It was Archbishop Fulton Sheen who once explained that only innocence can fully understand sin and its destructive effects on the human person. For although we can certainly and intimately experience the effects of sin in our lives (and those of others), our perspective on sin is one seen through eyes clouded (if not blinded) […]

Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-4, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38 The Community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM; it is a non-work day for the monastic community and we follow the Sunday schedule. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament will follow Vespers (5:30 PM). Today, the First Vespers of the Second Sunday of Advent takes […]

Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Isaiah’s triumphant vision portrays a God who turns upside down what most societies value, and a God with a predilection for the poor and powerless. If many of the themes at the beginning of Advent give us pause, this prophecy should really have us worried. These are not the […]

Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 8:5-11 Isaiah’s sublimely harmonious vision of Jerusalem belies everything we know of that beleaguered city’s history. The prophet looks to the eschatological, not the historical, city. Certainly nothing in our contemporary experience corresponds to this prophecy. Yet I’ve heard from so many contemporary pilgrims and tourists, visitors to that same city, […]

Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 I would not limit today’s Gospel to those who will live through the end of time. Even if I never have to face the catastrophes indicated by this Gospel, I am not exempt from the return of the Son of Man. There are many ways that […]

We begin the new liturgical year this Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, Year C. And we also observe the monthly Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration begins at 3:00 PM and continues through Vespers (5:30 PM), followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. All are invited to join us.

According to the Fourth Gospel, Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, who directed him to Jesus. In his turn, Andrew brought his brother, Simon Peter to Jesus. I wonder whether Peter had till that time dismissed his brother as a flakey “seeker” or left him to take the initiative and investigate what […]

Readings: Revelation 14:1-2, 4b-5; Luke 21:1-4 This morning’s reading from the Book of Revelation is a reminder of the liturgical character of this book, which abounds in hymns, canticles and heavenly ceremonies. It recalls the great drama of salvation which we re-engage through the liturgy; and that the drama of our lives and history is […]

The experience of suffering and the presence of evil in our world have a way of undermining our sense of gratitude. This is because all the good things we are blessed with can easily be cast into shadow by the hardships, disappointment, and trials of life. Indeed, this is not only a factor inhibiting gratitude, […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, Abbot Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching. It is a non-work day for the community and we follow the Sunday schedule.