Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
In this very volatile election in the United States, where so much anger rises to the surface so quickly, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the meaning of our times. This anger and factionalism and the accompanying doom-saying is hardly unique to our age. Charles Dickens’ great classic, A Tale of Two Cities, begins with words that could […]
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The Monks of Norcia have started keeping a blog about events following the earthquake. You can find it here: https://en.nursia.org/earthquake/. It makes fascinating reading. Most of the monks have (temporarily) relocated to Rome, though a hardy pair remain behind. We monks who remained, staying in tents, have returned to the days of our youth, and are camping out in the […]
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Last week, I ran across a quote by a French Catholic author of the last century that really resonated with me. “You understand absolutely nothing about modern civilization unless you first admit that it is a conspiracy against all interior life.” (George Bernanos) Even the very roots of the word “civilization” betray its origin, for it comes from the Latin […]
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Tomorrow being the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, today is Saint John’s Eve. Throughout much of Europe, the tradition on this day is to light bonfires. Here’s ours. Not much of a bonfire, strictly speaking, but we do live in the city after all! We almost didn’t get to have one at all – it was […]
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Today is the memorial of one of my favourite saints, Saint Thomas More, who died at the hands of King Henry VIII (that villain). That is, today is his memorial in the modern Roman calendar, which he shares with Saint John Fisher, also executed by the same king. In my Benedictine ordo, however, it is no such thing – you’d […]
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In the calendar used in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. Here’s where many folks go off the rails in castigating the Church as non-Christian. Mediatrix of All Graces? Isn’t Christ our mediator? Does not the scripture say For there is one God. There is also one mediator between […]
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From the Archives: How does the human brain wrap itself around the eternal and infinite love of God for His creation? How can can we even begin to comprehend the depth of love in Christ’s wounded heart as he pours Himself out for us sinners at Calvary? The truth is, we can’t. The saints and the mystics may catch glimpses, […]
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We read today in the Acts of the Apostles of this great day, which in a certain way we can celebrate as the birthday of the Church: When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire […]
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During Lent, I am often reminded of this, one of my favourite stories from the Desert Fathers: Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my […]
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On this Friday, a week before Good Friday, the Church has traditionally remembered the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. While the commemoration was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1970, it survives in the Extraordinary Form and in many local calendars, including the calendar of that most Catholic country of Malta, as well as in many Hispanic countries. […]
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Below the image of the Divine Mercy, you will see the words “Jesus I trust in Thee”. I confess that despite my devotion to the Divine Mercy, I continually stumble over the simple act of trusting in the Lord. Saint Augustine tells us to “pray as though everything depends on God, and work as though everything depends on you”. Fair […]
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Last Friday morning, I was struck particularly by a psalm from the Office for Saint Agatha: O God, my God, for Thee I long at break of day: My soul thirsteth for Thee, my body longeth for Thee, As desert, arid land: thus I appear before Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. For Thy mercy […]
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Faith and reason are like the two shoes you wear on your journey. You get a lot farther with both than just one. (J. Michael Straczynski) Today is the Feast of the Universal Doctor of the Church and one of my name Saints, Thomas Aquinas. When (certain) people, told of my conversion, said to me “oh, you’re Catholic – you […]
» Read moreHappy ninth day of Christmas! Today the Church turns to the east for her celebrations, honouring Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and Doctors of the Church. They both lived in the middle of the fourth century – in fact, they knew each other and were friends. Interestingly, this is not infrequently the case with two great Doctors […]
» Read moreToday is the feast of the great Doctor of the Church, Saint Ambrose of Milan (340-397). Rather than prattle on about this great saint, I thought I’d post the second reading from today’s Office. Although Ambrose is specifically addressing bishops in this letter, his call to evangelization is for all of us, for all time. You have entered upon the […]
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Between our pilgrimages, we must live in the world. We try to hang onto the Way of the Pilgrim in our ordinary lives, but like all things, the lessons fade over the years unless they are reinforced from time to time. And what are those lessons? They are as individual as the pilgrim, but there are certain commonalities, certain sayings […]
» Read moreThe other day, I attended two Masses for All Souls. I served at the first, an Ordinary Form (English language) school Mass at Holy Rosary at nine o’clock in the morning. The second was an Extraordinary Form Missa Cantata at Saint Joseph in the evening. In each form of the rite, the priest is allowed to celebrate three Masses for […]
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