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Radiant Beams from Thy Holy Face
This painting by Bernardino Luini (1480–1532) shows Saint Katherine of Alexandria and Saint Barbara, Virgin Martyrs, in the company of the Infant Christ and His Virgin Mother. The little Jesus is...
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And in the mouth a honey zest
Of all the English translations of Jesu, Dulcis Memoria that I have read and prayed, the one done by Gerard Manley Hopkins remains my favourite. Jesu, Dulcis Memoria Jesus to cast one thought upon...
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To the Infant Christ
Over the centuries, souls have been drawn irresistibly to the mystery of the Infant Christ. Among these was the great Pierre Cardinal de Bérulle, the “Apostle of the Incarnate Word.” The image I chose...
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With Saint John: into the love of things invisible
Saint John by Sir Ninian Comper, Lady Chapel of Downside Abbey Church. Thanks to the ever gracious Father Lawrence, O.P. for the use of his photo. The Logic of the Liturgy The liturgy has a marvelous...
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The Very Little One
This morning’s Second Reading at Vigils was from the wonderful Christmas Sermons of Blessed Guerric of Igny (+1157), one of the Four Evangelists of the Order of Cîteaux. Saint Thérèse of the Child...
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Like a fragrance filling the house
The Presence of Mary The days between Christmas and Epiphany are a continuous celebration: the festival of the Advent of God among us. There is, through these days of Christmastide, a mysterious...
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Thy Name and Thy Countenance
O God, Who didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of Mankind, and didst bid Him to be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate His holy Name on earth, may fully enjoy also the...
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For All of Us There Exists a Path to Bethlehem
The homilies of Pope Benedict XVI cannot be consigned to some dark archive. They remain unforgettable. Pope Benedict XVI preached simply and with serenity. His teachings had, and continue to have, an...
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Ye Shall See His Glory
Lauds on the Vigil of Christmas One of the most beautiful Offices of the entire liturgical year is, I think, that of Lauds on the Vigil of Christmas. A veritable Pre-Feast! Set amongst antiphons that...
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Pax vera descendit
This day is the true peace come down unto us from heaven. * This day throughout the whole world the skies drop down sweetness. V. This day is the daybreak of our new redemption, of the restoring of...
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Act of Adoration and Reparation
Among the Mectildian-Benedictine practices that our monastery has come to cherish is that of the Amende honorable (Act of Honourable Amendment): a prayer of adoration and reparation pronounced aloud...
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One must burn with love
In her conference for the Vigil of Christmas 1694, Mother Mectilde de Bar emphasizes that the Incarnation is God’s gratuitous expression of love for each and every human being. Christus natus est pro...
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And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas day
The Burning Babe By Saint Robert Southwell, SJ As I in hoary winter’s night stood shivering in the snow, Surpris’d I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow; And lifting up a fearful eye to...
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The grace of the mystery is not past
Mother Mectilde de Bar (1614-1698) gave this Chapter conference on 17 December 1671. I share it for those who may be looking for a text to help them enter into the grace of Christmas — little, poor,...
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Wreathe the Door of Thy Heart
December 26 Saint Stephen the Protomartyr The painting is by Blessed Fra Angelico (1400-1455). Blessed Fra Angelico’s paintings are theological; they are a holy preaching and a revelation of the...
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Innocence Restored
For the Feast of the Holy Innocents Those for whom I wrote and prayed this prayer will understand it. Many people suffer well into adulthood and even into old age from things suffered in childhood, and...
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The Passion of the Infant Christ
The Child in Egypt The name Egypt occurs three times in today’s gospel. “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt” (Mt 2:13). “And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and...
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Adoring the Silence of the Word
Mother Mectilde de Bar (1614-1698) belongs to the family of great mystics who, like Saint John of the Cross, are content to remain in darkness, and cast themselves into an adoring silence. Here is my...
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The Name of Jesus Makes a Contemplative Man
Richard Rolle My favourite representative of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus is the delightfully eccentric and utterly incandescent Richard Rolle, a mystic of fourteenth century England. Richard...
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Epiphany Blessing: Christus mansionem benedicat
Epiphany Inscription Over the Doorway of the Home 20 + C + M + B + 18 For the glorious feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, here again is the traditional blessing from the Roman Ritual with a little...
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