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 …
Category Archives: Monastic
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 …
Monday
Advent, Week One Isaiah 2:1-5 When I was 17 I had my first chance to study the Book of Isaiah as a whole. I was doing A Level Scripture and we were covering the Prophets. I remember being completely bowled over by the poetry of this passage. ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain …
Advent Sunday 1
Advent Sunday 1Luke 21:25-28.34-36Over the years I have become used to the fact that our first Sunday of Advent opens not with words of comfort, but with an apocalyptic vision. These words have a poignancy in 2021 when we look back and think of the things that have ravaged our world. So many things have …
Synodality and Vulnerability
I have followed the work of Brene Brown for at least 10 years. A social worker by profession, she has spent the last 20 years studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. To date, her TED Talk, The Power of Vulnerability, has had 16 million views on YouTube. On her website she describes herself like this: …
Becoming the Body of Christ
Part Two of Sr Michael RSM’s guest post on her experience before and after Vatican II. You can read Part One here: In 1954, I entered a pre-Vatican 2 religious community though at the time neither I nor anyone else knew that it was pre-Vatican2! That was the only way we knew. I was ready …
Becoming the Body of Christ
As part of my exploration of the issues underlying Traditionis Custodes, I am delighted to share with you a guest post from Sr Michael RSM, one of the Sisters who taught me at St Anthony’s School, Sunderland. Sr Michael writes about her experience of growing up in Durham and Sunderland in the 1950s. A Personal …
Becoming the Body of Christ (6)
“What difference does it make if the bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ and we don’t?”― Godfrey Diekman OSB PART FOUR Emerging Adult Faith I’ve come to realise that I make very strong attachments to people and places. Moving to London to study held a great deal of trepidation for me. …
Becoming the Body of Christ
“What difference does it make if the bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ and we don’t?”― Godfrey Diekman OSB PART THREE New Horizons At A Level my theological and spiritual horizons were widened thanks to the excellent teaching of Sr Michael and all of the Sisters of Mercy working in St …