This morning’s readings have an important lesson about sin and an equally important teaching about grace. David’s sin reminds us that sin impacts not only the sinner but inevitably affects others in typically negative ways. On the other hand, Jesus’ ability to cure some of the sick in his hometown—despite the majority’s disbelief and rejection […]
A Word from our Cistercian Fathers
Pay heed to this, you who pray on the run but dally with books, you who are fervent in reading and lukewarm in praying. Reading should serve prayer, should dispose the affections, should neither devour the hours nor gobble up the moments of prayer. When you read you are taught about Christ, but when you […]
Elijah come among us
On Sunday morning we had the happy occasion of witnessing Brother Gregory Wilson receive the Cistercian Habit and formally begin his two-year novitiate. In keeping with a long monastic tradition, Brother Gregory felt led to take a new name—that of the great Prophet Elijah. We thank God for bringing Brother Elijah to this important juncture […]
Saint Augustine’s Homily for today’s Gospel
Each one’s heart is a sailing boat [that cannot] be wrecked so long as we fill our minds only with what is good. When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind; when your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds […]
Friday of the 3rd Week of the Year
Confessing our sins over and over again while not seeming to make any progress can be very discouraging. However, this unsparing recognition of our sins is an indispensable means to ensuring that even though we aren’t making great progress, we are at least not getting worse. It is inadvertence to our sins—especially the less serious—that […]
Wednesday of the 2nd Week of the Year: Day of Prayer for the legal protection of the unborn
Although the death of Goliath (described in our first reading) was that of a dangerous enemy and most likely prevented the death of many others, it was nevertheless the ending of a life deemed precious in the eyes of the Lord. Accordingly, even when the death of one, prevents the death of many, it remains […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Second Sunday of the Year
In John the Baptist’s acknowledgment, I recognize a very constant dynamic of the spiritual life: I did not know him…But when John saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him, then he knows that Jesus is the Son of God. One of my favorite passages in the Book […]
Reflection on today’s Gospel by visiting Trappist, Fr. Dominique-Savio Nelson of Guadalupe Abbey, Oregon.
In today’s Gospel pericope, Jesus calls Matthew to become his disciple. Jesus gazed at this man and said simply, “Follow me.” Did Jesus invite Matthew because the tax collector merited it? Was Jesus responding to some hidden longing in the sinner’s heart? Certainly not. Grace, by definition, comes unbidden and without explanation. In Caravaggio’s magnificent […]
Saints Maur and Placid
Although Saint Mark describes Jesus as preaching and driving out demons as if these were separate and distinct functions, in many instances these are one and the same thing. For with Jesus preaching is always synonymous with the Truth and when the Truth is preached and heard, falsehood and ignorance—those hiding places of the demons—are […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for Epiphany
The celebration of the Baptism of the Lord (next Sunday) will mark the official ending of this short Christmas Season and the resumption of so-called “Ordinary Time.” This liturgical transition is a rather apt symbol of a similar process that takes place repeatedly in our spiritual lives—that is, a return to ordinariness. We have just […]