Matthew 21:28-32 St Benedict expected unhesitating obedience from his monks: ‘The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience, which comes naturally to those who cherish Christ above all.’ (Rule of St Benedict, Ch 5, On Obedience) For St Benedict cherishing Christ is key to everything that happens in the monastery. Reading this challenging line from …
Category Archives: Monastic
Feast of the Archangels
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14Psalm 137John 1:47-51 When I was in the third form in secondary school, we had an innovative head of year. She was a very zany dresser, combining full length fake mink coats with yellow wellies. Just seeing her outfits always gave me a lift. Her assemblies were memorable too. She used to play music …
Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 20:1-16 The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard. Writing in 1954, biblical scholar Joachim Jeremias, calls this text The Parable of the Good Employer. He …
St Matthew
Matthew 9:9-13 The Nuns of Twitter have been sharing their experiences of their vocation journeys. While there are some differences between our experiences, we all share that mixture of courage, trepidation and love that was needed for us each to make that initial contact and then formally ask to enter a congregation or monastery. ‘As …
Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 18:21-35 The figure of the servant who is forced to settle a debt and doesn’t have the means to do so unsettles me from the very beginning of this parable. His earnest pleas are heard and to my relief his huge debt is cancelled. It would be good if the parable stopped there. The …
Exaltation of the Cross
Numbers 21:4-9 John 3:13-17 Today’s first reading from Numbers is the story of the people being bitten by snakes in the wilderness. Moses fashions a bronze serpent, holds it up and whoever looks upon it lives. Whatever we might think of the likelihood of this happening, the point the story is the power of God to …
Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 33:7-9Matthew 18:15-20 ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.‘ This quotation is so familiar that over the …
Maria Bambina
Micah 5:1-4Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 My monastery of Turvey Abbey is affiliated to the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto. We keep today’s feast as a Solemnity. I remember older sisters referring to this feast as Maria Bambina. It was not until I had the chance of a trip to Rome in September 2002 that I was to …
Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 16:21-27 ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’ There’s a scene in the Nun’s Story which is etched in my …
Preferring Nothing to Christ (12)
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. 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 an intentional training in …