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.
Reflections After a Hurricane – Br. Mark Brown
Matthew 21:33-43 “Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” Words that have an ominous resonance for us these days in this country. Will our “most favored nation” status be taken from us and given to another?…
Read MoreRaging Waters – Br. Curtis Almquist
Psalm 124 For several years prior to my coming to the monastery I was a parish priest. Along with a good many other pastors in the area, I took a monthly rotation as a night chaplain in the local community hospital. During these night shifts, we chaplains would spend most of our time on-call in…
Read MoreGod's Righteous Judgment – Br. David Allen
Romans 2:1-11 / Ps. 62:1-9 / Lk, 11:42-46 When I was in the Navy, during and just after the Korean War, one of the places our Destroyer visited was Hong Kong. We went there once a year for a long weekend of R & R. On my first visit to Hong Kong the squadron Chaplain…
Read MoreHow Often Should I Forgive? – Br. Eldridge Pendleton
Ecclesiasticus 27: 30-28: 7 Psalm 103” 8-13 Romans 14: 5-12 Matthew 18: 21-35 In his recent excellent treatise on contemplative prayer, BECOMING CHIRST, Brian C. Taylor gives this description of redemptive living Jesus frequently referred to as the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Support SSJE Please support the Brothers work. The brothers…
Read MoreSt. Gregory the Great – Br. David Allen
Mk 10:43b Gregory the Great was one of two Popes to be called “The Great”. This title was bestowed on him after his death in 604, honoring his many accomplishments. The other one was Pope Leo the Great. Gregory was the first monk to become a pope. Support SSJE Please support the Brothers work. The…
Read MoreOur Life-Long Conversion – Br. Curtis Almquist
Matthew 15:21-28 I’d like to ask you a question about summer fare. It’s a question about lobsters, something very familiar (and delightful!) to many of us here on the eastern seaboard. How can a lobster weighing one pound grow into a lobster weighing three pounds, even ten pounds when the lobster has such a hard…
Read MoreUnless We Become Like Children – Br. Eldridge Pendleton
Deuteronomy 31: 1-8 Psalm 111 Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14 Jesus of Nazareth was a product of a peasant agrarian culture that flourished in the villages of Galilee two thousand years ago. Like all his friends and neighbors he was a member of an extended family. These families were headed by a patriarch or more…
Read MoreThe Canaanite Woman – Br. David Allen
[Mt. 15:21-28] Today’s Gospel reading presents us with a big question. Was Jesus deliberately trying to be exclusive in his ministry when he told his disciples that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel when the Canaanite woman called upon him for mercy and healing for her daughter? Or…
Read MoreMercy of God – Br. Curtis Almquist
Psalm 119: 129-136 129-136 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-49a Fyodor Dostoevsky tells the story of how in 1852, when he was incarcerated as a political prisoner in Siberia, he was so disgusted by the drunkenness and violence of his fellow prisoners that he climbed onto his bunk and turned his back upon the chaos in the barracks…
Read MoreSermon For Pentecost 9 – Br. David Allen
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Today’s Gospel is the second in a series of parables Jesus told from a boat by the lakeshore of Galilee in order to teach those who had gathered around him something about the complex nature of the kingdom of heaven. Support SSJE Please support the Brothers work. The brothers of SSJE rely…
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