Today our church celebrated Christ the King Sunday. This feast reminds us that Christ’s kingship is not based on “human power” but on loving and serving others. The text to one of the hymns we sang was written by Sylvia Dunstan, who served others through prison ministry. In her “Christus Paradox”, she writes about how various images of Christ seem to be in tension with each other; “both Lamb and Shepherd”, “worthy in peace and strife”, “our death and life”.
Singing the line, “you who are both gift and cost”, I thought about my choice to become a Benedictine oblate. An oblate is someone whose life becomes an offering of self to God. Oblates strive to seek God and the glory of God in the routine of daily life and in whomever they meet, and they extend Benedictine values into the daily world in which they live.
I became an oblate after much discernment and prayer. I knew it would come with cost; sacrifices of time and leading to places unknown. Weaving regular time with God into a busy life seemed overwhelming, yet the more I have woven prayer into each day the more I desire to praise God and follow where Christ is leading me. The resulting love and joy are gifts worthy of any sacrifice. And each day when I write a new post for this journal, it is my evening offering and prayer to God.
Holy God, May we accept your grace and extend your love to others, so that all may be welcomed into your kingdom. Amen
Bread for the Journey 