Whenever I speak of prayer, I seem to hear expressed in your hearts some human thoughts that I have also heard frequently from others and sometimes experienced in my own heart. Why is it, seeing that we never cease from prayer, that scarcely does any one of us seem to experience the fruit of his […]

The notion of testing—specifically being tested by God—is a common theme in Christian spirituality and one that has deep roots in sacred scripture. And so, for example, our first reading began with the simple phrase: God put Abraham to the test. But what a test!—a test that continues to arouse strong feelings in both Jewish […]

Please be aware that the Gift Shop will be closed from Monday February 26 through Thursday March 1 while the monks take part in their annual retreat. The Gift Shop will reopen on Friday morning, March 2. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-25 To my mind, a detail characterizing Saint Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus is the lack of hunger. Jesus is full, specifically, full of the Holy Spirit who had just descended upon him at his Baptism and now drives him into the desert to confront Satan. […]

Mass with the blessing and distribution of ashes will be celebrated after Lauds on Wednesday. Lauds begins at 7:00 AM; Mass would begin at approximately 7:25 AM.

If anything of that heavenly light has shone on your eyes, be careful not to vaunt yourself on it as though you had escaped all the darkness of being blind. Do not let your speech make you into one of those who rebelled against the Light by claiming:  “Surely we are not blind!” What you […]

Readings: Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-13; Mark 1:29-39 Today’s Gospel provides a glimpse of Simon Peter’s family life. But it yields more questions than answers. Is Peter’s wife still alive or has her mother filled the gap in a widower’s home? Or had they moved in with the bride’s family when they married? […]

Readings: Genesis 12:1-4; Acts 4:32-35; Mark 10:17-30 What do we celebrate with today’s solemnity? Of course, we’re celebrating people, whether we mean the first three Abbots or all the monks who began life at Citeaux. But people aren’t just biographical data, done and gone. They reverberate through our lives and in our memories and choices: […]

Readings: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 To sin–especially to sin grievously–is not only to offend God, but also to fundamentally act against our human nature and become less, and even subhuman. Conversely, to live a life of virtue and goodness is to honor God by become authentically human. And this explains why […]

Due to the noise from construction down the hallway from our church, Mass for the Solemnity of the Founders or Citeaux, Friday, 26 January, will be celebrated after Lauds rather than at 10:00 AM. The Rest of the day, however, will follow the Sunday schedule with Midday Prayer at 12:20 PM and Benediction following Vespers.