SSJE Sermons

“Jesus recognized a potential within Peter that would be useful for the ministry that he was about to develop.” Br. David Allen considers how reading the Gospel stories of Jesus calling his disciples can help us to understand Jesus' call to follow him.

“Engaging the forces of evil in the world and in the Church can be costly business.  It was for Jesus, and it will be for us.  It takes courage to name evil and to challenge it. It takes persistence to stand on the side of justice.” Br. David Vryhof looks to the Gospel stories of exorcism for inspiration and direction as we take on Jesus' mission: to liberate and set free, to heal and deliver, to bless, and to bring life.

“We see ourselves in others, particularly those who get under our skin… because they belong there. We are they. What we see in other people – particularly people who affront us – are ourselves. This is who we are. They are the mirror.” Br. Curtis Almquist commends a spirit of humility, which seeks to listen to, and learn from, and reverence the other, especially those who seem to us wrong or unworthy.

“We need the discerning shrewdness of Matthew’s wise bridesmaids, now more than ever, to see our way forward in the darkness, to actively filter out lies, and to determine how best to acquire the oil we need to keep our lamps burning in the long night.” Br. Keith Nelson considers how the different types of wisdom depicted in the Scriptures can help us to navigate the anti-wisdom of the contemporary American cultural landscape.

“Trees make exceptionally good teachers here. The roots are drawing nourishment from the dark places under the soil, while the leaves, high in the sky, drink light from the sun. And meeting somewhere in the middle is the fruit, the fruit of earth and heaven, drawing the two together as a beautiful gift.” Br. Nicholas Bartoli explores the dichotomy of our human experience, caught somewhere between light and shadow, heaven and earth.

“When you wake in the morning, don’t open your internet, or read the papers, until you have first said good morning to God. Have a prayer, or a psalm that you say first thing, to greet God, to reaffirm who you are, and why you are. Rediscover joy first thing in the morning before you face the world – and Facebook.” Br. Geoffrey Tristram offers essential and practical advice for how to rediscover joy, even in the most troubling times.

“Let yourself feel the shock, loss, grief, anger about the disasters, the violence, whatever breaks your heart and overwhelms you. Share your pain honestly. Let another to listen. When we are listened to, our body chemistry shifts. Our bodies instinctively heal.” Br. Luke Ditewig draws on the wisdom of trauma experts to suggest how community and communication can help us to heal in troubling times.

“We are not means to an end. We are not tools used to accomplish something greater. We are not defined by the performing of a function, however good and noble that function might be.” Br. Lucas Hall ponders how the truth of Christ's identity allows us to know the truth about ourselves.

“Religion has been used too often as an instrument of hate and oppression, which is why much of humanity’s suffering and grief is laid at our door; and make no mistake, we have a lot to answer for. Examples of religious intolerance breeding horrific violence and alienation continue even now, threatening to make a mockery of the message we want to be sending: the message of God’s infinite loving-kindness and compassion.” Br. Nicholas Bartoli echoes Saint Paul's radical message that God’s Love had no membership requirements.

“We went down one of the valleys descending S.W. from Jerusalem, flanked by beautiful wooded hillsides. It would not have been an easy journey for Mary to make on foot.” Br. David Allen invites us to enter into the joyful encounter between the two cousins, Mary and Elizabeth, pondering the holy mystery of the Incarnation.