of the Messiah, and to point him out to others when he appears.

He is also at the heart of his Jewish faith, both his parents can trace their heritage back through the history of the people of Israel. His father, Zechariah, is a priest. These are good and faithful people, living out the covenant and waiting in hope for the coming of the Messiah.


This might make him seem like the ultimate insider, yet from the beginning it’s clear that John is to perform this role from the fringes. He is always to be an outsider, a presence that challenges people and makes them uncomfortable.

From the beginning he is marked out. He’s born to parents long past childbearing. His birth was announced to his unbelieving father by an angel. Zechariah’s doubt leaves him without speech until after John’s birth. The angel tells Zechariah:

“Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.”

The angel’s words are full of hope and promise. Yet, they also carry a challenge. John’s call put him at odds with his times, constantly compelling him to challenge his people to make the changes necessary to prepare their hearts to welcome Christ. That challenge is just as relevant to us today as it was when John first preached.

Where are you being challenged to prepare your heart to welcome Christ today?

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Baptism Benedictine Spirituality Discernment Divine Office Ecumenism Gospel Holy Spirit Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

United in Christ

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I’m reflecting on St Paul’s letter to the Galatians. His words are a call to unity that has a particular resonance in today’s divided and fragmented world. It seems that wherever we look today we see broken broken relationships and broken communities. There are many voices today that encourage and fuel division, encouraging us to distance ourselves from others.

In challenging times these voices can be beguiling. They call us to draw together with others “like us”, creating divisions between “insiders and outsiders”, between “them and us”. St Paul reminds the Galatians and us that there is no place for such division in the Christian community:

“You are, all of you, children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourselves in Christ, and there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

His words are not a call to uniformity, that would be fairly straightforward. We could create a “Christian model” that everyone has to conform to. We’ve tried that in various forms over the centuries and we know it doesn’t work.

Instead St Paul reminds us that in clothing us in Christ our baptism calls us to seek true unity. It’s a unity that risks allowing diversity to flourish, that acknowledges that diversity can enrich and sustain our unity. The unity baptism calls us to requires us to accept and embrace our differences.

It calls us to maintain our unity in Christ by welcoming those we consider “other” as we would welcome Christ. It requires us to put ourselves aside so we can listen to their stories with open and humble hearts. Baptism calls us to build a unity that delights in our rich diversity as God delights in us.

How are you responding to the unifying call of your baptism today?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Communion Corpus Christi Divine Office Gospel Liturgy Prayer Resurrection Scripture

In the presence of Christ

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As we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi I’m reflecting on the nature of Eucharist. The Scripture that comes to mind is the Emmaus story. Although it’s not part of the feast’s liturgy it seems to me to capture something of its essence.

It acknowledges the despair and hopelessness of the disciples as they trudged home disappointed and unsettled by all that has happened. We can identify so strongly with those feelings in our own lives that we almost feel the weight of it all as they pour out their story to Jesus. They remind me that Eucharist offers us an opportunity to bring our brokenness, hurt and disappointment into the presence of Christ.

Jesus responds to their despair by taking them through the Scriptures already know, reminding them of the passages that speak about the Messiah. As he does this their hearts are ignited, and through their sadness they glimpse something so good that they don’t want to let it go, so they invite him to stay with them. Full recognition only dawns as they sit down to eat together and:

“He took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened, and the recognised him…”

It seems to me that the essence of the Eucharist is an invitation rediscover the reality of Christ’s presence in every part of our lives, in our liturgies, in our communities, in all our relationships and activities.

As we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi where do you recognise the reality of Christ’s presence in your life?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Prayer Scripture

Alone with God.

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Today’s gospel is full of advice about living humbly. Jesus warns us against seeking attention and admiration for our faith and our good deeds. Humility is also 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?