In our first reading, we heard Amos exhort the people to hate evil and love good. For Christians striving for holiness this seems an almost unnecessary statement, for what serious Christian would love evil! However, our gospel incident reminds us that although we might more naturally hate evil our loving the good is not always […]
A Word from our Cistercian Fathers
Therefore every soul should look upon God as being his very own, not only helper, but also examiner. Who could ever become careless if he had his eyes constantly fixed upon God whose eyes are constantly turned towards him? Again, when God is looking down on him, never at any moment failing to see what […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 13th Sunday
Beatification and canonization ceremonies are occasions for joy and jubilation. Saints serve an important function in our lives—not only by their intercession on our behalf, but also by the inspiration of their exemplary lives. Yet, although we admire, love, and honor, the saints, we can be reluctant to emulate them. Placing saints on an exalted […]
Friday of the 12th Week
Faith in God’s ability to cleanse, heal, and save us is qualitatively different from faith in his desire or willingness to do so. There are occasions when some problematic situation seems hopeless and we wonder if even God can solve the problem or bring any good out of some tragedy. But, perhaps more frequently, we […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 12 Sunday of the Year
Twelfth Sunday, Year A: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus teaching the Twelve to fear no one, could seem addressed directly to us and our times. I wonder whether the fears that fuel our reactions and shape our mishaps, which forge our crimes, are ever acknowledged and owned. As I listen to the […]
Wednesday of the 11th Week
When giving alms, Jesus exhorts us to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. However, he is not thereby encouraging that lack of self-awareness that perpetuates deficits in self-knowledge and keeps us out of touch with our often hidden motivations and intentions. Indeed, to truly obey Jesus’ instruction, our hearts […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for Corpus Christi
Today’s great feast of Corpus Christi feels something like a return to the Paschal Triduum and the Maundy Thursday celebration of the institution of the Eucharist. As Catholics, the Eucharist lies at the center of our spiritual lives because it is the means par excellence by which we are sanctified and, ultimately, divinized. As such […]
Friday of the 10th Week
Even great saints and prophets are not immune to great discouragement and the temptation to give up and despair. Elijah seems to have come close! Prior to this encounter with the Lord he had sat under a broom tree and prayed for death because, as he expressed it, I am no better than my ancestors. […]
Fr. James’ Homily for Trinity Sunday
We celebrate the Trinity in the liturgy not as a recollection of some past event but as the matrix of all that we celebrate. This Solemnity reminds me that all our liturgical celebrations are not pageants evoking incidents past and gone but are encounters with the deepest realities, still unfolding, still defining our destinies. […]
A Word from our Cistercian Fathers
Through Christ [God] forgives everything, through the Spirit he charges us with nothing.… And so Christ is in a certain sense the mediator for justice, while the Spirit is the mediator for friendship. Christ mediates for truth, the Spirit for charity; Christ for forgiveness, the Spirit for safeguarding; Christ for mercy, the Spirit for perseverance; […]