In Your Presence

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai peached this meditation at a workshop on October 20, 2026, at Cedarcrest Conference in Belfountain, On.

A few weeks ago the starting gun was fired for the 3-year preparation for the centennial. In his letter from October 2 2026, the Father used that phrase: "It is not a new beginning, but a new impulse toward fidelity.” 

Music: The light between us by Shaydow on Bend Sound.

Thumbnail:

A meditation preached on October 4, 2026, by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellerton Center in Toronto. As we begin these years of preparation for the centennial, we know that we have to continue to grow and mature in this initial yes that we gave to God. The yes of our vocation. We said yes to the invitation to of the Lord, who sent us out.

The Prelate has framed in clear terms the purpose of the centennial: A grateful reflection on the past, accompanied by a humble examination of conscience, and a hopeful look towards the future (March 19, 2026).

Music: Audiio_MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_Instrumental

Thumbnail: Masaccio, The Tribute Money, 1401, Brancacci Chapel, Santa. Maria del Carmine, Florence.

This meditation was preached at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on October 6, 2026. In 2002, Pope John Paul II pronounced this phrase in St. Peter's Square in front of thousands of faithful: "We declare and define Blessed Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer to be a Saint, and We inscribe his name in the catalogue of the Saints, ordaining that, throughout the universal Church, he be devoutly honored among the Saints. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

In Dante's Divine Comedy, heaven is portrayed as the highest celestial sphere, the Empyrean, where the Blessed Trinity is adored with the Blessed Virgin and all the saints. Now we know that Saint Josemaría is there too.

Music: enrique27naveda-cancion-triste-by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda Pixabay

Thumbnail: The illustration "The Saintly Throng Form a Rose in the Empyrean" by Gustave Doré, created in 1868 for Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

A meditation preached at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on October 2, 2026.

Today is the memorial of the guardian angels. Exodus 23: "The Lord says this: ‘I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared."

Moses guided the people, but did not enter the promised land himself. The Christological interpretation is that Jesus guides us into the true promised land by his grace. We all have a mission in this life, and our angel will guide us. Josemaria received the illumination about his mission on the memorial of the guardian angels. They would help him, and Opus Dei as a whole to mature in the mission.

Music: enrique27naveda-cancion-triste-by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda Pixabay

Our Lord loves the poor: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matt 11, 4-5)

Our Lord includes this among the great wonders: Poverty. How can we live this virtue of detachment as priests? We have the example of the conversion of Zacchaeus, who gave his money to the poor and restituted.

This is a meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to priests at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Stoney Creek, Ontario, on September 22, 2026.

Music: enrique27naveda-cancion-triste-by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda Pixabay

Thumbnail: Jean Colcombe, From Vita Jesu Christi by Ludolf of Saxony, French (Bourges), c. 1475-1500, Paris, BNF, MS Francais 178, fol. 89v_2. From http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/10/zacchaeus-little-man-in-tree.html

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, on September 16, 2026.

The Gospel tells us about the different reactions of the people to John the Baptist and to Jesus. He comments on the lack of coherence present in these responses. The impossibility of getting coherent responses in light of the lives of John and of Jesus.

“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation? … They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.’” (Lk 7:31–32)

Thumbnail: Eduard Manet, Young Flautist, or The Fifer, 1866, Musee D'Orsay, Paris.

Music: enrique27naveda-cancion-triste-by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda Pixabay

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to priests at Saint Augustine Seminary in Toronto on September 15, 2026.

Today's feast of Our Lady of Sorrows has an ancient and layered liturgical background. It is said to have started with the ancient Franciscan spirituality that meditated on Mary’s sorrows. We know that St. Francis himself suffered the stigmata, reflecting his closeness to Mary, who suffered a spiritual stigmata. 

The Great Rood crucifix in Westminster Cathedral is the perfect image to contemplate across these two consecutive feasts: yesterday’s Exaltation of the Holy Cross and today’s feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellerton Centre in Toronto on September 14, 2026, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Yesterday we decorated with flowers the simple black cross in our oratories so that we could see it bloom today.

The hymn of Philippians 2, 6-11: "...he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Thumbnail: Cross with garlands of roses from Ernescliff oratory

Music: Audiio MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_Instrumental

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to High School boys at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on September 12, 2026.

Last week we celebrated the birth of Mary, the dawn of our salvation. She is the stella matutina, the morning star. It is a time of hope, for the Sun of Justice is about to rise; today, 8 days later, the name of Mary, in line with the practice of the Jews who would impose the name on the child 8 days after birth. 

Thumbnail: Leonardo Da Vinci, Sketch of St. Anne with Mary and Christ child and St. John, 1503, Florence.

Music: Lifting Dreams - Aakash Gandhi Youtube free

A meditation preached at Ernescliff College in Toronto on September 8th, 2026, by Fr. Eric Nicolai.

Today is the birthday of Mary, she is described as the “dawn of our salvation”. The arrival of a new person into the world is always a sign of hope. Mary opens up new possibilities for us in this academic year, just beginning.

Thumbnail: The Nativity of the Virgin, painted around 1400–1405 by Andrea di Bartolo, a Sienese painter.  Today housed in the National Gallery in Washington.

Music: Audiio_MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_Instrumental