Fuel

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | June 1, 2023 |

On the Day of Pentecost, God gave to those in the upper room the fuel which their spirits were designed to burn. And that fuel totally transformed them. They came to life. They came out into the world with new courage and strength. God gives that same gift of the Holy Spirit to you and to me, as our daily fuel.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Vine

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | May 11, 2023 |

Our lives are intimately connected with Jesus. We are part of his body, branches of his vine. We are fed by that vine, nourished and given life. He will inspire us and give us the strength to be able to prune those parts of our lives which are not bearing fruit.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Living stones – Br. Geoffrey Tristram

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | May 7, 2023 |

Br. Geoffrey Tristram

1 Peter 2:2-10

We are in the Easter season. And for me it is the most exciting and dynamic season of the Christian year. I love the stories we read during these first weeks of Easter, of the Risen Lord calling men and women to follow him. Gathered behind locked doors, walking on the road to Emmaus, having breakfast by the lake side, Jesus appears, and says, today, ‘Come, follow me.’ I am the way, the truth and the life. Come, follow me.’

But what I love is that Jesus chose each person to follow him in a different way. He seemed to delight in all the distinctive gifts which his disciples had, even though sometimes they must have infuriated him! They were a really mixed bunch. Each of them was very different, but Jesus loved every one of them, and loved them for their differences.  For Jesus had called them for a purpose. He was building something very great. After the resurrection, he was building a Kingdom. St Peter, in a wonderful image, compares that Kingdom which Jesus came to build, with the building of a great spiritual house. And, Peter tells us, Jesus chooses each one of us, with our very different gifts, to be like living stones to be made part of the very fabric of this house.

I love this image, and it came back to me this year during the Easter Vigil. The vigil began in darkness of course, but slowly, as the sun rose, and shafts of light lit up the chapel, I was struck again by the beauty of this spiritual house. In particular I looked at the stones; how each one is different, different sizes and shapes. but skillfully chosen by Ralph Adams Cram to form this beautiful church. But then later in the Vigil we had the joy of baptizing Eva. During the baptism, the words which stood out for me were those lovely words spoken as her forehead was marked with the sign of the cross: ‘Eva, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism, and marked as Christ’s own forever’. I remember thinking that Eva and I and you and all who have been baptized, have been marked by Christ and chosen by him, because of our distinctive gifts and shape, to be living stones in God’s spiritual house, God’s Kingdom. Read More

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Grace

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | April 29, 2023 |
Until we acknowledge our need for God, we will never experience the utter joy of being forgiven, healed, restored, and empowered. Once we have experienced that grace, there’s no going back to a life where we trust in our own power and strength. Once we have known God’s hands upholding us and strengthening us, nothing else will do.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Faith

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | April 20, 2023 |
For the disciples, and for so many of us, coming to faith in the Risen Lord is rather mysterious, and like falling in love. Faith comes before full understanding. We do not need to wait till we have worked it all out before we can make that step of faith. You can make it now!

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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We Stand on Holy Ground – Alleluia! – Br. Geoffrey Tristram

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | April 9, 2023 |

 

Br. Geoffrey Tristram

Matthew 28: 1-10

Today is Easter Day; the glorious culmination of these days of Holy Week. Today, our Lord Jesus Christ has been raised gloriously from the dead.  Today is a day for rejoicing. Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Although we’ve had to wear masks for much of the time, this has been a wonderful Holy Week. But during the week, my mind went back to a very special Holy Week I had, many years ago, when I was rector of a parish in England.  What made it especially memorable was that I had invited a friend of mine to come and stay with me for the week.  Richard and I used to teach together, and it was great having him to stay for Holy Week and Easter. But Richard was not a person of faith. It was a very strange experience to be immersed in all the preparations and liturgies of Holy Week, and then to go home to someone who wasn’t really very interested. Perhaps some of you know that experience, with perhaps a spouse, a child or close friend. In fact, quite a lot of my friends don’t believe in God, and I sometimes feel a bit of a failure: these friends who know me so well – so why don’t they believe? I can’t be a very effective evangelist, and I’m a priest as well! Read More

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Death

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | April 3, 2023 |

Jesus was fully prepared for his death, and we should be too. Death for the Christian is no enemy, but rather a kind angel waiting to lead us into the presence of our heavenly Father. This Holy Week might be a good time to prepare for our own death. As our Rule puts it, ‘The anticipation of death is essential if we are to live each day to the full as a precious gift.’

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Betrayal

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | March 27, 2023 |
Love and betrayal exist side by side. What do we know of betrayal and the loss of trust? What is there of Judas in our hearts? When have we turned away from the light and betrayed Jesus in our words and through our actions? We are invited to hear again Jesus’ gracious words of forgiveness, become vulnerable again to his love, and give ourselves over to him anew.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Let go

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | March 11, 2023 |
When God calls a person in Scripture, the call is nearly always accompanied by the need to renounce something, to let something go. But this renunciation is not some negative mortification, it is the giving up of something – the willingness to let go of something, to offer something dear – as a prelude to receiving something even better.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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Shame

By Br. Geoffrey Tristram | February 27, 2023 |
I wonder if you have some action of which you are ashamed, which you keep remembering, replaying, again and again. Maybe God is longing to reassure you that God remembers your sin no more, and you should stop remembering it as well. You may not be able to forget, but you can stop remembering and trust God’s word.

Br. Geoffrey Tristram, SSJE
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