Sermon for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

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I wonder what the disciples were thinking when they asked Jesus about when his prophecy of the destruction of the temple would come about, and what signs they should look for. Such a massive building erected over so many years: Was there perhaps some scepticism in their questioning? How could it all be destroyed so completely?

We know that the temple was in fact destroyed some years later. The unthinkable did happen. The centre of their practice of faith, the place where heaven and earth came together, where God was most surely to be found, was no more. They should have asked another question: What will we do then? Where will we find God afterwards?

What do we do when what we had thought to be the centre of our world, the source of our security, is no more?

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Sermon for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Read More »

Reflection for Sunday 10 November 2024 by Br Aelred

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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Before I entered this beautiful and wonderful community, I worked full-time at my local parish while going through discernment, whether for ordination or joining this blessed community. While working at the parish, I got myself quite busy.

As I continued my discernment, one day I was journaling and one line of what I was writing stood out to me. It was the following: I believe I’ve become so busy with the work of the Lord that I am afraid I am heading on a road where I will be forgetting the Lord of the work.

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Reflection for Sunday 10 November 2024 by Br Aelred Read More »

October 2024 News

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Br Aelred led a weekend retreat for a group of lay ministers from St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Steenberg. His input was appreciated, and the group attended chapel prayers with the Brothers, some of whom made themselves available for individual spiritual accompaniment, together with Rev Wilma.

Brs Josias and Roger travelled to Mariannhill Monastery in KZN to attend the annual meeting of the ACSA Religious Life Council, together with representatives from most of the other Anglican religious communities in southern Africa as well as the new Liaison Bishop, Bp VV Mnculwane. It was good to share the experiences of religious life together with prayer and fellowship.

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Homily by Br Luc for Sunday, November 3, 2024 – Proper 26 B

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Scripture Readings

May God our Father, who has brought us together again this morning to feed us by His Word and Sacrament, be praised! Our readings today direct us towards love.

Character is defined by the Merriam Webster dictonary as “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, a group or nation”. Character can therefore be understood as the pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or a group. For our purpose this morning, we shall deal with the Individual, bearing in mind that a group cannot be without individuals.

One’s character is related to how reliable and honest one is. If someone is of good character, they are reliable and honest. If they are of bad character, they are unreliable and dishonest. However, character is mostly used in a positive way to mean qualities that are admirable, interesting and unusual.

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Homily by Br Luc for Sunday, November 3, 2024 – Proper 26 B Read More »

The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost – Sermon by Br Josias

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In the name of God, the creator, the redeemer and sustainer. Amen!

Working with persons with intellectual disabilities (PWID) has taught me many things, but the values of tolerance and patience are what I have learned to appreciate most. Trust me, it is a difficult yet a fulfilling task to work with PWID. They too can test your patience, but people who pushed my buttons the most were the coaches and the caregivers.

It is not an easy task to tolerate and be patient with people, regardless of their background. However, these values are important for living and working harmoniously with one another.

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Reflection for Sunday 13 October 2024 by Br Aelred

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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

One of my favourite hymns is: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest“. Now this hymn was an immense help as I meditated on the words through my discernment process of joining this beautiful community.

This morning, just like the young man who heard Jesus’ voice saying, “Come and follow me”, that same Jesus and that same voice is saying to each and every one of us, “Come and follow me”.

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Homily by Br Luc for October 6, 2024 – Proper 22 B

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Scripture Readings

Good morning and blessings from our God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has gathered us together again this morning to feed us through His Word and sacrament.

Our first and second readings today focus us on the main reason that we are gathered here this morning…Faith. We are Christians because we believe in God, an all knowing, all mighty and at the same time a loving, caring God.

However, wherever we turn in our world today, there is pain and suffering, war, hunger, disease, hatred, abuse, murder, corruption, exploitation,…name it, it is present in the world. The question then becomes: Why would the God who created us and who supposedly loves us allow so much suffering as we witness in the world today?

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Homily by Br Luc for October 6, 2024 – Proper 22 B Read More »

September 2024 News

News from the Priory / /

September featured two Anglican Archdeaconry clergy retreats at Volmoed. Clergy from Helderberg Archdeaconry joined us for chapel prayers during their retreat that was led by Rev Wilma. One of the clergy also met with Br Aelred for spiritual accompaniment.

Later in the month, clergy from Constantia Archdeaconry joined us for chapel prayers during their annual retreat, which they have made at Volmoed for the past several years. Brothers made themselves available for individual spiritual accompaniment, and Brs Aelred and Roger were involved in this ministry.

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September 2024 News Read More »

Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Scripture Readings

This morning’s reading from Mark’s Gospel continues from last week’s reading, and the two taken together form a single episode in the journey of Jesus with his disciples to Jerusalem and all that awaits them there. They have temporarily evaded the crowds that had formed around them and that will do so again, and Jesus has an opportunity to focus on teaching his disciples and trying to prepare them for his coming suffering, death and resurrection.

Jesus’ disciples are not good students. I suppose it is not that they don’t understand what he is saying – as that seems clear enough – but rather that they don’t understand why he would submit to such treatment. They continue to cling stubbornly to their notions of what Jesus’ being the Messiah means, and what it means for his followers. Their wilful misunderstanding provides two opportunities for Jesus’ teaching.

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Thursdays at Volmoed – Sermon by Br Josias

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Scripture Readings

  • Job 2:1-10
  • Mark 9: 38-50

In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin (dark) yang (light) is used to describe how contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn.  

Symbolically the yin yang demonstrates the dynamic proportional relationship of this opposing pair and of other such pairings in nature. The yin begins where the yang ends, and the line that separates them is curved. The white dot lying in the black half and the black dot in the white half show how each part takes its origins from the other, and how neither could exist without the other.

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Thursdays at Volmoed – Sermon by Br Josias Read More »

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