Readings: Micah 5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-44 We are surely all familiar and comfortable with the notion that increasing holiness deepens and heightens sensitivity to the presence of the divine and the sacred within the situations of our every day lives. Accordingly, spiritual oblivion and a fundamental insensitivity to the presence of God in our […]
Fr. Joseph’s Homily for Christmas Day
Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 Although Midnight Mass can pose problems for parents with young children, as sleep patterns are disturbed by staying up late, or waking up in the middle of the night, from a liturgical point of view it might be worth the effort–at least as far as the scripture readings […]
The Feast of the Holy Family, 27 December, 2015
Readings: 1 Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James presiding and preaching.
Fr. Robert’s Homily for the Christmas Mass at Night
Readings: Isaiah 9:1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 Christ mas is a very emotional time for people. We are, by our human make-up, emotional persons and our feelings stand out at Christmas as at no other time of the year. Does anyone behave at the feast of the Lord’s resurrection the way we do at Christmas? […]
GIFT SHOP HOURS DURING CHRISTMAS WEEK
Please note that the Gift Shop will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. And whereas we will be open at the usual hours this Saturday and Sunday, from Monday, December 28 through Saturday January 2, the Gift Shop will only be open in the afternoons from 2.15 to 4.15, As usual the […]
Thomas Merton and the Monk as a Marginal Person, Part 6
You may recall that the 100th anniversary of Thomas Merton’s birth was commemorated at Holy Cross Abbey on Sunday, 15 November of this year. It had only been on 13th November that the terrorist action in Paris had occurred. One of the participant’s shared the experience of her grandson asking how something like that could […]
Fourth Sunday of Advent, 20 December, 2015
Readings: Micah 5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-44 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching
Available Rooms at the Retreat House this Weekend
There are still four openings available at the Retreat House for this weekend, Friday, 18 December through Sunday, 20 December. It’s a fine time to get away from the nonsense of the year’s end commercialism and refocus yourself spiritually. To make a reservation you may telephone Carol Hensley at 540-955-4383 or email her at information@hcava.org
Merton: The Monk as a Marginal Person, Part Five
It’s time to conclude these musings and, as I mentioned at the end of the last post, this entry will address three questions. The questions were posed by three participants at the Merton celebration and, I hope, will be relevant to our readers. Of course, I have to take responsibility for the responses. Thomas Merton […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent
Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18 The entrance antiphon, the first two readings, the responsorial psalm all exhort us to rejoice. But in today’s Gospel, the words “rejoice” or “joy” don’t even appear. Instead we find John the Baptist responding to the crowd’s questions with demanding replies. We are only told that these people […]