John 21:1-19 Simon son of John, do YOU love me more than these others do? In John 21 we have one of the most intimate dialogues in the Gospels. The focus is entirely on Peter and his relationship with Jesus. In English we have one word ‘love’ and it can mean a whole variety of …
Category Archives: Monastic
Eastertide Alphabet (X)
Χριστός CHRIST JESUS They preached everyday both in the Temple and in private houses, and their proclamation of the Good News of CHRIST JESUS was never interrupted. When you make Solemn Profession as a Benedictine as part of the ceremony you sing a verse from Ps 118(9), ‘Receive me Lord, according to your promise, and …
Eastertide Alphabet (W)
WONDERFUL LIGHTYou are a chosen race,a royal priesthood,a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of Godwho called you out of darkness into hisWONDERFUL LIGHT. During Covid I remember walking in the fields behind our monastery and watching as dawn broke. As I stood in the brightness of that light I prayed …
Eastertide Alphabet (V)
VINE John 15:1-8 I am the VINE, you are the branches.Whoever remains in me, with me in him,bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. I chose today’s Gospel passage for my Solemn Profession in 2000. It weaves together several themes that can all be found in implicit and explicit …
Eastertide Alphabet (U)
‘The whole group of believers was UNITED, heart and soul. No one claimed for their own use anything that they had, as everything they owned was held in common.’ Luke’s vision of the Early Church is one which has inspired Christian communities of all types throughout the centuries. Holding things in common (Gk koinonia) is …
Eastertide Alphabet (T)
TIBERIAS John 21:1-14 Just after my A levels I was able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our visit to the Sea of Tiberias stands out for me as a time of grace. In what was a fairly packed itinerary, there was suddenly time to sit and watch the water. It was a …
Eastertide Alphabet (S)
SHEEPFor the hearers of John’s Gospel the image of a shepherd will have invoked a whole world of meaning. Being in charge of a flock of animals and making sure they survived was not just a job but a way of life. The well- being of your flock and your own well-being were intimately connected. …
Eastertide Alphabet (R)
At our Easter Vigil service at Turvey Abbey we have always used John’s account of the Resurrection. The text is sung and, as a consequence, I almost know it by heart. The music swells when Mary reaches the moment of recognition and says ‘Rabunni’. It’s as if all time stands still in that moment of …
Eastertide Alphabet (Q)
‘Let us give thanks to the Father, who has QUALIFIED us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.’ During Eastertide we are given the opportunity to explore the richness of our faith heritage. Central to the Paschal Mystery is the truth that it is through God’s initiative that we are redeemed. God …
Eastertide Alphabet (P)
John 14:27-31 ‘Peace I bequeath to you,my own peace I give you,a peace the world cannot give,this is my gift to you. ‘Oh, sister, it’s so peaceful here in the monastery.’ We hear this very often and, of course, there is a good deal of truth in this. We are a low stimulus environment, with …