A Meditation by Fr. John Lopez Agundez from Calgary on how to educate our heart, and channel our passions for the true, the good and the beautiful. God promises the prophet Ezekiel that he will give him a heart of flesh (Ezek 11, 14-20), one that will replace his heart of stone. Let us meditate on what God asks of our own heart.

Thumbnail: Prophet Ezekiel, by Michelangelo, Sistine chapel, Rome.

Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria Lascia ch'io Pianga, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

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From Ernescliff College in Toronto, Fr. Eric Nicolai prepares for the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15, and the memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe on August 14. The evil that took place in Auschwitz is difficult for us to understand. How can one stand by and allow this to happen? Here we see the pressing need for the formation of conscience.

Music J.S. Bach, BACH Cello Suite no. 1 - Prelude in G, BWV 1007

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Lawrence was a martyr in the 3rd century, Edith was a martyr in the 20th century. Both lived lives that became a sign of Christ's cross. How can my life too be a holocaust?

Music:  Handel Opera, Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia che io pianga", arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.  

Today is the the anniversary of the dedication of the basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, first dedicated by Pope Sixtus III in 435 on the occasion of the definition of the council of Ephesus on Mary, the Mother of God. It holds special treasures, like the earliest mosaics of th Christian Era, and one of the earliest icons of our Lady, attributed to St. Luke, evangelist. Fr. Eric Nicolai tells the legend of the name, Our Lady of the Snows, and how this can be an invitation for us to live better our dedication to chastity and holy purity, in our state in life. Preached at the Manoir de Beaujeu, Aug 5, 2021.

Music: Handel’s Rinaldo opera, aria, “Lascia ch’io pianga”, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink. https://musopen.org 

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On the feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, July 31, 2021, Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches from the Manoir de Beaujeu about how Ignatius read about the exploits of great saints, and this led to his conversion. Many were in love with the Eucharist. We can too can make the Holy Mass the root and centre of our interior life.

Music: Adrian Berenguer, Fall (Album Singularity, 2017)

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Thumbnail is Blessed Alvaro del Portillo celebrating his last Mass in the cenacle in Jerusalem, March 22, 1994

July 26th is the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin. Anne is the Patroness of the Province of Quebec, and big celebrations take place today at St. Anne de Beaupré. Especially because of her relics there. Fr. Eric Nicolai outlines the origin of the devotion to Anne, and how we can become sons and daughters God, modelled on the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Preached July 26, 2021 at the Manoir de Beaujeu.

Music: Adrian Berenguer, Fall (Album Singularity, 2017)

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Thumbnail: St. Anne de Beaupré

St. Bridget was a native of Finsta in early 14th century, in Sweden. She married at age 13 and bore 8 children. 28 years of happy marriage, her husband died.

When she was just a child, St. Bridget received a vision of Christ scourged and hanging on the Cross. In sorrow, she asked him who had treated him like this.

Christ answered, "They who despise me, and spurn my love for them." From that time on, the young St. Bridget had a great devotion to the Passion of Christ. How do I meditate on the wounds of Jesus? Here Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches at the Manoir de Beaujeu, where he tells pf the example of St. Josemaria's experience in 1938. Meditation was preached on July 23, 2021.

Music: Music: Adrian Berenguer, Fall (Album Multiplicity, 2017)

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Matthew 10:16-23: Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.

This is a warning that Our Lord issued several times to warn against discouragement. He knew it would happen, and we know persecution has often happened throughout the history of the church. He knew it would not be a walk in the park.

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, July 9, 2021.

Music: Andrian Berenguer, Fall (Album Multiplicity, 2017)

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Matt 13:31-33: The mustard seed is tiny, but it can become a large and leafy tree. We should become a leafy tree and give fruit in our life around us. A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre on July 3, 2021.

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Thumbnail: Rembrandt etching, 1630s.

Since the most ancient times the Church of Rome has celebrated the Solemnity of the Great Apostles Peter and Paul as a single Feast on the same day, 29 June. It was through their martyrdom, that they became brothers; together they founded the new Christian Rome. (Pope Benedict XVI June 29, 2008). A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College on June 29, 2021.

Music: Chiquinha Gonzaga composer, Lua Branca (Arranged for guitar by Guitar Bert Alink)