Readings: Philippians 3:3-8a; Luke 15:1-10 In purely logical terms, Jesus’ parables can seem exaggerated. Would a shepherd really leave ninety-nine sheep just to look for one? Would a woman turn her house upside down to find one coin? Well, since the ninety-nine sheep would tend to stay together, or if I’m poor enough, every coin […]
STAINED GLASS WINDOW
Many inquire about the fate of the beautiful stained-glass window that used to be at the back of the chapel. It is presently undergoing restoration in a very delicate and painstaking process that has taken longer than originally anticipated. However, the good news is that it will be perfectly restored and its return is expected […]
Tuesday of the 31st Week of the Year
While it is important that we never be presumptuous about our salvation, it is equally important that we don’t experience undue anxiety about making it into the eternal banquet of heaven. And so although Jesus warns that none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner, their exclusion is based not so much […]
Reflection for the Monday of the 31st Week
Readings: Philippians 2:1-4; Luke 14:12-14 …when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled. the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus continues to teach us with banquet imagery. Today’s teaching could certainly be […]
First Sunday of the Month: Eucharistic Adoration
Today, 4 November, is the first Sunday of the Month and the monks will observe Eucharistic Adoration starting at 3:00 PM. Adoration will conclude after Vespers (5:30 PM) with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. All are invited to join us throughout the afternoon.
Reflection for Saturday of the 30th Week
Readings: Philippians 1:18b-26; Luke 14:1, 7-11 When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. The tricky thing about today’s Gospel is that Jesus is not proposing a strategy or a technique to shape our behavior. Were I to choose the lowest place just […]
Sunday, 4 November: Return to Standard Time
This Sunday, Daylight Savings time ends and we’ll have brighter mornings for a while. That means we turn back our clocks one hour. As it is, although we changed the Mass time to 10:00 AM some time ago, we still have people showing up for 11:00 AM Mass–or even 10:30 AM Mass! Be sure to […]
A Word from the Cistercian Fathers for November
O Lord Jesus, true Gardener, effect in us what you demand of us. For without you we cannot do anything. You are the true Gardener, the same Creator who cultivates and protects your garden. You plant by your word, water with your Spirit, give growth by your power. You were mistaken, Mary, when you thought […]
Reflection for the Monday of the Thirtieth Week
Readings: Ephesians 4:32-5:8; Luke 13:10-17 After this weekend’s latest violent tragedy in Pittsburgh, it’s appropriate that today’s gospel is set in a synagogue. Appropriate, as a reminder that Jesus was not a white man but a swarthy near-eastern Jew, that he didn’t worship in a Christian church but a synagogue; and that he was unarmed […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday, Year B, 28 October, 2018
Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 I would draw your attention to one detail in today’s Gospel: Bartimaeus throws off his cloak and runs to Jesus. A poor man’s cloak may be his only possession. If he has to pawn it, the Jewish pawn-broker had to return it to him at sundown, so he […]