As usual, a student from the year group is invited to write and deliver a reflection for the Liturgy. The Year 9 student invited to present a reflection was Oreoluwa A. What follows are the words she composed and read out to her peers:

Lectio Divina, Obedience and Discipline, are the Benedictine values we have placed our focus on for this year. Before actually reflecting on the first reading and the gospel, it is important to draw out our understanding of what these three values truly mean.

Firstly, Lectio Divina is a name many of us may not be familiar with. It simply means the “holy reading” of the Bible. It is a way of reading the Scriptures in which we progressively let go of our own agenda and allow God to speak to us. 

Secondly, Obedience. When we think of the word “obedience” we may often associate it with things like rules or even fear of punishment by not abiding by those rules—for example, the fear of getting caught for not following school rules. We feel forced to comply with these rules because of the consequences we could face. But obedience, from a Biblical point of view, recognises that individuals shouldn’t be forced to comply with God's will; they must do so because they know it is right, because they want to do it, and because it gives them comfort.

Finally, Discipline. In my experience, this word reminds me of planning to study for a Maths exam way ahead of time only to end up revising the night before. With the word “discipline”, we mainly think of rules, regulations, and enforcement. But discipline is none of those. It is neither restrictive, boring, nor repetitive. Discipline is not something that is imposed on you. It is something you do for your own benefit. You can get teaching or advice from various sources, but the source of discipline is within. It is an internal issue. Discipline is not conforming to someone else's norms in order to escape punishment. It is the process of learning and using an intentional criteria to attain meaningful goals.

Now that we understand our Benedictine values, how do they relate with today’s First Reading and the Gospel (Mk 11:22-25)? Well from these readings we can identify the clear themes of fostering our relationship with Christ. “When we ask of things according to his will, he hears us, and in that same accordance we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (from the First Reading - 1 Jn. 5:13-20). From this reading, we understand that we should follow Christ’s teachings, be disciplined in our faith, and obey God’s Word. In doing so, we will be gifted what we need.

The call to obey leads to our own personal development. Every command God gives us is not for God's benefit, but purely for our benefit. By obeying his call to take care of this earth and treating each other with love and kindness, we are strengthening our bond with Christ. The call to be disciplined in what we do helps us to attain meaningful goals. By being disciplined in prayer and our understanding of the Scriptures, we are led to the benefit of growth through Christ, just as the call to Lectio Divina is necessary for deepening our connection with Christ. 

As individuals and as a society, let us allow God's Word to alter us so that we may begin to view our world through God's eyes and love what we see through God's heart.

Oreoluwa is a Middle School leader in the role of Pax Captain.