Memorial of Saint Dominic: In his list of the seven principal vices, Saint Gregory the Great doesn’t list Pride. Instead, he understands pride to be the source and instigator of all the vices. This is no less true of envy and jealousy—manifested so clearly in Miriam and Aaron’s sarcastic-sounding question: “Is it through Moses alone […]
Wednesday of the 17th Week
In his catalogue of Tools for Good Works Saint Benedict includes his caution: Do not aspire to be called holy before you really are, but first be holy that you may more truly be called so. And in this Benedict is warning against an unhealthy preoccupation with self that is overly concerned with creating a […]
Fifth Week of Easter
Notwithstanding the total gratuitousness of God’s grace and salvation, the peace that Christ offers does come at a price—namely, living in total harmony with God’s will. Or, as Jesus expressed it: Doing just as the Father has commanded me. In contrast, the peace that the world offers, depends on realities outside ourselves and, especially, on […]
Fourth Week of Easter
Philip, to see me is to see the Father: To look upon the face of Christ and see the Father, has little to do with gazing upon his physical features—however noble these may be. Rather, it is to behold in every action and in his every word, the Love that is the Father’s very essence […]
Friday, 3rd Week of Easter
As Cistercians we are well aware of Saint Benedict’s warnings against bitter zeal—the kind that fueled Saint Paul’s earlier persecution of the church. It is well to remember, however, that the spiritual energy associated with zeal is fundamentally neutral. It is the objects or goals towards which zeal is directed that determine if it is […]
Friday in the Easter Octave
Today’s gospel is reminiscent of another occasion when Jesus asked Peter to put out into the deep and lower his nets for a catch—after a similar fruitless night of fishing. A significant difference is that on that earlier occasion, Peter was somewhat reluctant, explaining: Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, […]
The Presence of the Risen Christ
As Catholics with our belief in what has come to be called the “real presence” of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine, we can sometimes be thought to believe that Christ is more present in our chapels and churches (where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved), and thus not present, or “less” present in places […]
Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent
“So near and yet so far,” is an expression sometimes used to describe a situation in which the attainment of a desired goal seems very close, yet just out of reach. Perhaps this describes the Scribe (in today’s gospel) whom Jesus assures is not far from the Kingdom of God. Like us he knows what […]
Friday of the First Week of Lent
Ezekiel 18:21 – 28 & Matthew 5:20 – 26 The theme of our first reading evokes some of the controversies implicated in the Protestant Reformation concerning faith and good works. Unlike some retirement fund that allows one to stop working and enjoy the fruit of one’s labors, virtues and good works cannot be similarly accumulated […]
Saturday of the 6th Week of the Year
We are so used to considering faith primarily as that by which we believe what we cannot yet see or touch. As such, faith relates to something intangible and out of our grasp. However, the Letter to the Hebrews suggests that this perception needs to be qualified. Faith is the realization of what is hoped […]