Signs pointing beyond themselves

The first thing that strikes you on entering the public church of the Monastery of the Holy Cross is the water font immediately to the left of the entrance. Above it hangs a simple metal sign inscribed with the words: “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”—a direct quotation from Ephesians 4:5. Before a single word is spoken, the church proclaims the fundamental unity of Christian life grounded in baptism.

Moving into the body of the church, your eye is drawn in an unbroken line toward the altar, the true centre and focal point of the entire space. As you approach, you notice that the altar rises a little from a large circular base, solidly grounded and yet visually expansive. What immediately struck me was its resemblance to the Eucharistic host—one form composed of many parts. It called to mind Saint Paul’s words:

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17)

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 Sunday 26 April 2026

 Lectio Divina:*

Acts 2:36-41 Psalm 23(22)

1 Peter 2:20-25 John 10:1-10

Meditatio:

‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’   (John 10:1-10)

Secret places

It took nearly fifteen years before I discovered a small secret within the monastery where I was staying. Just beside the monastic church there is a room: enter by its door and you find yourself in a sacred space where the Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved for adoration and private prayer, and, when the need arises, for the celebration of the Eucharist by small groups.

To be able to take time to enter such a space and simply be still is a real privilege. Today, churches are often locked in the evenings and sometimes even during the day. As a result, it can be difficult to find both the time and the space for a true “heart‑to‑heart” conversation with the Blessed Trinity in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.

Eucharistic hospitality

Eighteen years ago, very early on a cold February morning, I first arrived at the doors of Holy Cross Abbey, the Benedictine monastery nestled at the head of the Kilbroney Valley just outside Rostrevor, “where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.” Apart from a two‑year interruption during the Covid era, I have returned every year since.

What strikes me on each visit is, first of all, the magnificent beauty of the natural surroundings, and also the abbey’s quiet witness as a place of reconciliation and unity on an island with a deeply troubled history. From the grounds one can look across the border into the South, with the Cooley Mountains rising in the distance.

Seen but not heard? (#4)

A modern icon or Aghia Magdalini or Saint Mary Magdalene by Alexandra Kaouki in her workshop in Rethymnon (Photograph © Alexandra Kaouki)

Saint Paul is often blamed for attitudes that appear to relegate women to a wholly passive or subordinate role within society, the household, and the Church. One of the key passages cited in support of this view comes from his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:33–35):

Equal but different - the case for women priests #3

St Alban's Psalter

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It seems to me that proponents of the status quo (a male‑only priesthood) and proponents of change (the inclusion of women in ordained ministry) are often talking past one another. Those who defend the current practice tend to rely on arguments from tradition, symbolism, and ecclesial order, while those calling for change focus on equality, power, and the elimination of discrimination. As a result, the debate frequently becomes polarised rather than genuinely dialogical.

What both sides generally agree on, however, is that men and women are created equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27):

So God created humankind (’adam in the Hebrew), in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The role of cultural norms

It is clear that both Scripture and Tradition come to us expressed through particular historical and cultural contexts. The human authors and teachers through whom God chose to communicate His eternal and unchanging truth were themselves shaped by the assumptions, language and social structures of their time.

Accordingly, the ways in which believers think about God and articulate their faith are influenced by the cultural norms of the societies in which they live. It is therefore unsurprising that in biblical and New Testament times women did not occupy recognised positions of leadership in the synagogue, the Temple or the early Christian communities, although there is some evidence of women exercising significant and in certain cases possibly leading roles. This evidence will be considered later in relation to the question of the diaconate.