For St Matthew’s Day, 2025
Holy Wisdom, you are more precious than jewels and sweeter than honey. Teach us your ways through structured prayer and honest reflection. Steady our thoughts, calm our anxieties, and draw us into the rhythm of your life. May your Word take root in our hearts, shaping us to serve with clarity, compassion, and joy. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Reflection
1. Wisdom in Ordered Rhythm
Proverbs praises wisdom as our lifeline, extending our days and lighting our path. The Benedictine pattern of prayer, work, and rest provides a steady framework in which wisdom can flourish. Each hour of the Divine Office becomes a marker on the journey, inviting us to trust in a divine order that holds us when life feels uncertain.
2. Lectio Divina and Sensory Attunement
Psalm 119 teaches through experience, asking us to linger over each verse. In lectio divina, we taste the Word, noticing the rise and fall of each phrase. By attending closely to tone and texture, we allow Scripture to seep beneath the surface, anchoring our hearts in God’s faithfulness.
3. Clay Jars Bearing Bright Light
Paul reminds us that fragile vessels carry the surpassing power of Christ. In the monastic Chapter Room, we name our weaknesses aloud—no pretense, no masks. This honest vulnerability becomes holy ground, revealing that God’s strength glows brightest in our moments of brokenness.
4. Radical Hospitality at the Table
When Jesus calls Matthew and dines with outcasts, he models a welcome that knows no boundaries. Benedictine hospitality flows from that example. By arranging seating, lighting, and space with intention, we foster an environment where every guest—especially those who feel on the margins—finds safety and belonging at Christ’s feast.
Collect of the Day
O almighty God,
whose blessed Son called Matthew the tax-collector
to be an apostle and evangelist:
Give us grace to forsake the selfish pursuit of gain
and the possessive love of riches;
that we may follow in the way of your Son Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. (BCP 2004)
Concluding Collect
O God of wisdom and mercy, grant that our lives may reflect the order of your love, the depth of your Word, and the warmth of your welcome. Strengthen us—fragile vessels though we are—to bear your light into every shadowed corner of the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
NeuroDivine 
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