It is perhaps necessary to remind ourselves that the period between Christ’s resurrection and ascension that we have been celebrating these last six weeks was not some kind of transitional existence in which he was no longer in the world and yet not quite in heaven either—and thus the need for the Ascension. Instead, this […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter
25 May, 2025, 6th Sunday of Easter, Year C: Acts15:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29 In only seven verses, today’s Gospel covers an immense territory, from fidelity to Jesus’s teaching, to intimacy with God, to the promise of the Holy Spirit AND the Spirit’s role in our understanding; to the peace that only Jesus […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter
4 May, 2025, Third Sunday of Easter, Year C: Acts 5:27-32. 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 I draw your attention to Jesus’ question to Peter: Do you love me? For several weeks we’ve celebrated a pageant of betrayal, misunderstanding, suffering, injustice, cruelty, fidelity of the few—and the unexpected miracle of resurrection. Isn’t it so easy […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Easter Vigil
Having celebrated, in orderly sequence, the last supper, the arrest and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and now his resurrection from the dead, we can naturally consider these as simply past events, annually recalled, and reverently honored. However, the truth is that they are not merely past events; instead, all the saving acts of […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
At the beginning of each Holy Mass the priest invites us to acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries. This is a perhaps necessary reminder that the Eucharist is one of the central mysteries of our faith. And like all mysteries, our severely limited understanding of divine realities means that […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent
Although the two sons in this famous parable are very different characters, there is one way in which they are similar—that is, they value pleasures, things, and possessions over people and relationships. However, each goes about seeking to obtain these material things in a very different way. The younger son is brazen and unapologetic in […]
Fr. James’ Homily for The Annunciation
25 March, 2025, Solemnity of the Annunciation: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1: 26-38 For centuries we have ransacked the scriptures for theological content, often at the cost of the narrative flow and a deeper theological and spiritual message. I propose that we would impoverish our reading of this Gospel without considering what goes […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph
It has often been observed that the gospels do not record a single word of Saint Joseph; and it is this “silence” that has made him a special patron for the interior life as well as for contemplatives. And yet, Saint Joseph does speak albeit not with words but with his actions; and his actions […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent
9 March, 2026, First Sunday of Lent: Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from [Jesus] for a time. With this verse, Luke admits that the temptation of Jesus was not a one-off contest. How does temptation work? It starts with a tendency that could be harnessed […]
Monday of the 8th Week of the Year: Fr. James’ Reflection on the day’s readings
Monday, 3 MAR, 2025: Sir 17:20-24; Mk 10:17-27 How hard it is… Jesus does not just address the rich. In various ways—take up your cross…Blessed are they who mourn—Jesus tells us that life is hard. If I haven’t accepted that, I haven’t accepted his Gospel. And if I don’t, I will recognize no miracle, feel […]