Reflection on Our Limitations

“As a father cares for his children, so does the Lord care for those who fear him. For he himself knows wereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust. Our days are like the grass; we flourish like the a flower in the field. When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more” (Psalm 103:13-15 The Book of Common Prayer, p.734).

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is how quickly life can change. All of us were able to go out with family and friends. We were able to attend our church services in person, sing beautiful hymns, and hear God’s word. We were quite free to do what we wanted and where we wanted to go. We could go out for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We could visit with friends and family with only our busy schedules to deal with. COVID-19 brought all of that to a screeching stop. All of us are so tired of being at home all the time, and not being able to make decisions without carefully considering what the safety risk might be. Many of us have lost loved ones that we were not able to see before they passed away, because of hospital safety policies. The life we all knew nearly a year ago, is no where near the same. That which was abundant and full, is all but dust and ashes.

I think Ash Wednesday and Lent is so perfect for the times we are living in. They are a reminder of our limitations. We are not supernatural beings with no limits. We are finite, mortal people with limitations. Whatever we acquire in terms of material possessions, college and university degrees, occupational achievements and intellectual or theological wisdom; one day, we will die, and we will be nothing more than ashes and dust. Lent is a time for prayerful solitude and silence to reflect on what is really important. Lent is a time to retreat into our contemplative spaces and let God speak to us through God’s mercy, love and limitless grace.

As contemplatives, we search for God’s mercy in everything. That is why I love what St. Benedict wrote at the end of Chapter 4: On the Tools for Good Works in The Rule. “And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy.” In this short sentence, Benedict tells us that whatever we do with the good things God gives us to do; God’s mercy is where our hope needs to be. God’s mercy is what helps us to contemplate God’s boundless love, that never gives up on us, and never stops wanting us to return to God over and over again. Lent is a time to remember what our limits are, respect those limits and trust the rest in God’s mercy.

Can you tell God honestly what your limits are, and learn to trust God the rest of the way?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on Come and See

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’”(See John 1:43-51 NRSV).

“Come and see,” the Apostle Philip said to Nathanael. Philip invites Nathanael to see Jesus as they are seeing Him. Andrew, Peter and Philip have seen Jesus and the great sign of hope He brings. God has changed their lives in this Person named Jesus.

The words “come and see” are an invitation to seek unity with God. A unity that is not found in physical sight alone. Seeking God with purity of heart means abandoning all desire of wanting to find Jesus in the way we think God should be found. Our false-sense of self wants to seek and find God within our own comforts and desires. Seeking union with God requires us to let go of what we think finding God should be, and listening to God from within our whole self.

St. Anthony the Great whom we commemorate today, wrote the following words.

“The intellect in a pure, devout soul truly sees God the unbegotten, invisible and ineffable, Who is the sole purity in the pure of heart.”

The contemplative is always accepting God’s invitation to “come and see” where Jesus is. The Presence of Jesus is in the quiet walks through the wilderness. God calls us to “come and see” as we spend time in silence and solitude in whatever way works best for each of us. The Holy Spirit is moving within us, in our true essence, to seek union with God in the here and now. Our human limitation more times than not, leads us to believe that God is only present when we are thinking of God. God exists and is moving in us, even when we are not completely aware of God. In the moments of unawareness. In our times of stress and anxiety. In those moments when life is in chaos because of events out of our control: such as COVID-19, God invites you and me to “come and see” to search for union with God. All we have to do is accept that gracious invitation and allow the God who has already found us, to be enough by just being God.

“We believe that the divine presence is everywhere…” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, Chapter 19, p.47).

The Apostle Philip invites you to “come and see” where Jesus is. Have you accepted that invitation?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on The Word in the Darkness

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 NRSV).

Words and light are very similar. Words have a way of changing the direction of a conversation. When someone is preparing to make a speech or preach a sermon, they put a lot of thought into what they want to say. Words can make us feel happy, sad, angry, or fill us with enthusiasm. Words can make or break a dinner conversation. Words can bring people together, or divide them apart.

Light affects us a lot too. We are happier when the sun is out. We are not so happy when the weather is cloudy, damp and cold. When walking into a dark room, we are uncomfortable and wonder what might be happening. When we turn the lights on, everything in the room is made clearer.

Jesus, is the Incarnate Word who came as the “light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Jesus is the Word through which God enters into our human experience and changes the entire conversation. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, that imparts God’s love in human flesh.

As contemplatives, we open our hearts to the Word, and our eyes to the Light who is Jesus. The mysticism of what we celebrate on this Christmas Day, is that God is closer to us in what cannot be explained or adequately described; God in the Incarnation of Jesus is the experience of grace, love and faith made tangible.

At the end of the year 2020, we need the Word and Light in the Person of Jesus Christ like no other. Sickness, death, loneliness, forced isolation and depression are the ongoing challenges that have changed everything for everyone. There is no comfortable way to make life easier for anyone. Never before have we needed the physical touch of family and friends this Christmas. Yet, never has the risk of doing so been so high. When simply breathing in the presence of others can change our health, causing us to make these terrible decisions, our holidays are just not right.

In the midst of this darkness, with rhetoric being so horrible, and news not making things easier; Jesus, the Word is born. Jesus is “the Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” The conversation has changed. There is a new brightness in the darkness in Jesus the Word made flesh.

It is a wonderful time to celebrate Emmanuel, “God with us.”

“Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God, and our ears to the voice from heaven that every day calls out this charge: If you hear his voice today, do not harden your hearts (Ps 95:8).” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p. 15-16).

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here .

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

Reflection on The Lord is With You

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (See Luke 1:26-38 NRSV).

There is no question that the world is in chaos. There is so much negativity going on. The noise of calamity is everywhere. COVID-19 has all of our yearly Christmas celebrations with family, friends and our church communities on a “maybe next year” status.

There may not have been a pandemic at the time of the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, but, there was definitely plenty of oppression going on. I am fairly certain that Mary was not expecting her life to be changed so radically by the news that she would carry God’s Son in her womb. Yet, the Angel gives Mary and us the most simple words. “The Lord is with you.”

Many might think of contemplation and mysticism as being full of miraculous experiences. Contemplation and mysticism are not experiences of emotional and spiritual ecstasy. Contemplative prayer and mysticism are gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us know and experience the simplest of words. “The Lord is with you.”

No message is needed more than “The Lord is with you.”

We are living through a pandemic that has taken the lives of way too many people. “The Lord is with you.”

There is a lot of violence in the world. “The Lord is with you.”

We are grieving the loss of the way things were before we had to quarantine, wear masks, and keep social distancing. “The Lord is with you.”

Most of us are not able to attend Christmas services or get together with family and friends this year. “The Lord is with you.”

“The Lord is with you.” God is here with us in the here and now. We are not where we used to be. We do not know where we will be tomorrow, a week from now or a year later. Those are not important. God is doing wonderful and holy things in our lives, because “The Lord is with you.” Jesus is present in us, wanting to be born anew in and through us, by answering yes. God knows we are afraid. That is why the words “Do not be afraid” are written in the Bible 365 times.

If we are afraid of anything going on with or around us, God sent the Angel Gabriel to tell Mary and all of us “The Lord is with you.”

“We believe that the divine presence is everywhere…” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p.47).

As you face difficult challenges, try repeating the words “The Lord is with you.”

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here .

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on A Different Advent

Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (See Mark 13:24-37 NRSV).

The Season of Advent is a time like no other. Advent is not a time of business as usual. Advent is a time to wait for what comes with a conclusion that is unique. We walk through a series of days of uncertainty between now and December 24th.

This year Advent is unlike any in years past. We are living through a time of pandemic with sickness, isolation and death like we have never experienced in our lifetime. We will not be celebrating with the familiar end of the year holiday parties, huge family get togethers or the beautiful church services that we look forward to. We will have to be inventive. We will have to adapt. We will have to accept what is, not what we would want things to be.

Advent is taking place. The opportunity to spend time in contemplation of the mystery that God is coming into our hearts and our world to change us from within is still a possibility. We are to prepare for the way God wants to enter in to our lives in the here and now, and find us ready to receive Jesus with adoration and heartfelt thanksgiving.

Let us get up then, at long last, for the scriptures rouse us when they say: It is time for us to arise from sleep (Rom 13:11). Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God, and our ears to the voice from heaven that every day calls out this charge: If you hear his voice today, do not harden your hearts (Ps. 95:8). (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p.16).

What do the words “Keep awake” mean for you?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Br. Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on Job: A Troubled Contemplative

Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (See Job 2:1-13 NRSV).

The Book of Job belongs to the Poetic Writings of the Bible in much the same way as the Psalms. Job is a legendary folktale for spiritual meditation, and and not a n actual story. Lastly, the Satan that is referred to in the first and second chapters of Job is not the evil one from Genesis or the tempter in the four synoptic Gospels. Satan in Job is an accuser, a prosecutor in the court. It is with this important information that we must begin with this reflection. Otherwise our reflection will become another doctrinal or theological argument, when Lectio Divina is not based on an intellectual understanding.

The experiences that have fallen on Job can be compared to being beaten up, and kicked on the gut all in one week. It happens to many of us. When a tragedy like COVID-19 happens, the grief is excruciating. One loss after another, and the sadness and heartbreak does not end.

Very few things make the experience of grief worse than asking ourselves questions such as “What did we do wrong?” “Were we not faithful or moral enough?” The situation is no better when we blame others for what they should or should not have done.

Job is a troubled contemplative. The worst things have happened to him. Before Job can begin to reflect on what God is doing in his life, he is getting all kinds of advice from the company he keeps. Job is a troubled contemplative, because he knows in his heart, that God is present in the good and bad times. Job is troubled, because he is turning in on himself to try to grasp what has happened.

Job is a great illustration about the importance of humility in contemplative prayer and mysticism. When we look inside ourselves, expecting to find God in our false-sense of self, we will discover an empty space. God is not only where we are most comfortable, untroubled, and whining about how come we are at the end of the happiness line. God is also in our pain, our disbelief and anger. God has given us the desire to search for union with God in whatever situation we are in. In The Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 7: On Humility, he tells us, “The first step of humility is to keep the reverence of God before our eyes, and never forget it”.

“No matter what kinds of ruins you stand in, keep moving, keep doing what you must do, keep showing up every day. Haul yourself before God no matter what.” (Benedict’s Way: An Ancient Monk’s Insights for a Balanced Life, Lonnie Collins Pratt and Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB, p.43).

In the end, why good and bad things happen to us, and God’s participation in all our experiences are a mystery. What we do know through the mystery of the story of our redemption through Jesus Christ, is that God is always walking with us in what we are going through, right here, right now. That knowledge by itself, is why we must turn to and trust God to help us.

Will you let God into your troubled heart, and listen to God today?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on Storms and Faith

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33 NRSV).

Among the many lessons we are learning this year is how unpredictable life is. Our lives can be going fairly well. Just like a storm out of nowhere, the coronavirus swept us all under our feet. Whatever the cause, or reason; this virus has brought international hardship and an entirely different life to our world.

Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew could not be more suited for what we are living through. The disciples are in the middle of a storm. The lives of everyone of those people is in danger. I don’t blame Peter for being so scared, even when Jesus calls him to step out and walk on the water. Everything around Peter is not predictable, including and especially seeing Jesus walking on water.

The contemplative message of this Gospel narrative is that Jesus comes to be with us during the storms of life. God may not stop the wind from blowing, or the water overflowing. We might take a step to walk on the stormy waters, and lose our faith during the journey. The storm is happening right now and right where we are. It is in through those tumultuous times of our lives (and oh are we all in them), that Jesus comes to us.

As Benedictines, we take a vow of Stability. The vow of Stability is a promise to place ourselves in the hands of God, with everything about us, as it is. The masks to cover our fears and wounded souls come off, in the vow of Stability. Stability means that even in the face of the storms of fear and change; we do not run away. Stability is our tool for facing God as we are, where we are in the here and now. It is through our vow of Stability, that we contemplate what God is doing in our lives through what we are living through in this moment; right here, right now.

The storms are raging on. Life is in chaos for all of us. Jesus is coming to us as we live through the storms of the coronavirus. It is time to let Jesus in to our hearts, to let Him receive us as we are. “The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore” (Psalm 121:8. The Book of Common Prayer, p.779).

“Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and faith, we shall run the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p. 19).

What is Jesus saying to you as you brave the storms of this difficult year?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB.

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Reflection on the Transfiguration

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36 NRSV).

All of us could use a good transfiguration moment these days. The continuing sickness and death by COVID-19 is suffocating in so many ways. We hear of the rising number of new cases. Day after day we read about people who have died from the coronavirus. Will it never end?

The celebration of the Transfiguration of Christ is so very timely. Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John, and all of us up the mountain as we read and hear the Gospel account. When the voice from Heaven says “This is my Son, my Beloved, listen to Him,” Jesus is proclaimed by the agape (love) of God as also the eros (love) of God. The vertical and the horizontal love of God is one with us in Jesus the Christ. The Cross on which Jesus died, is the symbol of the vertical and horizontal love of God, with Jesus’ arms forever outstretched. Is it any wonder why Peter said, “It is good to be here” ?

I am doing a personal at home retreat for a few days. During this retreat, I am reclaiming and renewing my Benedictine identity and spirituality. I am reading through the book entitled Benedict’s Way: An Ancient Monk’s Insights for a Balanced Life by Lonni Collins Pratt and the Late Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB. Yesterday I read something that spoke to me so clearly of what we are living through.

No matter what kind of ruins you stand in, keep moving, keep doing what you do, keep showing up every day. Haul yourself before God. (p.34).

We are all living through a time with what seems like endless ruins. The debris from how our lives used to be are everywhere. No one is untouched. It is in the middle of the ruins that Jesus takes us up the mountain, where God shows us God’s love and power that brings life out of death. All God asks of us is to haul ourselves before God and to listen to Jesus.

As contemplatives, prayer is our pathway to our relationship with God. Contemplative prayer is a way of life, through which what is mundane and normal becomes a way to grow closer to God and one another. Contemplative prayer is being in the presence of God and desiring nothing more than God. The Transfiguration is a contemplative mystery. When life is a mess, as it is for many of us, Jesus takes us into the wondrous mystical relationship with God by His single devoted love of God for all of us. Jesus, will take us into that relationship if we will just listen to Him.

“Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life.” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p.95).

Are you hauling yourself before God during these difficult times?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on God’s Treasure

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-45 NRSV).

We are all living through a time with a lot of death around us. The COVID-19 pandemic has killed way too many people. We have been experiencing and grieving the death of the way our lives used to be before this international crisis. It is a painful time we are living through.

In the midst of the sickness and chaos, Jesus talks about His Kingdom being like a treasure hidden in a field, and a pearl that is so precious, that the owner sells everything they have to get the pearl. If you are feeling the grief and anger that so many of us are experiencing; it is perfectly understandable that our response to Jesus would be, “ Oh yeah? Then, when is enough, enough?” Whenever we draw a conclusion on God as to what is happening, we are cutting God and ourselves short.

“Try to enter your inner treasure-house and you will see the treasure-house of heaven. For both the one and the other are the same, and one and the same entrance reveals them both. The ladder leading to the kingdom is concealed within you.” (St. Isaac of Syria, in Kadloubovsky and Palmer, Writings from Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, p. 30).

God’s greatest treasure is already and always within us. God has blessed us with our eternal truth within our essence. As Christians, we know that God gave Jesus as the Redeemer of our souls. God’s act of salvation on our behalf is because of how much God treasures us. We are the pearl that God sold everything to get for God’s Self. Even with all the muddy ness of a global pandemic, death and losses, there is always love deep in the heart of God that reaches out for us, in the very depths of who we are. In our tears, sadness, hopelessness and broken lives, God calls us to search for union with God who is ever present and hurting within us. God may not make things what we want them to be tomorrow or next week, but, in Jesus, God walks with us through it all.

As contemplatives, we know that the challenging times we are living through are a time in the desert. It is in this desert time, that everything that we really are is inescapable. We are hungry and thirsty. We are freezing from the darkness of isolation. We are overheated from news flashes going by with the rising number of new infections, and we can only do so much. In our desert experience, we cannot ignore our need for God to be our shepherd. So, we must do what St. Romuald wrote in his short rule. “Sit in your cell as in paradise.” We need to spend time with God in our cell (our hearts) with everything we are feeling, no matter how ugly we think it is, and allow God in God’s Grace to meet us there and be our nourishment and thirst quencher by faith and trust alone.

“In God’s goodness, we are already counted as God’s own…”

“The person who prays for the presence of God is, ironically, already in the presence of God.” (Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB. The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century, p.5-6).

Do you see yourself and your neighbor as God’s treasure during this time of global pandemic?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

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Reflection on Learning Wisdom

And yes, you want truth in the most hidden places; you teach me wisdom in the most secret space (Psalm 51:6, The Common English Bible).

Each of us has within us a sacred space. It is in the whole of who we are. In that sacred space there is our soul and our spirit.

Our souls are where our emotions are. In our souls, we experience joy and sorrow. We feel healing and pain in our souls. Many of the personal conflicts we have, have a lot to do with what is going on in our souls. In addition to these, our souls often have our false-sense of self. Each of us encounters hunger and thirst. The feelings of abandonment and isolation. These happen in part because of the messages we receive from our parents, society, the ups and downs of life, and any number of things. In our souls, we often want to be first in line. We want to be comfortable or celebrated.

Our spirit on the other hand is where our eternal truth (our essence) is. Our true selves are in our spirit. God’s Holy Spirit longs more than we know, to grant us the union with God that we seek; so that God’s wisdom can heal our souls and lead us to a divine intimacy with the God who loves us beyond our wildest imagination.

Psalm 51, the mercy plea of David, helps us remember that we are always somewhere between what is good and not good. God is our merciful Savior and is always willing to bring forgiveness to our souls. What we really need is for God to teach us God’s wisdom in our secret and sacred spaces. Most of the work of contemplative prayer in the Christian Tradition is about the interaction of God with us in our sacred and secretive spaces. We spend time in silence and solitude to allow God to talk with our souls, so that God can help us to live into our essence. Our eternal truth is where Jesus, the Wisdom of God is speaking to help “heal the sin sick soul” (Taken from the Gospel hymn There is a Balm in Gilead).

God knows the wounds within our souls. God knows how much we are all hurting in this time of social distancing and the innumerable deaths because of the coronavirus. In that brokenness, God is teaching us God’s wisdom in new and powerful ways. This time of uncertainty, is our time in the desert with Jesus. God will teach us wisdom in our secret and sacred space; but, we have to be silent so we can listen to God in our eternal truth; our essence.

“And finally, never lose hope in God’s mercy” (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p.29).

Will you let Jesus teach you wisdom in your secret and sacred space during this time in the desert?

Amen.

Peace be with all who enter here.

Brother Anselm Philip King-Lowe, OSB

If you feel led to buy me some coffee to help support this blog ministry, please scroll down to the bottom of the right sidebar and click on the Benedictine Coffee Mug.

Please visit my website to learn about Br. Anselm Philip’s Ministry of Spiritual and Grief Companionship.