Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8 Faced with my favorite passage from Isaiah and the opening of Mark’s Gospel, which always moves me, I was wondering where to begin. There’s too much richness here. What jumped at me from both readings was the desert setting; would anyone else describe these passages as […]

Readings: Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 If you’ve ever received a speeding fine, you will know that the reason you were caught was because the State Trooper had cleverly hidden his vehicle so that by the time you saw it, it was too late. This same sense of entrapping us in […]

Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38 The community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Fr. Vincent Collins presiding and preaching. It is a Holy Day of Obligation and the Patronal Feast of the United States. It is a non-work day for the monastic community and we follow the Sunday schedule with […]

Readings: Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37 The community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Dom Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching. This Sunday inaugurates the new Liturgical Year and is the First Sunday of the Month; the monthly Eucharistic Adoration begins at 4:00 PM and concludes with Benediction of the Most […]

Anyone who wishes to pray must choose not only the right place but also the right time. A time of leisure is best and most convenient, the deep silence when others are asleep is particularly suitable, for prayer will be freer and purer. Arise at the first watch of the night and pour out your […]

Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28; Matthew 25:31-46 Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to your needs? This is the response of those rejected by the Son of Man. You see, they are do-gooders, they are not criminals. […]

Readings: Sirach 50:22-24; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19 Every year we dedicate this fourth Thursday in November to Thanksgiving and this might suggest to some that we neglect giving thanks for the rest of the year. And there is a sense in which this is true: ingratitude is something we are all guilty of and […]

Readings: Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13 After decades of praying the psalms, most monks know the psalms well enough to sing them by heart. However, singing psalms by heart can be problematic the moment we remind ourselves that we are singing them from memory. Almost inevitably we begin to stumble over the words […]

Readings: Sirach 50:22-24; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19 The Community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Abbot Joseph presiding and preaching. It is a non-work day for us and we follow the Sunday schedule; as such, we will celebrate Benediction after Vespers (5:30 PM). All are invited–especially those who need a break from football.