A Chapter conference for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

​+ Our weekly chant rehearsal yesterday afternoon saw us instantly recoil from the incipit of today’s Magnificat antiphon: “Deficiente vino”. How can one sing of there being a shortage of wine! And yet the whole of the antiphon, a recapitulation of today’s Gospel, which we have already sung at matins, ends with  an “Alleluia”, for it recalls that where there was once a shortage, our Lord more than made good – he provided not only more wine, but the best of wine.
 
This most comforting miracle only came about because of the concern of His Blessed Mother, and because her succinct words were attended to: “Do whatever He tells you.”
 
In this sun-blessed region of Provence we rarely have cause to complain of a deficiency of wine. However we are well aware of our own deficiencies, even whilst seeking to live the monastic life. And indeed so many of our friends and acquaintances who live in the word without our privileged structures and supports would say that they too experience more than enough deficiencies of which rightly to complain.
 
From matins to vespers today the monastic liturgy which it is our privilege to celebrate insists that the answer is clear: “Do whatever He tells you,” and what is lacking will be made good by our Lord, indeed it will be made very good – better than anyone could have thought. All that is required is to act on His instruction. We must not only hear but also follow His call, whatever it requires.
 
There are many in our world who hesitate so to act, who know what the Lord wishes but have just not yet gotten up enough courage to do it. We may have been in that position ourselves before entering the monastery.
 
Today especially let us carry these people to the altar and into the choir, imploring Almighty God that they will be given the grace to do that which the Lord asks of them without hesitation, so that they too, in spite of whatever deficiencies they experience, might come to rejoice in the “Alleluia” which the Sacred Liturgy places on our lips at the end of tonight’s Magnificat antiphon. +