For the early Cistercians, meditation on the person, name, vocation and example of Mary occupied a central place in their developing spirituality and theology, and it can be rightly said that they were the first to consider the Mother of God in herself rather than as a vehicle for further development of Christology and ecclesiology, theological reflection about Christ and theological reflection about the Church.
Author Archives: Bethlehem Abbey
The Search for Self
One of the fascinating aspects of the examination of the idea of vocation in Sacred Scripture – the writings which are contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible – is that it is almost emblematic of the stories which we read there. The entirety of Sacred Scripture, in some way…
The Practice of the Monthly Retreat Day
We have already seen in our lectio divina that it was Jesus’ practice to go away, frequently, from the crowds and from the disciples to make space and time to pray alone. Perhaps this is best conveyed to us in Mark’s Gospel (1:35): In the morning, long before dawn, he…
Mark 3:20-30 – The Sin that Cannot be Forgiven?
We are invited to consider in these verses the things that unite us and those that divide us. It’s interesting that Mark sets this question in two contexts – on the one hand that of Jesus’ family and relations, and on the other the ongoing and often acrimonious dispute with the scribes.
27th April – St Rafael Arnáiz Barón, Cistercian Oblate
The life and death, and consequent beatification and canonization of St Rafael are proof, if we needed it, that the Cistercian-Trappist vocation and life is not a ‘one size fits all’ calling. Born on 9th April 1911 – Palm Sunday that year – Rafael’s life was to be the shortest burst of energy…
25th April – St Mark, Evangelist
Where would be if we did not have the witness of the Gospels to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? These extraordinary documents reveal to us not only the salvific words and deeds of the Saviour, but also the faith of his followers from the moment when their
The Sixth Afflictive Thought – Acedia
With acedia we enter the realm of the afflictive thoughts which disturb the peace of our soul – so, while it is the sixth in our series, it is the first afflictive thought of the soul. That said, it also influences how we think and the rational and irrational judgments which we…
Gathering our Thoughts on Vocation – Where do we start?
How, where and when does ‘vocation’ happen? What is it, in any case? Why should I feel any necessity to identify vocation in my life? Generally, when we speak of ‘vocation’ as such we are speaking about a call to a way of life which is definitive for us; which expresses…
22nd April – Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu: Living and Dying by Love for the Sake of the Unity of Christians
As with all religious congregations, the Cistercians celebrate the memories of those of their brothers and sisters who, having lived lives of exceptional witness to Christ and the Gospel, are held up by the Church as outstanding models of holiness for us who are still running the race…
21st April – St Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Seeking and Desiring; Finding and Loving
Anselm was born in 1033 in the northern Italian town of Aosta, but spent the early part of his mature life in the great Benedictine monastery of Bec in France. He was to become one of the outstanding churchmen of his time, a theologian, abbot, then archbishop of Canterbury until…
Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, Portglenone 