These words struck me this morning at Office of Readings*: ‘When God saw the world falling away from himself through fear, he acted at once to draw it back by love, invite it by grace, preserve it by affection, and hold it together by compassion.’ ( St Peter Chrysologus) From the very beginning of the …
Author Archives: Turvey Nuns
Wednesday, Advent, Week Two
The Immaculate Conception Gen 3:9-15, 20Luke 1:26-38 In her book ‘Born Contemplative’, Madeleine Simon writes about the spiritual development of young children and explores her thesis that we are all born with an innate capacity for God. She says that a child’s faith journey begins the moment the mother knows that she is pregnant. As …
Tuesday, Advent, Week Two
Isaiah 40:1-11 ‘Console my people, console them.’ Today’s text from Isaiah is perhaps one of the most familiar of the all texts used during Advent. Handel’s Messiah has surely played a part in making this part of our collective scriptural psyche. The words of comfort come from the beginning of the Second Book of Isaiah. …
Monday, Advent, Week Two
Isaiah 35:1-10 Today Isaiah offers us another poetic vision of all that God promises for the people of Judah: everybody and everything will be restored in a land governed by God. Judah has experienced a period of barrenness and dryness in her relationship with God. All of this God will turn into fertile land where …
Sunday, Advent 2C
Baruch 5:1-9Luke 3:1-6 I originally started this reflection by focusing on the very familiar Gospel for today of John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. As I looked at the readings again the imagery from Baruch in our first reading struck me very forcibly. In powerful poetry Baruch prophesies the glorious reversal of Judah’s fortunes: …
Saturday
Advent, Week One Isaiah 30:19-21.23-26 I’ve often been asked how I knew I wanted to be a nun. I think people know when they ask me that me that I didn’t have a Damascus road experience. I usually answer by talking about my growing conviction that I wanted to follow Christ and put my whole …
Friday
Advent, Week One Isaiah 29:17-24 In today’s text from Isaiah we have several images of reversal. ‘In a short time, a very short time,shall not Lebanon become a fertile landand fertile land turn into a forest?’ A radical new society is promised where creation is transformed and societal structures reformed. Together these reversals will make …
Thursday
Advent, Week One Isaiah 26:1-6 Today’s text from Isaiah is a song of hope where Jerusalem is imagined as a strong and fortified city, defended by God. That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:We have a strong city;to guard us he has setwall and rampart about us.Open the gates!Let the …
Wednesday
Advent, Week One Is 25:6-10 When I made my Solemn Profession in 2000 our artist, Sr Regina, made me a card with the text; ‘On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.’ …
Tuesday
Advent, Week One Just as Advent begins, we step off the Advent path to celebrate the Feast of St Andrew the apostle. We have to make a quick liturgical gear change. Matthew’s account of the call of Andrew is short and offers us the minimum of details: ‘And they left their nets at once and …