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.
Br. Luke on Being a Guest
Read or listen to Br. Luke’s piece on the gifts of receiving hospitality: Being a Guest >
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Br. James on Monastic Hospitality after Covid
Read or listen to Br. James’ piece on grief and the way forward after Covid: Monastic Hospitality.
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Br. Curtis on Breaking Bread
Read or listen to Br. Curtis’ piece on gathering together at table again: Breaking Bread: How Eating Together Makes Us Whole >
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Generous Givers – Br. David Vryhof
“Jesus asks us to consider why and how we offer alms or do good deeds. Whenever we posture and pose in order to impress others with our holiness or our goodness or our generosity and selflessness, whenever we actively court their flattery and praise, we sacrifice the good favor of our Father in heaven for the cheap and fickle praise of human beings.”
Br. David Vryhof challenges us to ask ourselves what we have given – to God or others – and why we have given it.
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The Ordo Advent 2021 through Advent 2022
Now available to download or to order in print. The Ordo of the Daily Office and Holy Eucharist. Advent 2021 through Advent 2022 (Year 2 and Year C) Compiled and edited by Jonathan Maury, SSJE with Lucas Hall, SSJE Download free PDF Order print copy
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Behold, I tell you a mystery! – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
“Death cannot kill the love which binds us together with our departed loved ones in a bond and a communion which transcends time and space. For it is ultimately the unbreakable bond of love which lifts us above both time and space, and into the very life of God.”
On All Souls Day, Br. Geoffrey Tristram celebrates the communion that links us with those we love, even after death.
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Bold, Brash, and Incredibly Audacious – Br. James Koester
“For the Christian, the resurrection of Jesus challenges the notion that death is the ultimate disaster, for in Jesus, life is changed, not ended, and death becomes not the end, but a door, not a wall, but a gate, not the end, but a new beginning.”
On All Souls Day, Br. James Koester celebrates the audacious, bold truth that Christians claim even in the face of death’s reality: that the dead are raised to life.
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Fall Cowley Now Available: Hospitality
In the fall issue of Cowley, the Brothers of SSJE consider how hospitality has been shaken and reshaped by the pandemic.
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Humble, Hopeful Persistence – Br. Todd Blackham
“What makes for a powerful encounter with God? Power filled life-altering encounters with God. Do you long to experience that kind of power? I’ll confess, I find myself mixed with awe and wonder, as well as doubt and a fear of disappointment. And I wonder what this does when and if I approach God in prayer.”
Br. Todd Blackham looks to the examples of Job and Bartimaeus for a lesson in that posture of hopeful persistence with which we are to seek out encounters with the living God.
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St James of Jerusalem, Witness to the Gospel – Br. David Vryhof
“Inspired by Saint James’ holiness of life, his wise leadership of the Church, and the courage with which he faced a martyr’s death, we reflect today on our own role as witnesses of the Gospel of Christ in our own age, and pray that we may be found as faithful as he was.”
Br. David Vryhof celebrates the witness of Saint James of Jerusalem on his feast day.
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