In Your Presence

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on November 20, 2024 at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto.

J.R. R. Tolkien was chided by his contemporary fantasy writers for saying that the best fantasy has happy endings. For many them, the realism came in the dark, terrifying tales that ended in tragedy. But our faith tells us that death is a doorway to a happy ending, and we can prepare for it now, as we consider the kingdom of Christ.

Music: Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares. From Catholic music YouTube channel.

Thumbnail: West portal of Chartres Cathedral, Christ Pantocrator.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on November 2, 2024. Saint Josemaria faced a lot of opposition when he started his apostolic endeavours. In the Way he said: "God wants a handful of men 'of his own' in every human activity. And then... 'pax Christi in regno Christi — the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ'. "

We have to help him reign really with our apostolate. He wants to need us. He wants us to be docile subjects. He wants us to go out there and stir things up. 

Pope Francis speaks of hacer lio. ¡Hagan lío! Pero un lío que nazca de conocer a Jesús. Shake things up. I think you would say: “make a mess!” Messiness is a good things. Later we will clean up what must be cleaned. “stir up trouble!” or “shake things up!”

Music: Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares, From Catholic Music Youtube Channel. 2003 Straight Arrow Records. Released on: 2003-01-01

Thumbnail: Shove Memorial Chapel, Colorado College.

After the Solemnity of the Solemnity of All Saints, and the Feast of All Souls, we want to examine ourselves to see if Christ truly reigns in our hearts, if he is there at the core of our being. This meditation was preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on November 2, 2024.

Music: Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares, from Catholic Music Youtube channel.

Thumbnail: A stained-glass window of Jesus wearing a crown at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, photo/Gregory A. Shemitz.

A meditation preached at Lancemore centre in Toronto on November 4, 2024. In 2017, the Prelate of Opus Dei said this: “the current situation of evangelization makes it more necessary than ever to give priority to personal contact with people. This relational aspect is at the heart of the mode of doing apostolate that Saint Josemaria found in the Gospel narratives.” (Pastoral Letter, 14 February 2017, no. 9.)

Personal contact leads to friendship, and friendship is an expression of charity. That charity in Opus Dei gives us strong bonds. We live this charity through real fraternity. Like the phrase from Proverbs: Frater qui adiuvatur a fratre quasi civitas firma. A brother helped by his brother is like a strongly walled city. (Prov. 18, 19)

Music: Choir of the Roman College of Holy Mary in Rome.

Thumbnail: Nicaea in the Nuremberg chronicles.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on th Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2024.

St. John the Apostle tells about his tremendous vision: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Rev 9, 9-10)

The uncountable throng represents the spiritual offspring of Abraham, i.e., those who imitated his faith (Rom 4:11-17).  The Lord had promised to make Abraham the father of many nations (Gen 17:5) and to give him progeny too numerous to count (Gen 15:5). He made him look up to the sky, and look at the stars. These same stars still lok down upon us, and invite us to look up.

Music: Carlos Gardel (1890 – 1935), Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Vincent Van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889, Museum of Modern Art.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on October 27 2024. The focus is blind Bartimaeus and the heart of Jesus.

Mark 10:46-52: As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbuni,’ the blind man said to him ‘Master, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Pompeo Batoni, Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Church of the Gesù in Rome (1767)

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this recollection at Hawthorn School in Toronto on October 23 2024.

We are preparing the centennial of Opus Dei, founded on October 2, 1928.

It was a shower of grace, that Saint Josemaria received on that day. We must ensure that we maintain the beauty of this charism, to ensure that it never go stale, or lose its vibrancy.

Music: Choir of the Roman College of Holy Mary.

Thumbnail: Cover of The Way published by Doubleday.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 18, 2024 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Luke the Evangelist was born a Greek and a Gentile from Antioch in Syria. Luke is symbolised by the ox, a symbol of strength and of sacrifice. But also Luke wanted to preserve the face of Mary for us. He is the painter of Mary: Tradition says he produced the first devotional icons of the mother of God. He preserved her yes to her vocation. He'll help preserve our yes to the vocation to Opus Dei.

Music: Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Luke Painting the Virgin, by Giorgio Vasari 1565 Basilica della Santissima Annunziata, Florence.

Fr. Eric Nicolai evokes the nature of the apostolate with young people in Opus Dei, which is entrusted to the intercession of the Archangel Raphael. It is known as the St. Raphael work. He gave this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on October 5, 2024.

"I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tob 12:15) Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed" because of his healing of Tobias’ blindness in the Book of Tobit. He is the angel that heals.

Our words must have that healing power, if we invoke him. Healed from anxiety and worry. Healed from selfishness. Healed really from any suffering. But that healing is in the soul, in our soul. This is why with Raphael's intercession, our words can give hope to young people.

Thumbnail: Rembrandt, Abraham serving the three angels at Mambre, 1646 (private collection)

Music: Ave Verum, St. Anthony's Latin Choir, from Musica Sacra Per Annum.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 15th at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto.

Lk 1, 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. 

Since Zacharia doubted, unsure perhaps of his authenticity, needed more proof, as though seeing an angel were not enough, Gabriel had the power to silence him. To give him time to reflect. In quiet.

Saint Josemaria invoqued Saint Gabriel as the patron with the work with Supernumeraries, married people in general.

Music: Michael Lee, from Toronto

Thumbnail: Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255–1319), Annonciation, circa 1307.