It was Archbishop Fulton Sheen who once explained that only innocence can fully understand sin and its destructive effects on the human person. For although we can certainly and intimately experience the effects of sin in our lives (and those of others), our perspective on sin is one seen through eyes clouded (if not blinded) […]
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-4, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38 The Community Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM; it is a non-work day for the monastic community and we follow the Sunday schedule. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament will follow Vespers (5:30 PM). Today, the First Vespers of the Second Sunday of Advent takes […]
Reflection for Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Isaiah’s triumphant vision portrays a God who turns upside down what most societies value, and a God with a predilection for the poor and powerless. If many of the themes at the beginning of Advent give us pause, this prophecy should really have us worried. These are not the […]
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah speaks of the Lord providing a feast of rich foods and choice wines—and in this way mirrors Jesus’ feeding the large and hungry crowd. However, there is something significantly different in these two events. The God who provides a feast of rich foods and choice wines might be said to be one who knows […]
Reflection for Monday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 8:5-11 Isaiah’s sublimely harmonious vision of Jerusalem belies everything we know of that beleaguered city’s history. The prophet looks to the eschatological, not the historical, city. Certainly nothing in our contemporary experience corresponds to this prophecy. Yet I’ve heard from so many contemporary pilgrims and tourists, visitors to that same city, […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C
Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 I would not limit today’s Gospel to those who will live through the end of time. Even if I never have to face the catastrophes indicated by this Gospel, I am not exempt from the return of the Son of Man. There are many ways that […]
2 December, 2018, First Sunday of the Month, Eucharistic Adoration
We begin the new liturgical year this Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, Year C. And we also observe the monthly Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration begins at 3:00 PM and continues through Vespers (5:30 PM), followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. All are invited to join us.
A Word from the Cistercian Fathers for December
A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Before anything else I think we should consider the grace of the desert, the blessedness of the desert, which right from the beginning of grace has deserved to be consecrated to the repose of the saints. The voice of one crying […]
Saturday of the 34th Week of the Year
Notwithstanding the dire warnings of cosmic cataclysms and other fearful occurrences accompanying the end of the world and the return of Christ in glory, there are some more mundane tribulations that will beset those who do not eagerly desire or welcome his return. For those whose sole interests and preoccupations are with the pleasures and […]
Reflection for 30 November, Feast of St. Andrew
According to the Fourth Gospel, Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, who directed him to Jesus. In his turn, Andrew brought his brother, Simon Peter to Jesus. I wonder whether Peter had till that time dismissed his brother as a flakey “seeker” or left him to take the initiative and investigate what […]