Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21 You must have noticed the strange imagery: Jesus comparing himself to a serpent raised up on a standard. Do you remember the story he references from the Book of Numbers? While wandering in the desert, the Israelites were bitten by seraph serpents–“flying” or even “fiery” serpents, […]

Many of you will remember this past summer when a very well behaved feral cat, who had taken the Abbey under her patronage, gave birth to her litter and offered them for adoption through this website. There was some question whether she was again pregnant and when the time came for another appointment to neuter […]

Due to a late cancellation, we have about a dozen rooms available again Monday, 12 March, through Friday, 16 March. If you really need that time away to intensify your Lenten observance, this is a golden opportunity to come to the Abbey and spiritually recharge. You may make your reservation by calling Carol Hensley, Monday […]

Whenever I speak of prayer, I seem to hear expressed in your hearts some human thoughts that I have also heard frequently from others and sometimes experienced in my own heart. Why is it, seeing that we never cease from prayer, that scarcely does any one of us seem to experience the fruit of his […]

The notion of testing—specifically being tested by God—is a common theme in Christian spirituality and one that has deep roots in sacred scripture. And so, for example, our first reading began with the simple phrase: God put Abraham to the test. But what a test!—a test that continues to arouse strong feelings in both Jewish […]

Please be aware that the Gift Shop will be closed from Monday February 26 through Thursday March 1 while the monks take part in their annual retreat. The Gift Shop will reopen on Friday morning, March 2. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-25 To my mind, a detail characterizing Saint Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus is the lack of hunger. Jesus is full, specifically, full of the Holy Spirit who had just descended upon him at his Baptism and now drives him into the desert to confront Satan. […]

Mass with the blessing and distribution of ashes will be celebrated after Lauds on Wednesday. Lauds begins at 7:00 AM; Mass would begin at approximately 7:25 AM.

If anything of that heavenly light has shone on your eyes, be careful not to vaunt yourself on it as though you had escaped all the darkness of being blind. Do not let your speech make you into one of those who rebelled against the Light by claiming:  “Surely we are not blind!” What you […]

Readings: Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-13; Mark 1:29-39 Today’s Gospel provides a glimpse of Simon Peter’s family life. But it yields more questions than answers. Is Peter’s wife still alive or has her mother filled the gap in a widower’s home? Or had they moved in with the bride’s family when they married? […]