Sr Judith

I love this kind of retreat, but when I started I was quite surprised by how many people were too scared to try so I always looked for things that weren’t “artistic”. I got a lot of good ideas from what those people felt able to try…

If people are daunted by the idea of writing a poem or psalm acrostics can help, just one word per line. I’ve also invited people to write a word or phrase in a colour that speaks to them if they find creative things daunting

6/6 His words remind us that God knows our faults & is willing to be merciful. Mercy is offered freely & generously, with delight. The source of God’s mercy towards us is love, the love that holds us in being, the love at the heart of the gospel. Where are you being offered God’s mercy this Lent?

5/6 In today’s first reading the prophet Micah writes:

“What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?”

4/6 Another challenge of mercy is that it can only come as a gift, we can’t demand it, earn it or get it for ourselves. The most we can do is ask for it when we recognise our need strive to be open to receive it. Mercy also offers us hope.

3/6 They offer us both challenge and hope Its challenge is in its call to admit our faults & failing, to confess that we all need mercy in our lives. We both stand in need of God’s mercy and are called to be merciful towards others.

2/6 Alongside that there are people who seem immune to any sort of sanctions, however they act they never have to face the consequences. Both signal a devaluing of this essential quality of gospel living. In that situation we’re called to pay even more attention to them.

Two women hugging. The text reads: “What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?”

A Lent 🧵1/6 The gift of mercy is part of the blessing of gospel living that is especially important today. In our public spaces we see situations where no apology is acceptable. There is no way back from a mistake, no make a fresh start or second chance.

Two women hugging. The text reads: “What god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?”

#attentiveness, #Benedictine, #Blessing, #challenge, #Delight, #Gift, #gospel, #GospelLiving, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #love, #Micah, #newlife, #prophet, #trust The gift of mercy, new blog post on turveyabbey.org.uk/pilgrimage/2...

I’ve just realised how I avoid smudges when I write. I angle the paper to the right.

6/6 It is by standing with those marginalised people that we discover the blessing gospel living can offer us.

Where is Christ calling you to stand with those on the margins this Lent?

5/6 It means we encounter Christ in those people who disagree with us. We discover Christ’s presence in those whose behaviour and lifestyles make us uncomfortable.

4/6 “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.” The call of the gospel is a call to the margins. We can accept that in principle. It becomes harder when we have to look at what it means in practice. We're called to stand on the edge with the marginalised & rejected.

3/6 He tells the story of the vineyard owner whose tenants beat his servants and kill his son. His words are a reminder that to follow Christ is to choose a hard path. It’s not a choice that will make us popular or lead us to the centres of power. Instead, he offers the exact opposite:

2/6 In our hearts we know this can’t be true, yet we desperately want to believe it, so we allow ourselves to be beguiled by those promises. In that climate the honesty & directness of Jesus in the gospel offers a refreshing & challenging alternative. That is one of the blessings of gospel living.

A collection of multi coloured pebbles and rocks. The text reads: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.”

A Lent 🧵1/6 We live in an age of spin, and quick fixes. Across the globe political leaders tell us they can solve everything. All our problems, personal, national and international can be resolved easily, with no compromise, no pain, no sacrifice.

A collection of multi coloured pebbles and rocks. The text reads: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.”

#Benedictine, #Blessing, #challenge, #Christ, #gospel, #Hope, #Keystone, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #Lent2026, #love, #Marginal, #Margins, #newlife, #trust called to the margins, new blog post on turveyabbey.org.uk/pilgrimage/?...

I don’t have much problem with smudging, It must be the way I hold my hand. I have more trouble with smudging if I use a cheap biro. I think that’s because biros are thinner. I’m better with a chunky pen.

I press really hard too, but I find I don’t with a foundation pen. And even less with this left handed nib, so now I’m wondering if those 2 are connected?

I got a lamy fountain pen with a left handed nib this Christmas. It’s the best pen I’ve ever used.

Read and rave event at Leeds Library

We're are celebrating the power of storytelling.

To mark the National Year of Reading, the BBC is partnering with the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network to bring their BBC CBeebies Bedtime Story read & rave events to libraries nationwide.

Find out more here: link.bl.uk/8lv

5/5 The blessing of gospel living is that we already know the call of the risen Christ. His call is to let go of all that would harden our hearts. He calls us to allow our hearts to become as generous and open as his. What are you being called to let go of to grow in generosity of heart this Lent?

4/5 He begs that Lazarus return to earth to warn his family to change their ways. Abraham says even if someone returned from the dead, they wouldn't believe him: “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

3/5 The rich man’s wealth doesn’t open his heart, it hardens it. He’s perfectly comfortable ignoring Lazarus begging at his gate. When they die the tables are turned, Lazarus is cherished “in the bosom of Abraham” while the rich man is tormented in Hades. His agony awakens him to the truth.

2/5 It might seem that he is the very epitome of the blessing. Lazarus on the other hand appears to us to be cursed rather than blessed. He is so poor that he is reduced to begging, and is ignored and reviled by all. As the story unfolds this is questioned.

A person wiping dust off their hands. The text reads: “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

A Lent 🧵1/5 We live with the expectation and hope that the blessings we receive are always positive. We expect them to bring us all we need to live well. Today’s gospel challenges that idea. We hear the story of a rich man who can indulge every whim and every desire without a thought for the cost.

A person wiping dust off their hands. The text reads: “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

#Abraham, #Benedictine, #Blessing, #challenge, #generosity, #gospel, #GospelLiving, #Hope, #kingdom, #KingdomValues, #Lazarus, #lectiodivina, #Lent, #Lent2026, #LentPractices, #love, #newlife, #trust Learning generosity, new blog post on turveyabbey.org.uk/pilgrimage/?...

6/6 While that might prove costly the blessing of gospel living offers the hope that it will also be a life enhancing experience.

Where are you being called to treat others as you would like to be treated this Lent?

5/6 Together the gospel and the Rule bring the blessing of gospel living back to a very basic practice that we can live each day, to treat others as we would like to be treated. I wonder how life might change if that became the guiding principle of all our interactions.

4/6 His words make it clear that love of gospel living has to affect how we treat others. In chapter 4 of the Rule on the tools of good works St Benedict makes the same point. He reminds us “never do to another what you do not want done to yourself.”