Faith in God’s ability to cleanse, heal, and save us is qualitatively different from faith in his desire or willingness to do so. There are occasions when some problematic situation seems hopeless and we wonder if even God can solve the problem or bring any good out of some tragedy. But, perhaps more frequently, we […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 12 Sunday of the Year
Twelfth Sunday, Year A: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus teaching the Twelve to fear no one, could seem addressed directly to us and our times. I wonder whether the fears that fuel our reactions and shape our mishaps, which forge our crimes, are ever acknowledged and owned. As I listen to the […]
Wednesday of the 11th Week
When giving alms, Jesus exhorts us to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. However, he is not thereby encouraging that lack of self-awareness that perpetuates deficits in self-knowledge and keeps us out of touch with our often hidden motivations and intentions. Indeed, to truly obey Jesus’ instruction, our hearts […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for Corpus Christi
Today’s great feast of Corpus Christi feels something like a return to the Paschal Triduum and the Maundy Thursday celebration of the institution of the Eucharist. As Catholics, the Eucharist lies at the center of our spiritual lives because it is the means par excellence by which we are sanctified and, ultimately, divinized. As such […]
Friday of the 10th Week
Even great saints and prophets are not immune to great discouragement and the temptation to give up and despair. Elijah seems to have come close! Prior to this encounter with the Lord he had sat under a broom tree and prayed for death because, as he expressed it, I am no better than my ancestors. […]
Fr. James’ Homily for Trinity Sunday
We celebrate the Trinity in the liturgy not as a recollection of some past event but as the matrix of all that we celebrate. This Solemnity reminds me that all our liturgical celebrations are not pageants evoking incidents past and gone but are encounters with the deepest realities, still unfolding, still defining our destinies. […]
A Word from our Cistercian Fathers
Through Christ [God] forgives everything, through the Spirit he charges us with nothing.… And so Christ is in a certain sense the mediator for justice, while the Spirit is the mediator for friendship. Christ mediates for truth, the Spirit for charity; Christ for forgiveness, the Spirit for safeguarding; Christ for mercy, the Spirit for perseverance; […]
Ninth Week of the Year
I suspect that we may all have either yielded to flattery or employed this, often, manipulative psychological tool for selfish ends. As one would expect, Jesus, neither yields to, nor resorts to, flattery in his dealings with others. The Pharisees and Herodians are certainly accurate when they say we know that you are a truthful […]
Saturday of the 7th Week of Easter
Although by nature some are more inquisitive, it is also true that inordinate curiosity can be indicative of the desire to distract oneself from the unpleasantness of one’s inner state. Not minding your own business but busying yourself with that of others can thus serve as a welcome distraction from the difficult interior work associated […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Ascension
We have all had those sad and painful moments at airports, train stations, or before the car pulls out of the driveway carrying a loved one away from us. Saint Luke doesn’t make clear whether this apparent final parting of the Risen Christ from his gathered disciples was an occasion of sadness, perplexity, or dread. […]