Catholic ideas about reverence are grounded, unsurprisingly, in the Old Testament, where there are two Hebrew words for it: “yare” and “shachah”. The first one usually gets translated as “fear” or “awe”; the second is, literally, “falling down” and indicates bowing or prostration (i.e., face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration). These … More Reverence

Next Monday, the Feast of St. Benedict, I’ll be renewing my vows at the early morning Mass at my parish church. This has become an annual event. I first asked my pastor—I guess this is seven years ago now—if I might renew them privately with him: show up early; go to Confession; renew; go to … More Vows

[A reflection I’ll be giving at my parish’s Corpus Christi Vigil next Saturday night…] I want to talk about Adam and Eve. I want to talk about the garden. I want to talk about the inexpressible joy of living with God, of walking side by side with God, of having the very breath of God … More Corpus Christi Reflection

I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but: next week at this time, after more than two years, I’ll finally be back at the monastery. I’ve had my bus tickets for weeks and have made the most difficult decision I face for any trip: my reading materials. For spiritual reading I’ve got Cassian and Bernard … More Carving

Come now, little man,turn aside for a while from your daily employment,escape for a moment from the tumult of your thoughts.Put aside your weighty cares,let your burdensome distractions wait,free yourself awhile for Godand rest awhile in him.Enter the inner chamber of your soul,shut out everything except Godand that which can help you in seeking him.Now, … More Feast of St. Anselm

Holy Week always seems to sneak up on me. Just as Lent has pulled me to my core and shown me how meager my efforts at perfection have been to date and that my previous concepts of mercy by no means approach the divine leniency I really need, I’m supposed to start waving a palm … More Holy Week and Heidegger

A simple man and good he watched the sunbegin its slow and winter creep,and wondered at the numbing night now doneand if his wife had caught a bit of sleep.And jumped: was that the baby he just heardor just the gurgle of a waking bird?No, neither bird nor baby would it seem—that voice again, the … More Saint Joseph

In Chapter 49 of The Rule. our Holy Father Benedict advises us that “[t]he life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure and to wash away in … More Lent

Before Vigils each morning I put on the coffee, make my bed, and turn on my laptop. I check my email—answer the urgent, delete the spam—and move on to a news site to see what’s going on in the world. This is probably a mistake. By the time my interior Vigils bell has rung, the … More Sihon, Og, et al.

I’m off from work this week. Originally I thought I might make it up to the monastery, first time in two years, but I have an online class on Monday night (archdiocesan certification for catechists), my second graders on Saturday, and I didn’t think a mere two full days would address my pressing spiritual needs. … More Retreat