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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Scripture Uncategorized

Discerning treasure.

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We live in a world that presents us with a dizzying array of choices in almost every situation. There are times when this give us a sense of control but it can also be a burden. When presented with such variety it can be hard to know which to choose.

In many situations this may be fine, but if we are seeking to live a meaningful, prayer for life it is not enough. In today’s gospel Jesus reminds us that the choices we make matter. He says to his disciples:

“Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

He has already told us that we have no need to fear, even in our fearful times, because the Father has already given us the kingdom. But that gift requires a response from us. If we want to be able to accept and embrace that kingdom we have to practice discernment. We can no longer make surface choices based on our passing moods or whims.

Instead, our choices have to be based on the self-knowledge that comes from true discernment. Jesus asks us to learn to know our own hearts, to be open and honest about our true desires, and to base our choices on those.

Then, however whatever we face we will have a solid basis for the choices we make. Then, we are able to make them freely, knowing that the desire of our hearts and our actions will align with the values of the kingdom.

Where is Christ calling you to discernment today?

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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 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 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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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 Divine Office Holy Spirit Lectio Divina Liturgy Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Help from the Spirit.

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Eastertide ended with our celebration of Pentecost and this week we move back to Ordinary Time. Sometimes it can be tempting to pack away the insights we’ve learned during the season along with the special tapestries, decorations and liturgy papers. But Pentecost is not an ending it’s another new beginning.

So I’ve been reflecting on what I can take forward from those seasons into the rest of my life. These words from St Paul’s letter to the Romans have been running through my mind:

“Since in our weakness we do not know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit comes to help us and intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”

They’re words I return to again and again because they describe so clearly a reality that I often experience. There are many times in life when we need to pray and want to pray, and simply don’t have the words to express our need.

I find that especially true in times of hardship and suffering. In these times when hardship and suffering seem to be multiplying in every direction there are many times when prayer is needed and we feel too overwhelmed by the circumstances to articulate our need.

In those situations, I find St Paul’s words full of consolation and hope. It is a great comfort to know that when we are unable to pray the Spirit is there to speak for us, to bring our prayers into the presence of the God who understands even the wordless sighs that come from the very depths of our hearts.

As we move back to Ordinary Time what does the Spirit carry from the depths of your heart to the presence of God?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Discernment Eastertide Gospel Lectio Divina Liturgy Monastic Life Resurrection Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Consecrated in truth

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I’m reflecting truth. We live in times where truth seems to have little value. We talk about a “post-truth” society where it is increasingly difficult to discover whether what we are hearing and seeing is actually true.

There are areas where we can live well enough with subjective views of truth that differ radically from each other. However, there are some areas we need a deeper, more grounded truth even if that means we have to let go of some of our personal theories.

In the first reading St Paul reminds the church at Ephesus to be wary of some of the things that are presented to them as truth:

“Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them.”

It’s easy and tempting to take things at face value, assuming because we’ve been told it, or read it, or see it on the Internet that it must be true. St Paul’s words remind us that it’s not always easy to discover the truth of things, and that we can be easily led astray. The gospel adds weight to St Paul’s concern with truth as Jesus prays for his disciples:

“Consecrate them in the truth…”

Even in these “post-truth” times we are called to be people of truth. To discover the truth requires some hard work on our part. We have to pay attention to what is going on around us and to the effects it has. We have to listen to what we are being told and to our own instincts. It requires the hard work of learning discernment.

Where is Christ calling you to learn and practice discernment this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Gospel Holy Spirit Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Scripture Uncategorized

A promise & a hope.

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Eastertide a dynamic season. From Easter Sunday onwards there’s lots of movement, disciples running to and from the tomb, setting out on journeys as soon as they reach home to share the news of the resurrection, moving around the area sharing this Good News with anyone who will listen.

All this activity is grounded in their intimate, personal and life changing encounters with the risen Christ. For several weeks the risen Christ has revealed the resurrection and deepening our understanding of who the he is. Now, approaching Ascension there is a new movement. Jesus says to his disciples:

“I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.”

Jesus is beginning to prepare his disciples, and us, for another departure. Once again he is leaving them, this time to return to his Father. As we move towards the Ascension he makes it clear that he’s not leaving them emptied handed.

As well as their own personal experiences of him he has broadened and deepened their understanding of who he is. Now he promises them the Holy Spirit, the Advocate.

The Spirit will be with them to teach and support them, to give them the courage to face the challenges that will come. The Spirit will remind them of all Jesus said, all those things that might be forgotten in the emotion of the moment.

This is equally true for us today. In all the challenges we face Jesus promises us that the Spirit will be there with us.

What is your hope for the action of the Spirit in your life this Eastertide?

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Benedictine Spirituality Christ Divine Office Eastertide Good Shepherd Gospel Lectio Divina Resurrection Rule of St Benedict Scripture Uncategorized

Shaped by and for Love.

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Today is both Good Shepherd Sunday and vocations Sunday. The Gospel with it’s call to listen makes the link between the two very clear:

“Jesus said “the sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and the follow me…They will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.’”

It takes me back to the heart of Benedictine spirituality and so of my vocation, the call to

“Listen with the ear of your heart”.

There’s no shortage of voices trying to attract our attention in today’s world. We’re exposed to a constant cacophony of voices drawing us in opposing directions. It can be confusing, unnerving and debilitating.

In the midst of all those voices there’s another one, gentle and persistent that calls to us. It’s the voice of the Good Shepherd reminding us that we are made for love, and are held in being by love. It’s a voice that calls us back to our true selves.

It tells us that however uncertain or chaotic our times the love of Christ will never let us go. The Good Shepherd calls us to allow his voice to silence the confusion of the myriad voices around us and to focus on the one really matters, the one that can lead us to a life shaped by and for love.

Where is the Good Shepherd calling you to respond to his love today?

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Baptism Benedictine Spirituality Christ Eastertide Lectio Divina Liturgy Resurrection Saints Scripture Uncategorized

Bearing the light of the risen Christ.

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Today’s first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles recounts the conversion of St Paul. I’m reflecting on Ananias, the Christian from Damascus who was told in a vision to seek out Saul of Tarsus to restore his sight. The instruction was clearly a shock to Ananias who, already knowing of Saul’s reputation, protested:

“Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priest to arrest everybody who invokes your name.”

We’ve just heard how resolute and thorough Saul was in persecuting Christians. I imagine his name is enough to strike terror into the heart of these new Christians who are still struggling to come to terms with the resurrection. In such a time Ananias’ action would have seemed at best foolhardy if not downright reckless. Yet, despite his reservations, he accepts God’s call. He goes to Saul and says to him:

‘Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’

The result is that Saul has his sight restored and, filled with the Holy Spirit, is baptised.

Ananais’ action requires courage and faith. Ananias reminds me that we too are called to be courageous in sharing our faith. We’re called to carry the love of the risen Christ to those who need it. The risen Christ calls us to share the light of his love in the darkness of our challenging times.

Often I think that call comes in a myriad of small, seemingly insignificant encounters through the day. It’s in those little things that offer a glimmer of brightness in a challenging day… a smile to a passing stranger, the offer of a seat on a bus, holding open a door for someone struggling with bags or pushchairs…A endless list of small kindnesses…


Where is the risen Christ calling you to bring his light to those around you today?