As I pondered the holy scripture in our service today, I was struck by the theme of faithfulness. Especially what Psalm 85 says: “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” So beautiful. And in First Kings, Elijah found God in the sound of sheer silence, telling him that he had been very zealous for the Lord, but that the Israelites had forsaken their covenant, thrown down the al

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 by Brother Dennis The reading from Matthew makes clear that the reception of the Gospel message depends upon the soil. That is, the condition of the heart of the one who receives it. In this teaching, the seed and the sower are the same in each case, but the soil varies. There were many who did not respond favorably to his message, but the few who did produced remarkable fruit. This teaching is calling us to prepare the soil of our hearts so that we c

Saint Benedict, known as the Father of Western Monasticism and honored as the Patron of Europe, lived between 480 and 547 CE, born with his sister, St. Scholastica, into a Christian family in Nursia, Italy. Disillusioned by the immoral, corrupt life of Rome while at school there, he opted for an eremitical life at Subiaco. He went on to found his order, with monastic communities at Subiaco, Terracina and Montecassino. St. Benedict developed his Simple Rule for Beginners fifte

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Matthew 10:40 Throughout the bible – both the old and new testaments, hospitality is a constant expectation of good people. Everyone traveling had to rely on the generosity of others. There are many references to foot washing and preparing meals for others. Hospitality has been baked into life for centuries of civilization. But nowadays, it seems almost easier not to offer hospit

“Make peace within yourself and both heaven and earth will make peace with you.” HAFIZ _________________________________________________ by Brother Dennis Today and every day we are called to peace. As we stand amid the swirling winds of violence, of atrocities committed against humanity and cries for vengeance, it is important to remember that we have a higher calling. It is the calling to peace, to justice, and to dignity. We need to be reminded that it is when we

In today’s gospel we heard Jesus tell his disciples, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Here we are, 2000 years later and it seems the state of our world is far from resembling the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you think the Kingdom of Heaven has come near or does it seem further away now than ever? Many of you may have heard of James Telarico, the Texas seminarian who is running for United States Senate. If you have not heard of him, I s

The idea of separation feels like a timely consideration when there seems to be so many temptations to think in terms of being separate from, different from, or even in opposition with one another. I often say, and believe it to be true, that any perception that we are somehow separate from each other is an illusion. In so many ways, we are prone to falling into the trap of separateness – the “us” or “them” dualistic mindset. But that is not the nature of God and how we

Matthew 28: 16-20 I heard a story once about a famous tightrope walker who amazed the crowds with his ability to walk across large expanses on the tightrope without losing his balance. He would walk across waterfalls or canyons or between tall buildings, all to the delight and amazement of the crowds that gathered to watch. When he would return to his starting point, he would ask the crowd if they believed he could go across and back again with a wheelbarrow. There were a few