This past fall I was doing my lectio divina with the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Praying over this prophet’s words can be difficult for me because the text frequently seems to portray God as upset, angry, and even destructive. Jeremiah includes such prophecies as, “See now, says the Lord God, my anger and my wrath I will pour out upon this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruits of the earth; it will burn without being quenched” (Jer 7:20). He also proclaims, “For the Lord has wrought our destruction, he has given us poison to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord” (Jer 8:14). How can this be? What can it mean for us? Perhaps we would like to dismiss these words as a distorted or exaggerated description of God from the Old Testament or would prefer to apply God’s…

We live in a society of many imbalances, one of which involves work. Large numbers of people are unemployed or underemployed. Other people are overworked, sometimes because others have been laid off and leave additional burdens behind for the remaining employees. People without sufficient work or income may be tempted to become discouraged and murmur. Those with too much work can likewise be tempted to lose heart and grumble. What do the Holy Rule and Benedictine monastic life have to say in response to…

As someone who is fortunately able to attend our community’s daily Mass and Liturgy of the Hours almost always, I am also very aware of the flaws that can occur from time to time. Aside from the graces to refocus on prayer and to overlook or forgive quickly, some of the failings contain hidden lessons for our journeys of faith. I have noticed that one frequently misstated phrase in the Mass occurs in the preface for martyrs, which includes the words, “You choose the weak and make the strong.” Having often heard the error “You chose the weak,” I wonder if this misstatement reflects a common human tendency to think of God’s marvelous actions…

This summer there is much new life in our monastic community. On the morning of July 9, five new novices were clothed with the monastic habit and took on new names. In the evening the four novices who had entered last year professed their first vows. Although we had no monks professing solemn vows this year, we now have thirteen “junior monks” (those in temporary vows), and most of these men are in their twenties and thirties. Also, during our intensive community meetings on July 8 and 9, we monks discussed a number of new situations in a new way. For us monks of the Archabbey…

During the past several decades our world has been dealing with a “crisis of authority” both in secular society and in the Church. Indeed there is a crisis. People in authority have often abused the trust placed in them, and in the case of the Church it is a sacred trust. Yes, the media have sometimes been wrong, and their destructive charges have often been directed disproportionately against the Church and Christianity. Nonetheless, we must face the fact that flagrant misuses of authority are widely known and that many people…

As I began to compose this essay about Saint Benedict and the Cross, I looked over the pamphlet that we give to newly invested Oblate novices along with a medal of St. Benedict. To my surprise and dismay, I noticed that the pamphlet‟s pages are in the wrong order; it took me a while to discover that the text on the front continues not on the next page but on another page. My first impulse was to plan to reassemble the master copy right away to eliminate all confusion. (When I discover any errors, I tend to want to set everything right in an instant!) On the other hand, common sense and prudence dictated that I allow the error to remain for the time being because I had plenty of other projects of higher priority. I must simply trust that Oblates and Oblate novices…

It is sometimes said that we live in an age characterized by a loss of reverence. Many people seem to be deprived of a sense of the sacred and even of common courtesies, which are a springboard into the holy. Likewise, what was once considered poor in taste or even blasphemous has become commonplace and acceptable to many. Language that was once deemed offensive or sinful has become standard in the media. Formalities which were considered normal at meals or in public places are now generally ignored. Even in churches it can be difficult to find reverence and a sense of awe; casual speech…

Although there may be occasions when some of us are called to do “great things,” most of the time we are rightly called to be faithful in doing “little things” as best we can. We may at times become discouraged that our simple prayers and ordinary actions are not producing visible fruit; but the Scriptures and the Holy Rule assure us that if we are acting, for the most part, out of love for Christ, then the little things of our daily lives do, in fact, glorify God and help to bring about sanctification and others’ sanctification.

It was during Holy Week that I began to scribble down reflections for this essay. A central message of the Scripture readings and the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum is that Christ suffered and died for us out of love; He also rose for us out of love and the desire to share eternal life, divine life of immeasurable joy, with us. Christ ardently longs that we respond to His love with growing trust and love, limited though our capacity may be, and He wishes us not to sadden or scandalize one another but rather to encourage one another on our pilgrimage of faith…

During this past Christmas Season, and especially in the celebration of Our Lord’s Epiphany, it struck me how very ardently God wishes to reveal Himself to us. The readings at Mass for Epiphany speak of this great desire. Through Isaiah God invites ancient Israel and the Church today: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you …; upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory” (Is 60: 1,2). In St. Matthew’s Gospel the magi from the East respond to…

Pondering the ultimate realities of death and eternal life may come naturally with the approach of mid-autumn and All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The fragility and imperfections of life on this earth are realities that may impinge upon our consciousness in a particular way at this time. All of us are vulnerable; all of us are broken in body, mind, and soul; all of are moving toward death in a manner that is largely out of…

Among the dangers of the spiritual life are the attitude that we have been perfected beyond improvement and, in contrast, the fear that we are so hopelessly deficient that God cannot help us to progress further. The first condition is one of pride, and so is the second, although it masks itself as humility. Our task as Christians is to trust totally in God’s merciful love despite our abysmal weakness and sinfulness and to hope that, in coöperation with God’s graces, He will lead us to the heights of perfection. And God does want us ultimately to be perfect in the way of Christ. Our Lord calls to “be made perfect as your heavenly Father…