The Wisdom Of St Gregory
This Lent I am reading again part of St Gregory’s Morals on Job. I thought I would share a few of his words of wisdom on this Friday in Lent. The saint wonders why God allowed the holy man Job to be so afflicted with evils while the ungodly prosper. Hear his answer and pay […]
Fear Not
Fear not, Joseph, Son of David. Fear not to take Mary your betrothed wife into you home. Fear not, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Fear not, for you will be as father to this child. Fear not, for you will give Him the Name above all names, the name […]
Transfiguration And Religious Life
There are a number of affinities between the Transfiguration of Our Lord and monastic life. In his apostolic exhortation Vita Consecrata, John Paul II used this event as a sort of paradigm for religious life in general. In it we see the Lord taking a few chosen disciples, singling them out for an event that […]
Under The Shadow Of His Wings
On this first Sunday of Lent, we enter the desert with our beloved Saviour and we take up the arms of our spiritual combat: solitude, silence, fasting. Holy Lent is a time when we intensify our longing for God and our struggle against the powers of darkness. Doing so exposes us more than is the […]
Love Puts Up With It
Holy Mother Church has been warming us up. Two weeks ago on Septuagesima Sunday she reminded us of the seriousness of life: “Many are called but few are chosen…. Run to win!” Last week we read the parable of the sower with its sober reminder that the seed, in order to grow, must fall on […]
The Sower Went Out To Sow His Seed
This Gospel always reminds me of the Meditation on the Three Classes or Groups of Men in the Spiritual Exercises. To refresh our memories, the meditation is situated in the middle of the Second Week when the retreatant is on the verge of making his discernment concerning the choice of a state of life. He […]
Two Years On And We’re Still Here…
Two years ago today, Notre Dame Priory was founded. We were blessed today with the visit of Archbishop Julian who came to spend several hours with us, speaking to each brother individually and the community as a whole. We give thanks to Our Lord and our Blessed Mother for so any graces given over the […]
Run To Win
Each year on Septuagesima Sunday, we are are treated to a summary, as it were, of our entire faith. After the joyful celebration of Christmas and Epiphany, we now find ourselves plunged back into, to quote today’s Introit: “the wails of death and the sorrows of hell”. The psalm De Profundis is also there to […]
Simeon And The Spiritual Life
Candlemas 2019 The feast of the Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of Our Lady puts before our eyes the touching figure of the old man Simeon. St Luke tells us that he had received from the Holy Spirit the assurance that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. As a […]