Recently, we have been hearing about discoveries of planets thought to be able to sustain life—even human life. These planets are thought to be located within the so-called “Goldilocks Zone” supporting an environment that is neither too warm nor too cold. Authentic Christian and monastic life also requires a “Goldilocks Zone”—one, however, that is not […]

3rd Sunday of Advent, 13 December, 2020: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28     John the Baptist has something very important to tell us about discipleship, about the spiritual life: he knows who he is not.     Unfortunately we live in a world urging us to label ourselves, selling us ways to […]

First Sunday of Advent: (Mark 13: 33-37) Be watchful and alert is the strident call on this First Sunday of Advent. As monks we are familiar with Saint Bernard’s “three comings” of Christ—his first, at his incarnation, his second, at the end of time, and this third and interim coming, by grace in the present […]

Thanksgiving Day, 26 November, 2020: Sirach 50:22-24; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19      We’re concluding a difficult year fraught with racism, contested elections, rampant conspiracy theories, Church scandals, tropical storms, uncontained wild fires, a pandemic—topped by the narcissism, denial and immaturity of our national culture. Now, of all times, it is crucial not to forget […]

(Matthew 25: 14-30) Fear is sometimes contrasted with bravery and thought (by some) to be a sign of weakness or cowardice. However, as we know, there are many instances when fear is not only appropriate, but beneficial and, indeed, even essential to survival. This beneficial fear typically occurs in situations of danger connected with the […]

Thirty-Second Sunday, Year A, 8 November, 2020: Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13      For the past seven Sundays, the Gospel has come from the final week of Jesus’ life as described by Saint Matthew. This is a crucial, almost desperate, teaching, sometimes addressed to Jesus’ critics or, like today, to his disciples. I […]

Twenty-ninth Sunday, Year A, 18 October, 2020: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21      Saint Paul writes to the Romans: Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Paul writes as a Roman citizen, with […]

26th Sunday, Year A, 27 September, 2020: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32       This short parable recalls to my mind an ancient rabbinic saying: I am not what believe, nor am I what I say. I am really what I actually do. The second son, who replies positively to his father’s request, but doesn’t […]

24th Sunday, Year A: Sirach 27:30-28:7; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35        In today’s parable, it’s very clear who needs mercy and forgiveness. In our actual interactions with one another, that clarity often vanishes.      Isn’t it more usual for both parties to feel wronged, requiring amends from one another? That’s not to say that this […]

(Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27) If we are speaking simply of physical life, then Jesus’ warning that whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, makes little sense. As we know so well, preserving our own life in situations that are life-threatening is instinctual and so reflexive that only with great self-control can we, for example, […]