To sum up the first few posts on this subject, Scripture implies that we should pray as we really are and not as we think we should be. There will be much more to consider when we will look at the various prayer forms in scripture, but I’d like to stick with the perspective of […]

The previous post on prayer referred conformity to the image of Christ. By the way, the Greek word that St. Paul used is icon, a word much used in our culture.  Of course, for centuries the word had been preempted by the Byzantine Church to refer to the sacred images used in the liturgy and […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Prior Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching.

I introduced this proposed series on prayer in the context of our wounds, our vulnerabilities.  The thought of writing on this topic arose from private correspondence, a young man asking me about prayer in the Gospels. Did Jesus teach us anything about prayer beyond the Lord’s Prayer? I do believe that the Gospel tells us […]

Abbot Robert Barnes continues his sabbatical, enjoying the monastic routine at Guadalupe Abbey in Oregon. His first weeks there were spent as a guest, work free, but he has now entered into the full monastic routine, work included. He is housed in the senior wing with a view of the monastic cemetery (when you think […]

Readings: genesis 18:1-10a; Galatians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42 Today’s Gospel may be short but it has generated volumes of commentary and spiritual reflections. As valid as such literature may be in its own right, it may betray the Gospel by truncating it into universal principles (e.g., contemplation is superior to action). I am persuaded that Jesus […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James presiding and preaching.

In calling ourselves Cistercians we are not–like some orders in the Church–basing our title on some exemplary person who served as an inspirational founder; but rather we are basing our title on some place, namely, Citeaux. This reminds us that the founding group of monks who set our from Molesme did not consciously set out […]

Two Sundays ago, Prior Joseph gave a Chapter Talk, quoting a passage from Joan Chittister’s book, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope. One of her points is that suffering or scarring or “damage” is not just inevitable in human life but it is a resource. In fact, such scars remain a valuable resource even if […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Vincent Collins presiding and preaching.