Isaiah 58:1-9Matthew 9:14-15 Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks –to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke,to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke,to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor,to clothe the man you see to be naked and not …
Category Archives: Monastic
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Deuteronomy 30:15-20Luke 9:22-25 Choose life, then, so that you andyour descendants may live in the loveof the Lord your God, obeying his voice and clinging to him: for in this your life consists… Today’s reading from Deuteronomy offers us a mini framework for our Lenten path: choosing life,living in love,obeying his voice,clinging to him. Each …
Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2. 12-17Matthew 6:1-6 ‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –come back to me with all your heart,fasting, weeping, mourning.’Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,turn to the Lord your God again,for he is all tenderness and compassion,slow to anger, rich in graciousness,and ready to relent.Who knows if he will not turn …
A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (28)
CHRISTMAS EVE 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a,16Luke 1:67-79 On this last day of Advent the Church lays before us a pivotal text in the Old Testament, 2 Sam 7. Walter Brueggemann describes it as ‘the taproot of the Messianic idea in Israel’. After successfully bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and putting it …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (27)
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24Luke 1:57-66 Read through the Scripture texts, notice the words and phrases which strike you. ‘And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant who you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.’ What do you most long for as …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (26)
WEEK FOURTHURDAY 1 Samuel 1:24-28Luke 1:46-56 Today the Church lays side by side the story of Hannah bringing her precious child Samuel to the Temple, with Mary singing her Magnificat. I don’t think I could imagine a more poignant scene if I tried than that of Hannah leaving her child Samuel in the Temple at …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (25)
WEEK FOUR WEDNESDAY Song of Songs 2:8-14Luke 1:39-45 An air of joy and urgency weaves through the readings and prayers of our liturgy today. The first reading today comes from the Song of Songs. It’s not used very often in the lectionary, though is an option for Weddings and Religious Professions. The writer imagines their …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (24)
WEEK FOURTUESDAY Isaiah 7:10-14Luke 1: 26-38 As Christmas draws closers our readings focus on the key figures in God’s plan for humanity. The text from Isaiah 7 in the first reading provides the background to Gospel story of the Annunciation. Isaiah’s words speak directly to the political situation of 736 BC. In the face of …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (23)
FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENTMONDAY Judges 13:2-7. 24-25Luke 1:5-25 During this week the Liturgy of the Word lays before us the stories in our history that tell of the promise of a child to childless couples. We know this motif so well. A God-fearing couple long for a child, they pray and what had seemed impossible, …
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A Path Through Advent with St Benedict (22)
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT Isaiah 7:10-14Matthew 1:18-24 Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?Who shall stand in his holy place?The man with clean hands and pure heart,who desires not worthless things. Today the Psalmist paints for us the portrait of the archetypal righteous person. The ‘clean hands and pure hearts’ are metaphors for actions …
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