Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Today is Good Friday: the commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Behold the wood of the cross, on which has hung our salvation: come let us adore. (Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion) He was condemned by his own people, abandoned by his friends, sentenced to death by the Roman Prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate. He […]
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Today we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist on what is (more or less) the anniversary of the Last Supper. Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection, spends some time discussing whether this was a traditional Passover meal, or whether perhaps it was celebrated the day before the date […]
» Read moreI served as a Lector at Mass today, proclaiming the first reading (Isaiah 50:4-7) and participating in proclaiming the Passion according to Saint Matthew. I read the narrative part, which is by far the longest, and it was a particularly moving experience to proclaim the Lord’s Passion in that way. I really thought I was going to lose it a […]
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On 16 April 1927 (Holy Saturday), Joseph Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn in Bavaria. He was baptized on Easter. To be the first person baptized with the new water was seen as a significant act of Providence. I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter Mystery … […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. Abba James said, “We do not only need words, for at the present time there are many words among men; but we need works, for this is what is required – not words that do not bear fruit.” This of […]
» Read moreAs part of my Lenten reading, I have been devouring Pope Benedict’s book Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection. This passage on the atonement appears on page 232: Again and again people say: It must be a cruel God who demands infinite atonement. Is this not a notion unworthy of God? …[I]t becomes […]
» Read moreThe comic strip “Unstrange Phenomena” is usually pretty silly and surreal, but this morning the author published something far above his normal goofiness. This is a worthy subject for meditation, for the image depicts man toiling, his image producing a shadow of words in the shining light of God’s glory. Pope Benedict XVI once described himself as “a humble worker […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. Here’s a little something in a martial theme, that strikes I think at the heart of our spiritual struggle: Abba John the Dwarf said, “If a king wanted to take possession of his enemy’s city, he would begin by cutting […]
» Read moreI was deeply moved today by a homily posted by Deacon Greg Kandra today. Several years ago, a priest from the Archdiocese of New York was visiting Rome. As he was walking into a church to pray, he noticed a beggar at the door. Something looked vaguely familiar about him. As he began to pray, he realized what it was. […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. A meeting was held at Sketis about a brother who had sinned. The Fathers spoke, but Abba Pior kept silent. Later, he got up and went out. He took a sack and filled it with sand and carried it on […]
» Read moreToday is the reason we have Christmas in December. Seriously. There’s an ancient tradition that says that you will know the day of your death by the day of your conception, and vice versa. Christ was crucified on the 14th of Nisan – the only date we can fix with certainty in his life. When translated from the Jewish lunar […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. This pretty much sums it up. Abba Paul said, “Keep close to Jesus.”
» Read moreAlthough it does not appear on the Universal (Roman) calendar, today is one of two feasts of Saint Benedict celebrated by Benedictines throughout the world. If it is true that the Irish saved civilization, it’s worth remembering that they did so largely in Benedictine Monasteries. Today, I have three short passages from one of Benedict’s spiritual and monastic forebears of […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. This particular passage strongly reminds me of Tao Te Ching. Abba John, who had been exiled by the emperor Marcian, said: We went to Syria one day to see Abba Poemen and desired to question him concerning purity of the […]
» Read moreI wasn’t going to post today. Saint Patrick’s feast has, like that of Saint Valentine, been co-opted by the culture, totally obscuring the person behind the day. But there are folks where I work affecting fake Irish brogues, and it’s driven me over the edge. Today is a day in America where we eat immigrant food and pretend it’s Irish, […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. Yesterday I also received my pre-ordered copy of Pope Benedict’s new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection, and I’m devouring it. I may have to back up and re-read properly when I’m […]
» Read moreDuring Lent, I am reading the Desert Fathers. On occasion I will post sayings that strike me during my Lectio. A brother who had been wronged by another brother came to see Abba Sisoes. He said to him, “My brother has hurt me and I want to avenge myself.” The old man begged him, saying, “No, my child, leave vengeance […]
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