After a five-year novitiate—three of which were spent lovingly caring for his ailing father—Br. Paul Francis Smith pronounced his First Vows in a simple ceremony following Lauds this morning. In the presence of his brothers, Br. Paul Francis promised Obedience, Stability, and Fidelity to the Monastic Way of Life for a period of one year. […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 27th Sunday
In his autobiographical work, Confessions, Saint Augustine admits that although he thinks he understands the concept of time, when asked to actually explain time, he finds himself at a loss. Something similar occurs with regard to Christian faith: We may think we understand what faith is, until someone asks us to explain it. We have […]
Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
It is a rare soul that sets a hand to the plow and never looks to what was left behind. For some, this looking back results in their leaving the monastery and returning to the world. For others, it is less radical and can involve a gradual weakening of their resolve to follow Christ wholeheartedly. […]
A Word from Our Cistercian Fathers
The martyrdom of the Virgin – which we named as the twelfth star in her crown, if you remember – is mentioned in the prophecy of Simeon as well as in the account of the Lord’s passion. For the holy man says of the infant Jesus Behold, this child is set for a sign that shall […]
A Word from Saint Augustine on his Feast Day
Do people gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Every tree is known by its fruit (Mt. 7:16) How can you speak good things since you are bad? Here is another comparison for you to consider. Don’t gather grapes from thorns; after all it’s impossible for grapes to be produced from thorns. But haven’t […]
Wednesday of the 21st Week
As Cistercians we know—perhaps more so than most religious—what Paul describes as our toil and drudgery. Like Saint Paul our daily manual labors are an attempt to support ourselves and not be a burden on the generosity of others. And although this doesn’t mean that everything that we do by way of our daily work […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 21st Sunday
24 August, 2015, 21st Sunday, Year C: Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30 I don’t believe that Jesus is being evasive when he doesn’t reply with a number to the question, “will only a few people be saved?” I suspect he’s indicating that his interlocuter is asking the wrong question. What is as stake […]
Solemnity of Saint Bernard
Greatness and littleness, grammatically speaking, are opposites; however, in our Christian understanding greatness and littleness are, paradoxically, not only complementary, but actually inseparable. As such they parallel Saint Paul’s insistence that, for the true disciple, weakness is a prerequisite for strength, and “foolishness” a precondition for the full flowering of Wisdom. Confirming the Apostle’s teaching, […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 19th Sunday
In evaluating a person’s guilt or culpability in committing a sinful or immoral action, theologians may distinguish between vincible and invincible ignorance—with the latter involving something one could not have known (thus causing one to transgress without knowing it), and vincible ignorance, involving actions whose moral import could readily have been discovered. In the case […]
Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori
The saddening observation (in today’s gospel) that Jesus did not work many mighty deeds at Nazareth because of their lack of faith, highlights the close connection between faith and free will. For, as faith in God deepens, so does our freedom to trust God and open our hearts to receive his love. Conversely, weak or […]