We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
The Apocalyptic Process of Birth – Br. Jim Woodrum
“We need to not be distracted by the death throes of the secular world or even the destruction of our temples of ego that we have constructed for self-admiration, but rather be engaged in the process of birthing new life set forth by Jesus with: confidence, hope, provocation, sanctification, and a sense of urgency. ”
Br. Jim Woodrum encourages us to persevere through the birth pangs of transformation, longing toward the fulfillment Jesus promises in the restoration to come.
A Servant Found at Work – Br. Sean Glenn
“If you’re anything like me, you may be inclined to heckle Jesus over the parable he tells us today. These words of Jesus do not always come to me as ‘good news.’ They may even bring up dread, anger, and even incredulity. And so I heckled Jesus this week.”
Br. Sean Glenn confronts one of Jesus’ challenging parables and finds in the example of Hugh of Lincoln the redemptive model of a servant working in love for the Kingdom of God.
Think of Us as Servants of Christ – Br. David Vryhof
“When we love we want to serve. We long to be given some task that will contribute to the good purposes of the one we love. A mother longs to serve her children – out of love. A husband longs to please his wife – out of love. We willingly set aside our own desires and preferences, we lay down our lives, for the sake of those whom we love.”
Br. David Vryhof discovers in love the difference between servitude and service. What an honor and privilege it is to be a servant of Christ!
Thanksgiving
The Chapel will be closed after the 12:30 PM Eucharist on Wednesday, 21 November and will re-open in time for Evening Prayer on Saturday, 24 November.
Ministry of Healing
The Church’s sacramental Ministry of Healing with the Laying on of Hands and Anointing will be offered next on Tuesday, 20 November during the 5:30 PM Eucharist.
The Return on Generosity – Br. Curtis Almquist
“What amazes me with each passing day, is how good things are, and often times in the most unexpected and unpredictable of ways: where you discover abject goodness, greatness, beauty, nobility, provision in ways which you could never have even asked for or imagined. Life is positively amazing. When you think you’ve come to the end there is more.”
Br. Curtis Almquist marvels at the endless provision of God’s grace and the gifts of life, and he invites us to respond with boundless generosity, knowing that the more we give away, the more we will be filled.
You, the Salt of the Earth – Br. Curtis Almquist
“You are salt, created to give a distinctive flavor to life, you like none other. By your presence, your witness, your gifts, you help others ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’”
Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to savor for ourselves the full complexity and invitation of Jesus’ metaphor of the “salt of the earth.”
The Saints of the Old Testament – Br. Jim Woodrum
“We, like the Saints of the Old Testament, may feel like we are light years away from the realization of the reign of God. But through Jesus Christ, we hear the gospel message that the Kingdom of God is happening now, and is a process of redeeming and healing the Creation, to which we are being called to participate.”
Br. Jim Woodrum invites us to look to the Saints of the Old Testament for the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
Great Dinner – Br. Luke Ditewig
“Giving grace changes us. Experiencing one more stranger as friend expands our vision of humanity and of God. How has grace expanded you? To whom might you reach beyond, to further invite?”
Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to cast ourselves in Jesus’ story of the great banquet, as we remember that everyone has a place at God’s table.
How Many Commandments? – Br. Nicholas Bartoli
“When we repent and let ourselves rest in God’s Kingdom within us, then we just naturally realize God’s Oneness, which in turn allows us to love the Holy One with our whole being, loving and serving all of creation, and loving our own beautiful selves.”
Br. Nicholas Bartoli ponders God’s Commandments and discovers in their stead a promise: that the Kingdom of God is so very, very nigh.