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Ps 128 begins: “O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.” This ‘fear of the Lord’ is proclaimed requently in the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, and it has nothing to do with terror or fright. Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence, and encompassing grace of regard for our God, in a word, a love for God which marks the life of one who ‘walks in His ways’ a believer - us - fearers and walkers.

According to Jewish law, a woman had not many rights in society. She could not testify in a civil process; she could not divorce her husband and her participation in the liturgy was certainly secondary when compared to Jewish men. But Jesus was not happy with such a poor treatment of women, and he chose them to take a privileged part in his Incarnation, in his ministry and during his Passion. All these women had a characteristic in common: they were all marginal Jews, set aside because of their sins – especially against chastity. In fact, in Jesus’ genealogy, we find 5 women: Tamar, involved in an incestuous relationship with her father-in-law; Raab, a prostitute; Ruth, a pagan; Bathsheba, an adulteress; and the Virgin Mary, whose immaculate conception would seem a scandal for anyone who did not know that Joseph was not the biological father of her son.

In all four Gospels the account of Jesus’ passion and death is rather brief; there are few details because it was not written for the sake of curiosity. Rather it is the proclamation of the Good News to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ; theGospel accounts tell us all we need to know.

In the opening verse of today’s Gospel, St Luke says that “Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God”. That shows us that even Jesus needed time to get away for a while, to gain separation from the noise and distractions of the world. That’s good to know, because it means that those who follow Jesus will also need time away to pray to God. And not only monks.

Some people gripe about all the rules in the Catholic Church. They want to be able to pick and choose. They feel all the rules inhibit their freedom and keep them from becoming mature adults. They see rules and guidelines as something negative. Similarly, monastic life has many further rules and guidelines. For someone who is a free spirit it may feel somewhat smothering, but the rules are a helpful tool for what to leave in and what to leave out.