The Rule of St Benedict was written in the turbulent context of Italy in the 6^th century to answer the questions of how shall we live, as communities, as individuals, as churches, as businesses etc in an uncertain and fast changing world? The Rule has been rooted in Anglicanism and Benedictine communities are growing while many denominations are in decline. The aim of the Rule is to shape a society that is truly Christ centred and provides the tools to accomplish the task.

The Rule is heavily based on scripture and particularly the wisdom literature of the Bible. It comprises a Prologue and 73 chapters developing into three dynamic sections: Formation, Administration and Renovation. While originally aimed at monastic communities the Rule can help us in the search for wisdom in the 21^st Century.

For St Benedict the starting place for this was the state of the human heart and gaining a greater definition for our own lives and taking responsibility for ourselves.

Following that the next step is for an individual to subordinate oneself to the higher principles and purposes that energise, integrate, balance and anchor ourselves with a greater integrity. This means laying aside where we have come from and taking up the new identity of being a Christian. Now, new rules, new values and new goals apply to our lives because of our new identity.

As I said earlier, the rule was directed towards the monastic lifestyle but in our lives we are then called to self-manage, to exercise personal stewardship and oversight in the use of time, setting goals and prioritising, keeping commitments, focusing on the important but not necessarily urgent tasks.

These first disciplines are about the formation of our character and next set look are interpersonal disciplines that create trust. This is the transition from independence to interdependence. As the great Irish poet, John Donne said, ‘No man is an island’. Aimed at leaders this is about creating a team to shape the community set free creativity but kept in check by boundaries. An example would be creating new ways to worship but ensuring that this is done within the canons of the church as set out in the constitution.

And it is for the leader (an abbot in the original thinking) to keep the morale up, to be observant of those who form the community and maintaining their ‘emotional bank account’ but also facilitating the corporate discernment of the community. Neither of these things are easy to do but keeping the spiritual life of the individuals of the community is essential

One question to ask at this time is who is caring for the leader (the abbot) and the answer is that it is the community’s responsibility to care for the leader through the team effort by the exercising of the gifts and talents of the community. If the community works well together, then the leader can lead.

While making no specific rule about holidays and time off the Rule of St Benedict does insist on a balanced, ongoing daily and weekly regimen and rhythm. It does, therefore, promote self-care, as being constantly available to others does sap the strength and therefore, diminishes the effectiveness of the leader to lead.

In addition, though the rule states that it is the leader who determines the working climate of the organisation. In St Benedict’s case, a monastery, but applicable in other situations as well. It is the leader who has to create the climate of trust but in order to be Christlike they should also be the doctor who cuts out and the good shepherd who seeks out. Not an easy role to balance.

And finally, the community grows if the leader seeks out new sources of energy and information which empowers and generates energy in others which will then drive the organisation forward.

This is just a brief view of the Rule of St Benedict from my point of view following my retreat week based on the Rule of St Benedict for Church Leaders.

Peace in 2025

Recent events have shown us the fragility of life. We are called to cherish life and yet it breaks my heart to see the apparent cheapness of life in parts of our world. But as Christians it is our calling to care for wounded lives and to restore dignity to the lives of everyone because we need to remember that everyone is made in the image of God and therefore has inherent value to him.

And recognising that fact is the basis for building a culture of peace. The World Day of Peace was January 1^st and it seems apt that this should occur on the first day of the year. In his address for this day Pope Francis called on all nations to eliminate the death penalty, to divert a fixed percentage of arms spending to a global fund to fight hunger and climate change, to cancel the international debt of developing nations and to respect human life. A big ask but if you don’t ask then what is the alternative?

There are still 55 countries that have the death penalty although 23 have not used it in the last 10 years. However, research shows that it is not a deterrent and of course, opinion is very divided on whether or not it is a suitable punishment.

However, on the World Day of Peace it is still worth noting that considerably more people who have committed no crime, die because of the sins of others. We should make it our goal in 2025 to continue to pray for peace and that fighting will cease on every front and there will be a desire for peace and reconciliation through dialogue and negotiations.

And then, not only to divert the spending from arms to helping the poor and tackling climate change but also to relieve the debt that keeps so many trapped in poverty. The year of Jubilee is very much a biblical thing that focussed on the remission of debt and it also asks us to translate this on a social level, so that no one will be crushed by debt.

As we come out of Christmas where God chose to act by coming into the world as a helpless child born in poverty, to be one of us, let us remember that Jesus shows us the face of God, a God who is compassionate and merciful to those suffering in body and spirit. Let us seek, in 2025, to relieve that suffering and pray for peace so that we may live together in peace free from suffering and free of debt.

“And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ (Luke 18: 8b)

Jesus poses an interesting question here. The answer to the question is dependent on whether or not we each have faith in our hearts. So, what is your answer? I would hope the answer is ‘Yes’. However, it should be more than just a yes answer because our faith is meant to increase over time.

What is faith? Faith is a response from each one of us to God speaking in our hearts. In order to have faith we must first listen to God speak. And when he does this, we exhibit faith by responding to what he reveals to us. We believe in his word spoken to us and it is this act of believing that forms faith within us.

Faith is not just believing. It is believing in who God is, his word to us and what God tells us personally. Faith then gives us certainty as to what it is that God is looking for in our life.

Reflect upon how certain your faith is. Reflect on Jesus asking you this very question. Will he find faith in your heart? Commit yourself to all that God reveals to you every day.

Prayer: Lord, I desire to grow in faith. I desire to grow in my love and in my knowledge of you. Amen

Ever been embarrassed about what to say or write to someone bereaved? I recently read a booklet by Paul Lack, a clergyman and someone who was himself recently bereaved. He had a few pearls of wisdom which I share with you now.

While bereavement is usually associated with the recent death of some close, Lack points out though that many things bring bereavement from the loss of a pet to redundancy and surgery. However, he initially stresses that the bereaved person is the same person after death as they were before and we should remember that. He also says that it is important to say something as saying nothing, ignoring or avoiding a bereaved person is hurtful. He recommends sending a card or a letter or make the phone call and acknowledge what has happened but never say, “ I know exactly how you feel”. Listening is the key and as they talk, what may seem inconsequential to you may be hugely significant for them. Allow them to talk about the person if they so wish and always refer to them by the name they were known by.

In the days after a bereavement, home cooked meals, or practical help can be a godsend. But if you did things together with the other couple say, be mindful of that, still invite them but be conscious of the new dynamic.

And how long do we keep all this up, asks Lack. Well, the answer is always, grief is unpredictable but he does recommend asking about how people they are for at least 5 years.

In the booklet he concludes with a list of What not to say which should be written on a fridge magnet and number one on his list is ‘Do not just talk. Listen!’ which is probably the best advice of all but then he goes on to say: Do not tell people what to feel; Do not deny their feelings; Do not judge; Do not try to fix them; Do not advise; Do not make it about you; avoid platitudes and euphemisms.

Great help in dealing with bereavement.

Reference

Lack, Paul, “What to Say to the Bereaved” Grove Booklet Pastoral 176

Peace seems to be a commodity in short supply. I wish I could say that everyone wants peace but that would not appear to be the case in our world today. Our days are like those of Jeremiah, in that people cry “Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6: 14). There is war in our world, domestic violence is at an all-time high and in the wake of the Aisling Murphy case we are looking at how women can not only feel safe but be safe.

Where can we go for peace? Peace can only be found in the prince of peace, Jesus, the son of God. Our spiritual peace is peace with God as Romans 5: 1 reminds us, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ“.

But in a worldly sense what must we do, as another part of Romans tells us, “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification” (Romans 14: 19). As simple as it may sound, doing just that is what we need to do. God says peace comes when we live in harmony with him – when we do what he tells us to do. The Bible, God’s Word, is our manual for life. If we don’t obey the principles laid out in the Bible then we will never experience peace.

Even when things don’t make sense, we must trust God’s purpose. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5-6). We often feel that lots of things in life are beyond our control and rather than get in a panic, God urges us to just trust him.

But he also calls on us to pray to help bring about peace. Our prayers precede the peace for the apostle Paul tells us in Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7). If we are not praying, we are likely to be worrying. And worry gets us nowhere.

So, in our world today we need to pray for peace because it is the only ‘weapon’ we all have.

Even those things that we thought would never be able to change. Mt. Everest is growing at the rate of five centimetres a year so it is already 2.5 metres taller than when I was a child and learned that fact from my wonderful “Boy’s Handbook” (I wish I still had that great book). But on the other hand, we know all about erosion, particularly of our coast.

God’s love is more stable and lasting even than the mountains and the coastal cliffs. It will remain forever, never to be eroded away. When God commits himself to us, that commitment will never be broken.

The love of God is revealed to the world in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament we read how great that love is. In 1 Corinthian’s 13 we read that “do not have love, we gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

In the letter to the Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39). What marvellous news! It is something upon which to base our lives. We can live with confidence each day, knowing that God’s love remains with us forever.

Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth

This is a book that the comedian Alan Davies was reading on the BBC2 Book Club programme and I thought it was worth a go a the topic intrigued me as it seemed to address issues that are often part of Irish society, that is inheritance and inequality therein.

The book is about four siblings and told from the perspective of the eldest daughter Bergljot. The initial premise is of the unfair gift of two summer houses to the youngest two daughters disinheriting the two eldest siblings from the most meaningful part of the family estate. But we realise that Bergljot has been estranged from the family for over twenty years but tries to keep her children in the wider family. The issue with the houses then draws in the son, Bard and there is much emotional baggage that gets talked about. But given that they all thought that the estate would be shared equally among the four siblings we see all the wranglings that go on. There are a couple of subplots to the main story which again highlight that family life is messy and later in the book another secret emerges.

I found the first half not the easiest read as you had to pay attention to every sentence but as it progressed, I found it easier going. I think this is a book about messy families, victimhood on all sides and some of the deeper issues around inheritance and fairness. Will and Testament is a lyrical meditation on trauma and memory, as well as a furious account of a woman’s struggle to survive and be believed.

I think I made heavy weather of the book as Julie finished it in no time but the theme was right up her street.

.