Living, as we do, in an age of religious pluralism, the problem that occupied the prophet Elijah may seem irrelevant to many in our own time and culture. For some, it appears far more important that the people of Israel believed in a god than whether the God they worshipped was the Lord of Israel […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for Corpus Christi
Hunger is an aversive sensation that Saint Augustine likens to an illness, with food and drink serving as the medicines that temporarily treat this very human condition. Yet, as he observes, food does not cure hunger; it merely quiets its symptoms for a time. Inevitably, several hours after a satisfying meal, hunger returns and we […]
A Word of Monastic Wisdom
Bless me, most loving Jesus, bless me and have mercy on me in the loving-kindness of your most gracious heart. That my soul may choose to know nothing apart from you and that, disciplined by your grace and instructed by the anointing, I may progress well, passionately, and powerfully in the school of your love. Almighty […]
Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions
In urging Timothy to stir into flame the gift of God that you have, Saint Paul touches on the mysterious interplay between God’s grace and our response and cooperation with that grace. Grace is not like some medication that once taken unfailingly accomplishes its healing work without our even being aware of it or needing […]
Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury
The disciples James and John reveal a heart still unpurified by obedience to the truth. In their presumptuous quest for glory—seeking seats at the right and left of the glorified Christ—they look outside themselves for a greatness that already dwells, unrecognized, within. The First Letter of Peter reminds us that purification through obedience to the […]
Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter
Most of us, I would imagine, have either asked others for prayers or promised our own. In the latter case, we sometimes forget that promise, and so the surgery of a friend we committed to pray for has already taken place by the time we remember—leaving us praying after the event. Although this may feel […]
Tuesday of the 7th Week of Easter
Our attitudes towards God’s will for us can sometimes be characterized by a sense of fatalism that makes us feel that all that happens to us is virtually inevitable and preordained. This can result in a sense of passive resignation to what we consider the inevitable and this can then suffocate creativity and weaken personal […]
Feast of Saint Matthias
Jesus’ insistence that it was he who chose the disciples, and not they who chose him, continues in the Church’s life with the Lord’s choice of Matthias to replace Judas—himself once specially chosen, yet ultimately rebellious toward that call. We are not told whether Joseph, called Barsabbas, felt rejected or wounded by not being selected […]
Livestream Issues
As several of you have kindly informed us, we are (yet again) experiencing problems with our livestream and are trying to ascertain the nature of the problem. With the weekend upon us, this issue may not be resolved until sometime next week. We apologize for this recurring issue and appreciate your understanding.
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter
Peter and John’s journey to Samaria and their praying for the bestowal of the Holy Spirit on those who had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus highlights one of two clear instances in the Book of Acts in which the effects of Baptism—that first sacrament we all received—don’t always follow the […]