25 March, Annunciation: Isaiah 7:10-2, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 We read of Mary’s Son in the First Chapter of Luke’s Gospel: …the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. In the […]
Fr. James’ Homily for Solemnity of Saint Joseph
2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a This week our pilgrimage to Jesus’ Passion is interrupted by two Solemnities that recall his human origins. Jesus’ place in our human realm is as dependent upon the good will of Saint Joseph as upon the consent of Mary. Jesus’ birth would […]
Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent
“So near and yet so far,” is an expression sometimes used to describe a situation in which the attainment of a desired goal seems very close, yet just out of reach. Perhaps this describes the Scribe (in today’s gospel) whom Jesus assures is not far from the Kingdom of God. Like us he knows what […]
Solemnity of the Annunciation and the Gift Shop
PLEAS NOTE: Holy Mass on March 25, (the Solemnity of the Annunciation) will be at 7.30 a.m., after the Morning Office of Lauds. Also, in view of the Solemnity, THE GIFT SHOP WILL BE CLOSED ON SATURDAY MARCH 25
Fr. James’ Scripture Reflection
Monday of the 3rd WK of Lent: 2 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 4:24-30 Jesus is very realistic about rejection; it is even valuable, validating his prophetic mission. By contrast, a present day “Influencer” might consult a strategist, were his or her ratings disappointing on the internet. How dependent we are on approval! We reduce reality to […]
Friday of the First Week of Lent
Ezekiel 18:21 – 28 & Matthew 5:20 – 26 The theme of our first reading evokes some of the controversies implicated in the Protestant Reformation concerning faith and good works. Unlike some retirement fund that allows one to stop working and enjoy the fruit of one’s labors, virtues and good works cannot be similarly accumulated […]
A Word from Our Cistercian Fathers
O happy the humility of those who repent; O blessed the hope of those who confess. How mighty you are with the Almighty; how easily you conquer the unconquerable; how quickly you turn the dreadful judge into a devoted father. We have heard today to our great edification of the prodigal son’s sorrowful journey, tearful […]
Fr. James’ Scripture Reflections
Thursday of the 7th WK of the Year: Sirach 1:1-10; Mark 9:14-29 Mark loses no opportunity to underline the coincidence between our faith, and God’s healing power in Jesus. The variant in this episode is the transparency, the honesty and lack of pretension of that human faith. Whose faith is not as deficient as that […]
Saturday of the 6th Week of the Year
We are so used to considering faith primarily as that by which we believe what we cannot yet see or touch. As such, faith relates to something intangible and out of our grasp. However, the Letter to the Hebrews suggests that this perception needs to be qualified. Faith is the realization of what is hoped […]
Fr. James’ Reflection for Monday, February 13
Thursday of the 5th WK of the Year: Genesis 4:1-15, 25; Mark 8:11-14 After such a good start in the Book of Genesis, human affairs rapidly go from bad to worse. Things are not much different in Jesus’ ministry as portrayed by Mark. That it is why it is so important that […]