Talking About The Faith Path

Letting go Without grace, we do create ourselves, freely some of the time, and from compulsion, which while not sin, does the same damage. There is no need to fear this knowledge since the truth does set us free. The paradox of the spiritual life is that the more the light grows in us, the...

A Letter to a Prisoner Below is a letter that I have sent to a prisoner that I have been writing to for many years. He is in for life for a violent crime committed when he was a young man. Over the years he has come to Christ Jesus, and is now working with other Christians, mostly Catholics...

Trust, Take the Next Step Try not to fear, trust in God, which is not always easy. Trust is not an emotion, nor a feeling, but a choice that comes from deep within, it flows from the gift of faith. Trust, take the next step, and move forward no matter the circumstances. Even if you fall, get...

Adoration is not a Waste of Time Love me, then, and trust in My love for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to inflame you with the same fire of love that burns in My Sacred Heart and in the hearts of all My saints. It is in the prayer of adoration that this love grows strong, becoming a fire that...

Once it is known Lord, once your love is experienced, nothing remains the same, our journey can be rough, but your love is sure, no demon within or without has power over us, though we experience our wounds deeply, your love sees all, loves all within, so ‘Soul of our Soul’, teach us to wait...

Old Age, Faith, and the Last Things “Oh, when evening falls may they think of coming to My embrace, their hearts overflowing with gratitude, asking Me to come again with new blessings. And I will come again. And in this way, we shall approach the end of life and the last of My blessings. “For...

Humility and Community Life Chapter talk 04 Sept 22 The three most important virtues are humility, humility, and humility-Bernard of Clairvaux When thinking about my own life’s path, I have found that if I look inward, I pretty much have all I need in order to grow in maturity on my monastic...

Barbed-Wire There are some people that I find easier to understand than others. One way I like to express it or in these terms: “Their outsides are like my insides”. This statement is borrowed from a saying in the 12th step program. People who are very angry and are free to express it, who...

Feeling a deep longing for home Now that I am moving towards my 74th birthday in December, I find that longing is becoming more central which in the past, was hidden from my perception most of the time. My soul seems to be more focused on something bigger. A desire to be free, as Carl Jung...

I had the honor of speaking to our Lay Cistercians via Zoom this morning. We are blest to have them associated with our Monastery. Talk to Lay Cistercians 1 There are clearly four kinds of monks. 2 First, there are the cenobites,that is to say, those who belong to a monastery, where they...

Prayer In Time of Anxiety and Bring Restless How restless I can be my Lord, how anxious and scattered, as I age my ability to embrace stress has changed, and I can feel shattered, like pieces of a mirror that is in a place of unrest, in bits and pieces, yet You call me back, lead me to be...

Letting Go Of the Burden 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 We can get used to being burdened. To...

Covid has entered our community I knew it was only a matter of time before Covid got one of us. So now here we are. Hopefully, it will be mild for the brother who has it, and if anyone else gets it, it will be the same. I took one of the Brothers to the ER at Piedmont Hospital on Peachtree...

We Are All Called to Prayer The greater the feeling of responsibility for the person, the more true love there is.-Pope John Paul 11 When I pray and am sitting before the Lord, it is then that I can sense from time to time how rock-like my heart is. I can feel locked up or hiding behind...

He is Always Walking On the Waves When I am experiencing an inner storm, when the waves are high and I feel like I am sinking, is it then Lord that you call for trust my Lord? The high waves are created by me, even if often unconscious, yet they are real, and perhaps dangerous, for...

Only One Thing Necessary (Also news about the Monastery and Retreat House) Do not worry over things that generate preoccupation, derangement, and anxiety. One thing only is necessary: to lift up your spirit and love God. (Padre Pio) The last thing people want to hear is to not worry. We seem...

Living the Interior Life If living an interior life, there is no time for gossip. We each have more than enough to deal with, which calls for prayer, not detraction of others. If we mind ourselves, we have no time to judge others.-Br.MD

Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16) Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God. --Pope John Paul 2 Confession is a powerful sacrament for inner healing, as well as for healing our...

We are Pilgrims (notes for grief retreat given a few years ago)) One day we will find ourselves in deep dark woods, alone and bereft. One of the hardest lessons to get is that one of the central aspects of being human is that we are in fact, pilgrims. We are on a journey, a very difficult one...

Struggle and Growth It is in the struggle that we grow. To pray, or to seek God, or to love one's spouse, or children. To be kind to those who can do nothing for you often brings out inner conflict and we have to choose. To pray when one does not feel like it shows deep love of God. To be...