Category: Scripture

O Radix Jesse, rooted in Christ.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 19/12/2024

Image by Joe from pixabay.com

From the archive for the third O antiphon:

The third O antiphon, O Radix Jesse, O root of Jesse, takes up the image of the root of Jesse that stands as a “signal” to the nations.

“O Root of Jesse, who stands as a signal for the peoples, before whom kings will be silent, to whom the nations shall pray: come to free us, delay no longer.”

For me it speaks of Christ, the root of our being, grounding us and nurturing us so that we will bear “fruit that will last”. In these challenging and uncertain times is easy to feel uprooted and disconnected.

Life has become increasingly uncertain. Many of the structures & institutions we relied on have become very unsteady. It feels as though everything we thought was trustworthy has become unreliable. The ground we thought was solid under our feet has turned out to be shifting sands.

This leaves us all too aware of our vulnerability and fragility, both as individuals and as communities. In that situation the thought of being rooted in Christ, and Christ being rooted in our hearts is especially consoling and hopeful.

In these uncertain times what helps you to stay rooted in Christ?

Tags #challenge, #fruit, #Grounded, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Liturgy, #LiturgyOfTheHours, #love, #Nurture, #OAntiphons, #ORadixJesse, #RootedInChrist, #Signal, #trust, #Vulnerability

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy O Adonai O Antiphons Prayer Scripture

O Adonai. A redeeming touch

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 18/12/2024

Some thoughts from the archives for O Adonai. This evening at Vespers we’ll sing the second of the O antiphons, O Adonai, O Lord God.

“O Lord God, leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come to redeem us with outstretched arm.”

It takes us back to one of the passages of Scripture that touches me most deeply, Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. Moses is engaged in the most ordinary of daily activities, looking after his father-in-law’s herds. Then God breaks into his life in its ordinariness, messiness and uncertainty in a completely unexpected way.

Curiosity compels Moses to turn aside when he sees the bush aflame, and he is drawn into an encounter with God which is challenging and life changing beyond anything he could have imagined.

In the uncertain times we face yet again this antiphon has a very particular message. It tells us that the God of love who came to Moses and the burning bush can also break into the ordinariness and uncertainty of our daily lives and set us aflame. Facing hard and challenging times it’s good to remember that the God of love who reached out to Moses because of the cries suffering people also hears our cries and comes to redeem us.

As we move through Advent where do you need the redeeming touch of God in your life?

Tags #Benedictine, #burningbush, #challenge, #Christ, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Law, #lectiodivina, #love, #Moses, #newlife, #OAdonai, #OAntiphons, #Redeeming, #trust, #Vespers

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Lectio Divina Liturgy O Antiphons O Sapientia Scripture Vespers

O Sapientia. The call of Wisdom.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 18/12/2024

Photo by Vincentiu Solomon on unsplash.com

Something from the archives as we begin the O Antiphons. These prayers developed by the early church call on Christ to come and save us. They never directly used the name of Christ, but take up the titles used for the Messiah in the Old Testament. They change the whole tone of Advent, increasing the sense of anticipation and expectation.

Yesterday we began with O Sapientia, O Wisdom:

“O Wisdom, who came forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end of creation to the other, strongly and sweetly ordering all things, come to teach us the way of prudence.”

This antiphon always take me back to the Creation, to the Spirit hovering over the waters as God brings new life out of chaos. I’m always especially drawn to the especially to the image from Proverbs of Wisdom playing and delighting in God’s presence at the Creation.

We’re living in challenging and chaotic times that make us increasingly aware of our smallness and vulnerability. Our need for the hovering Spirit to draw new life and hope out of these chaotic times becomes clearer every day. By recalling our beginnings O Sapientia reminds us that our beginnings are in the heart of God. However chaotic and disturbing our present might be we are created and held in the love of God.

As we move through Advent where is wisdom drawing you back into the love of God?

Tags #Advent, #Benedictine, #challenge, #creation, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #OAntiphons, #OSapientia, #Prudence, #Spirit, #trust, #wisdom

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gaudete Lectio Divina Liturgy Prayer Scripture

With Joyful Hearts.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 15/12/2024

Photo by Naganath Chiluveru on unsplash.com

Today we’re celebrating Gaudete Sunday, the day in Advent when we pause to that remember that even in dark and uncertain times we are called to be people of joy and hope. In the darkest and most challenging of times we are called to bring Christ’s light to the world, even if that’s only in the smallest glimmers.

There have been years when that seems easy, perhaps even when we been able to take it for granted. But it seems to me that this is not the case in the times we are currently living through. Whichever direction we turn in there is so much to concern us that it almost overwhelms.

A great deal of what we see and hear around us could crush the hope out of us. Yet, the message of today’s readings is clear, whatever we are living through, we are called to rejoice and hope. The prophet Zephaniah proclaims:

“Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!”

St Paul offers us a way to move towards that joy, however hard our times are. Writing to the Philippians he said:

“If there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.”

His words remind me that whatever we face Christ will be there with us. That is the source of our hope and our joy. It is by keeping focused firstly on Christ, by being committed to a life of prayer that we will discover the ways our troubled world needs us to bring those glimmers of light of Christ into it.

This Gaudete Sunday where is Christ enabling you to find joy and light?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #gospel, #Hope, #joy, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #light, #LightInDarkness, #love, #newlife, #prayer, #rejoice, #trust

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Learning gentleness.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 12/12/2024

Photo by Damian McCoig on unsplash.com

Rest can be in very short supply as we try to juggle the realities of complex and challenging, lives. That’s especially true at this time of year with all its commitments, expectations and anxieties. So these words from today’s gospel really resonated with me:

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

It’s one of those passages I can never hear enough. With the best will the world, however much I reflect on it, I will invariably forget it again as I rush from pillar to post with my mind full of all the tasks I have to complete. So today I’m especially grateful for Psalm 102 which reinforced the gospel message:

“The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.”

Its words point me back to the gospel where Jesus offers me a different way of being, inviting me to allow him to show me his gentleness. He offers to teach me to be as gentle towards myself as he is. His offer of rest from my burdens stands regardless of whether or not the burdens I carry are trivial or essential, self-imposed or passed on by others.

It seems to me that in these challenging times we need this message of gentleness and compassion more than ever. The harder times are, the heavier our burdens the more we need a safe place to rest, a place where burdens can be acknowledged and handed over, a place where we can be held and loved.

Where are you aware of Christ offering you a safe place to rest today?

Tags #Advent, #burdens, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #gentleness, #gospel, #Hope, #humility, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #mercy, #newlife, #rest, #trust

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Scripture

Making space.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 09/12/2024

The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1896

Today I’m reflecting on the Annunciation. Luke tells the story beautifully, depicting the encounter as a moment of calm, serenity and stillness.

Beautiful, moving and inspiring as these portrayals are, I sometimes think that in some way they miss the mark, their beauty and serenity can make it seem like Mary’s response was a foregone conclusion, the outcome already settled before the question is even posed. It’s easy to see how hindsight would lead us to think that. I suspect that the reality was somewhat different. St Bernard of Clairvaux writes of the Annunciation:

“The angel is waiting for your answer, it is time for him to return to the God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady…If you consent straightaway shall we be saved…by one little word of yours in answer shall we all be made alive.”

His words convey a sense of uncertainty and waiting make the whole encounter seem more realistic. Henry Ossawa Tanner’s “Annunciation” portrays this sense for me. It encompasses both the divine and the human as Mary’s room, slightly messy with unmade bed and rumpled rug, is illuminated by the Gabriel’s light.

The look on Mary’s face has such a questioning, uncertain quality that it’s very clear that she struggling to make sense of this strange occurrence I can almost hear the “but how can this be?…” echoing through her mind as she tries to make sense of the strange occurrence. When Mary’s answer came it was the result of a completely free choice so she could respond with her whole heart:

‘Let what you have said be done to me.’

We too are called to welcome the Word into the depths of our hearts, discovering God’s will for us and allowing it to shape our lives. Like Mary, we are free to accept or reject that invitation.

Where do you find space for God’s Word in your heart this Advent?

Tags #AngelGabriel, #annunciation, #Benedictine, #challenge, #Choice, #freedom, #gospel, #Hope, #ImmaculateConception, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #trust, #VirginMary, #Waiting

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel John the Baptist Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture

Finding Direction.

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 08/12/2024

Photo by Raul Petri on unsplash.com

John the Baptist is one of the main figures of Advent. He is both an uncomfortable and challenging figure. Like so many of the other prophets, he is clearly an outsider, living on the fringes of his society.

Yet his message is clear and central. The Messiah is on his way, and we, like John’s first listeners, are called to prepare ourselves for that coming:

“A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.”

We hear these words every year, read, sung, performed. They are so familiar that it’s easy for us to dismiss their impact for us today. As we rush from pillar to post, busy with Christmas preparations, they can become part of the general background noise of this time of year, words we hear but don’t really listen to.

If, however, we are able to pause and allow them to sink into our hearts they have the potential to be life changing. They carry the question of how we are to prepare for this coming. John also has the answer to that, as he goes through the district calling people to repentance.

He calls us to prepare for the coming of Messiah by looking at where our lives might have to change. Repentance calls us to pause, look at the direction of our lives taking, and to ask ourselves if we need to change direction so that we can be orientated once again towards Christ change direction so that we are re-orientated towards Christ.

What helps you to reflect on the direction your life is taking this Advent?

Tags #Advent, #challenge, #Christ, #discernment, #gospel, #Hope, #JohnTheBaptist, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #messiah, #newlife, #Prepare, #Repent, #trust, #Wilderness

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture

A place of consolation

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 07/12/2024

Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash

Life can be difficult and challenging, we all carry burdens that sometimes feel too heavy to bear. We can easily feel overwhelmed by sadness, grief, anxiety or a myriad of other painful emotions that can leave us feeling isolated and hopeless.

It can feel worse as we move through Advent towards Christmas with all it’s expectations, memories, hopes and disappointments. It can be especially hard to acknowledge these feelings when society expects us to be upbeat, positive and in control of every aspect of life. Today’s first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, offers a hopeful alternative to what can feel like a double bind. He writes:

“God will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer.”

We often think we have to be on our best behaviour in God’s presence. We bring God what we think are the “nice” parts of ourselves, and push the other parts aside. Isaiah suggests a different approach. He promises that if bring our pain and our challenges to Gods’ presence we will receive consolation and healing.

Isaiah reassures us that God will be there, waiting to listen to whatever we need to share. He tells us that God will not only hear our cry, but will respond with love. Isaiah tells us God will stay with us, healing our hurt, wiping away our tears and offering us the promise of new life.

Where is God inviting you to bring your burdens into Gods’ presence this Advent?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #consolation, #gospel, #Hope, #Isaiah, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #listening, #love, #newlife, #promise, #tears, #trust

Advent Benedictine Spirituality Christ Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

People of Joy

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 06/12/2024

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on unsplash.com

Advent calls us to be people of joy. We’re called to rejoice in the knowledge that is always with us. We can rejoice because we know that that we are surrounded by the love of God, a love that seeks to fulfil our hopes and our desires. This beautiful and consoling thought is taken up again today by the prophet Isaiah as he describes how God will transform the lives of his people, welcoming them home to a new place of safety. He writes:

“The lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel; for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish…and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil…”

It’s a promise to put those most in need in the forefront, to protect them and bring them to a place where their dignity will be respected and they will be truly valued. As I look around our world it’s tempting to see this as at best a beautiful fantasy, a dream that has no place in the harsh reality of a modern life that leaves no place for dreamers.

Yet Advent is the season for dreamers. It calls us to risk dreaming, even when it seems foolish. This is not an escapist fantasy. In the darkest time of the year Advent invites us to look into the darkness and dream of the light that it cannot overcome. It encourages us to imagine the very best we can be in these dark times, so that we have a vision to work towards, something to aim for. We won’t achieve the perfection we dream of, but we can move towards it, inching towards a world that is kinder, more hopeful and more joyful.

Where is Christ inviting you rejoice and dream this Advent?

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #Dream, #Dreamer, #gospel, #Hope, #Isaiah, #joy, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #newlife, #rejoice, #trust

Advent Christ Divine Office Gospel Lectio Divina Scripture

Trust in the Lord

Post author By Sr Judith
Post date 05/12/2024

Image by Ri Butov from pixabay.com

At the darkest and coldest time of year Advent offers us hope. It carries a clear message that however unlikely it might feel we will pass through this dark time into the light of new life that the Incarnation promises us.

In today’s first reading Isaiah calls the people to keep trusting, regardless of appearances, in spite of all they have lost and suffered:

“Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord is the everlasting Rock…”

He knows that it is not easy for people who have suffered and lost everything to trust, yet he carries on with his message of hope. He carries on believing that the promises God has made to the people will be fulfilled. Even in the darkest of times Isaiah’s message to the people is to wait in hope for the light to return.

As we sit in our own dark times it’s a valuable message for us too. In the gospel Jesus shows us how we can keep on trusting in such times. He tells the story of the wise person who built their house on rock to remind us that it is the rock of his word and his teaching that will sustain us whatever storms we face.

Where are you being called to trust that Christ will bring his light into the heart of your dark times?

You can find a short reflection on light in darkness on Follow the Star.

Tags #Benedictine, #challenge, #Christ, #Christlike, #EverlastingRock, #gospel, #Hope, #Isaiah, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #light, #LightInDarkness, #love, #newlife, #PeopleOfGod, #prophet, #trust