The Fellowship of St. Columbanus

Daniel 12:1-3 St. Mark 13:24-32 I normally try to tie together the lessons, place the Gospel in its context, and give a degree of theological insight. But this morning I woke up and checked the news, and I read about "wars and rumors of wars," (Mt. 24:6), and dire warnings about political and ecological disaster. By the time I came to the Gospel I was already tired and pretty down. So I took great comfort in reading that after after the sun is darkened and the stars fall from heaven, then the Son of Man will come on the clouds with power and glory (Mk. 13:24-26). All of this trouble is only temporary, and after the time of distress, those who sleep in the dust will arise, and those who have instructed many in virtue will shine as brightly as stars forever (Dan. 12:2-3). At top, Mosaic of the saints gathering to the New Jerusalem Basilica of Santa Prassede. circ. 824  So I am encouraged to persevere. To try to be one of Daniel's "teachers of virtue,...

I Kings 17:10-16 St. Mark 12:38-44 By: Evan Underbrink Elijah, walking on the baked earth, hungry. He asks an old woman for water, and she goes at once. She knows this man is a prophet of the living God. He calls out and asks her for a bit of bread as well. How hungry they both must have been. What spasms held in both their stomachs, and what extra spasm held the woman’s heart as she told the prophet of her plan.  I like to imagine that the woman left her house, nursing the aching death which was coming. She must have held a hundred thousand temptations at bay in order to act: she could not think about her son never marrying, nor her living to see grandchildren. She could, must not, let her mind wander down paths of hope, that perhaps today the rains will, finally come. Most of all, she could not let her heart betray her, that some help, any help, would come. If ever there was a best kind of despair, it was hers; for she was both meticulous, and interruptible. ...

The Gospel this week is on the Greatest Commandment. In Benedictine life, there is special emphasis on loving God through the service of the Liturgy of the Hours. Continual prayer and devotion is what centers the Christian life, and recalls us to grace and charity. Which brings me to the Fellowship of St Columbanus' news. We have a book of devotionals called Devotions of the Holy Rood , the substance of which is complete and so we have begun to seek a nihil obstat so that we can share it with anyone who is interested in the Fellowship or devotion to the Holy Cross. It takes the form of nine devotions, each containing two lessons and a psalm which describe a cross from the Bible or Christian history. The readings are followed by meditations, collects, and hymns to further guide users, either alone or in groups, in the Benedictine practice of Divine Reading, or Lectio Divina . The Holy Rood Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston, Texas We are also moving forward m...

St. Mark 10:46-52 He buildeth not with warrior might His empire, nor with heart's affright; But raised upon a Tree for throne Draws all things to himself alone. - hymn for Lauds on Christ the King. In today's gospel, Christ continues his ascent to Jerusalem from the wilderness, and at Jericho he encounters the blind man, Bartimaeus. The story is probably familiar: Bartimeus calls out "Son of David, have mercy on me," and the people tell him to be quiet, but Christ calls Bartimeus to himself and tells him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." But Bartimeus, rather than leaving, follows Christ on his way. There is a striking contrast here with the story of the rich young ruler. Bartimeus is begging on the side of the road and the crowds try to keep him away, whereas the rich man comes to Jesus without any difficulty. The rich man asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life, while Bartimeus only asks for Christ's mercy to restore his sig...

St. Mark 10:35-45 This week's lessons are fairly short, and so my reflection will also be short. In his dialogue with James and John about authority, Christ gives the briefest overview of what is expected of Christian leadership. The rulers of the heathens, he says, dominate their people. They hold authority over their heads, they are proud and boastful. They use their power to control people. Not so in the household of God. The one who would be chiefest must be servant of all. My mind turns immediately to a text like Psalm 72, the description of the righteous king, whose chief virtue is that he does justice for the poor and rescues the helpless. The goal of leadership is not to exercise authority, but to strengthen the weak. Christ the Good Shepherd Mosaic 5th cent. Mausoleum of Galla Placidia It is tempting to look at texts like Psalm 72 as simply Messianic. And of course, the Psalm is about Christ and His Kingdom. But we must not forget that we are supposed to imit...

Wisdom of Solomon 7:7-11 St. Mark 10:17-30 The Fellowship of St Columbanus took last week off while Carrie and I were on retreat at Downside Abbey, Francois was on retreat at Pluscarden Abbey, and Evan was on vacation in Helsinki. After we are able to have a chapter meeting, we will have some news to share from our retreat. Chinese depiction of Christ and the Rich Young Man: Beijing, 1879. Today's Gospel is the oft-told story of the rich young ruler, a cautionary tale of the lure of wealth. This is how we typically use this story in sermons and devotion, and it is particularly important in our materialistic age of the Prosperity Gospel. Reading today's Gospel I was reminded of the daily lessons over the past week from I Timothy: Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with th...

Numbers 11:25-29 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 This week's Old Testament and Gospel lessons are focused on the theme of the Holy Spirit, and how it often works through unexpected people. Both Moses and Christ are clear that this is not to be suppressed: that God will work through whom He will work, and we should not reject these good works simply because they come from outside of our cherished institutions, or without proper training. The work of God is to be encouraged wherever we discern it. But the Gospel subtly ties this idea to another one. Christ quickly shifts from "whoever is not against us is for us," to "Whoever gives you a cup of cold water in my name will not lose his reward." But this develops even further to "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." It is tempting to think of this as a disorganized collection of sayings, but there is a connection. Casting out demons in Christ's name becomes giving a cup of water in Ch...