“Rather than bemoaning the tragic consequences of our fallen human state, Jesus invites us to live with joy, constantly alert for signs of God’s grace around and within us. God is present and at work! Grace and salvation are here, and are available to us in abundance.”

“Saint Paul presumed a battle being waged in this world between good and evil, and it is we who are being fought over.” Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to pray for protection, for ourselves and others, as we begin and end our day.

“There is a paradoxical reason that the Church and the world know the names Peter and Paul: following their own very different paths, they relinquished the authority that comes with human charisma. This progressive renunciation allowed the authority of Jesus more and more to shape their choices, hallow their successes, and especially to redeem their failures. The paradoxical reason that we remember Peter and Paul as pastors of God’s flock is that they knew, better than most, what it meant to be harassed and helpless sheep.” On the feast of Saints Peter & Paul, Br. Keith Nelson acknowledges the surprising reason behind their ages-old fame: renunciation.

“The paradox is that we become like God, not by stretching out our hands in pride, but by choosing to stretch them out in humility and loving service, just as did Jesus.” In a brief four lines from Matthew's gospel, Br. Jame Koester discovers the truth of what God is like, and how we too become like God, in reaching out our hands in acts of humility and loving service.

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist Luke 1:57-80 What then will this child become? In the event of the birth of a child, this is not an uncommon question. As family, friends, and the wider community come together to celebrate a new birth, there are many hopes, dreams, and well-wishes expressed to the parents.…

“You probably know how it is to be sailing through life on the sunniest of days, and then a storm hits. There is so much to be afraid of in life when we are accosted by threats, whether they be familiar or foreign. These fears can seem so great and we feel so small. Fear is no respecter of age, or gender, or privilege. Fear may be the most common experience we share with all of humankind.” Br. Curtis Almquist finds in our all-too-human fear an invitation to take Jesus at his word: we need not be afraid, for God is with us. Fear becomes a channel for God's presence.

“The prayer that Jesus taught is a simple, supremely effective tool to slice away anything in us that is not humble or sincere. It is the best, most straightforward antidote to all our articulate spiritual nonsense. Over time, it makes us real.” Br. Keith Nelson celebrates the simple transformative power of the prayer that Jesus taught us.

“What is really at stake here is worship—worth-ship, that is, where we put our ultimate worth. You cannot worship God and wealth, says Jesus. Likewise, we may hear him continue, you cannot worship God and your ego; you cannot worship God and pleasure; you cannot worship God and… any good thing.” Br. Sean Glenn invites us to consider the multivalent, true meaning of worship, which extends far beyond what we do together in church.

“Perfection and maturity are impossible. I grew up listening to Sally O’Connor sing that the Bible is full of “improbable people for impossible tasks.”[v] What God promises and commands, God also enables. By the Spirit, we keep coming bit by bit, more into life, more into maturity, learning one step at a time. Jesus keeps telling us—often to our surprise—that there’s more.” Br. Luke Ditewig encourages us to listen for the encouraging voice of Jesus, enabling what he invites.

“The view of a monastic vocation from Bede was one that was not isolated for its own sake. Any solitude was to protect the sanctity and regularity of prayer, but always in relationship to the surrounding people and communities. And I needed that, because I had built up in my head an idolatrous vision of the monastic life that was only as pure as it was isolated.” Br. Lucas Hall claims a long-awaited chance to thank the seventh-century monastic, Bede, for the helpful vision of the monastic life which he provides.