Homily At Mass Of Simple Professions For Brothers Bede, Gregory And Joseph
8 December 2018, Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady Your Grace, Reverend Fathers, Brothers in St Benedict, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “Today, the rod has sprung up out of the root of Jesse; today, Mary is conceived without sin; today, by her, the head of the ancient serpent is crushed”. Such are […]
Flee To The Mountain
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. Today’s Gospel, on this last Sunday of the liturgical year, brings before our eyes the revealed spectacle of the end of the world. Even science tells us that there will one day be a disruption of the harmony that now reigns in […]
Thoughts Of Peace
“My thoughts are thoughts of peace”. Holy Mother Church puts these words on our lips and repeats them over and over again as we reach the end of the liturgical year. Salvation begins with the peace which the angels sang over Bethlehem, and it ends with the eternal reign of the Prince of Peace. The […]
Why Are You Fearful?
Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? There is something astounding in these words. The apostles are with Our Lord in a boat tossed around by waves to the point that they are about to capsize. Their lives are in danger. They turn to the One they know will not fail. They wake […]
Job, Christ And The Church
“There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was Job, simple, and upright, and fearing God: whom Satan besought that he might tempt: and power was given him from the Lord over his possessions and his flesh; and he destroyed all his substance and his children; and wounded his flesh also with […]
Azariah, The Maccabees, And Lepanto
The introit for today’s Mass puts on our lips the dramatic prayer of Azariah in the burning furnace: Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and thy name is worthy of praise, and glorious for ever: For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us, and all thy works […]
Being Different
Today’s Mass readings are all about “being different”. In the epistle, St Paul tells the Ephesians that, now they are converted, they must put on the “new man created in justice and in the holiness of truth”; they must leave behind their former ways which included lying, cheating, dealing harshly and cruelly with others, without […]
Penance And Peace
“Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for Thee”. So we sing in today’s introit. Waiting for the Lord, hoping in His aid, trusting that He will provide us with all that is needed for our salvation. The Gospel helps us understand what the most important ingredient of peace is: the forgiveness of sins. […]
Grace And Prayer
Today’s oration underlines the need we have of Divine Grace. “May Thy grace, O Lord, always go before us and follow after us, and give us to be intent upon performing good works”. This oration contains in germ all the Church’s teaching on actual grace. Actual grace could be defined as that created spiritual gift […]