Reflections from Turvey Abbey
St Benedict begins his Rule in the most hopeful of ways. He begins with an invitation to listen: ‘Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it and faithfully put it into practice.’ Prologue, Rule …
Continue reading “Jubilee of Consecrated Life: St Benedict, Pilgrim of Hope (1)”
Luke 17:5-10 In the opening of his Rule St Benedict makes an invitation to anyone who is serious about seeking God: ‘Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?‘ To those who respond he says: ‘See how the Lord in his love shows us the way of life. Clothed …
Continue reading “Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)”
Luke 16:19-31 Week after week the Gospel texts have presented us with a range of challenges. This week’s text is no exception. At first sight the parable is a warning about riches and the fate of those whose earthly life focused on wealth alone. Luke uses the framework of a well-known Egyptian folktale to begin …
Luke 16:1-13 When we listen to the parables of Jesus it can be easy to forget the urgency in his preaching. A new age is dawning and Jesus himself is the embodiment of the Kingdom he preaches. This Kingdom offers both promise and challenge. These past weeks we have listened to Luke outlining his theology …
Therefore we intend to establish a school of the Lord’s service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. Rule of St Benedict, Prologue All aspects of monastery life are focused on seeking and serving God. I often speak of monastic life as an ‘intentional life’. Monastic life is …
Luke 14:1,7-14 ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would …
TOGETHER ‘Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life.’ (Ch. 72, On Good Zeal) St Benedict began his life of faith in the small town of Norcia, just outside of Rome. As a young boy he was sent to Rome to study; he found himself unhappy …
LOVEThe seventy three chapters of the Rule of St Benedict are a framework for living in community. Every aspect of monastery life is covered, sometimes in detail that is a little surprising. Some parts of the text are very demanding and others are tender and considerate. This strictness is seen by St Benedict as means …
LOVE It has often been said that the one of the reasons why the Rule of St Benedict has continued to inspire people is because of the simple humanity that we find in its pages. St Benedict lays out a way of life that he wants to be within the reach of anyone who deeply …
CHRIST Much of the Rule of St Benedict is concerned with the practicalities of living in community. St Benedict values good order and urges that things be so arranged that ‘the strong have something to yearn for and the weak have nothing to run from’ (Ch 64). Christ is implicitly honoured in every aspect of …