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 Good Shepherd of the Sheep – Br. Jim Woodrum
“Jesus does not desire to enter your heart by means of force, deceit, or for hope of his own gain. Jesus desire is for intimate relationship with his beloved. Jesus is calling your name with the hope of gaining your trust for the invitation to enter.”
Br. Jim Woodrum tunes our hearts to hear the Good Shepherd calling us by name.
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Aching Arms of Love – Br. James Koester
“The love which John’s gospel portrays and Jesus commands, is not a sweet, sentimental, romantic love. It is a love which we know propels and compels Jesus to the cross. It is a love which is self-giving, self-offering, and self-denying.”
In these times of isolation and quarantine, Br. James Koester suggests how we follow Jesus in self-denying love, even as our arms ache to embrace those we love.
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Retreat at Home during Coronavirus
For those struggling with added work and stress, or those seeking meaningful ways to fill their time, Br. Luke Ditewig offers guidance for how we can experience the gifts of retreat during this challenging time >
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From Fear to Abundance – Br. Nicholas Bartoli
“Don’t worry about your life, what you eat, your body, or what you wear. Don’t worry about how long you’ll live, because, after all, worrying won’t help. I suppose we could also add, don’t worry about the coronavirus or our nation’s political and economic woes. Don’t worry about anything, but strive for just one thing, God’s Kingdom.”
Br. Nicholas Bartoli points to the place of abundance, here and now, already surrounding us and within us.
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Faith and Trust are Cousins – Br. Curtis Almquist
“Every day we will be reminded that life is too much for us to navigate alone, that we are powerless or at least not powerful enough to navigate the day alone. And God will greet us with a reminder from our past, to give us the clarity of trust we need for now. Or God will greet us with a visitation from the future, the paradoxical gift of faith. It’s all present, it’s all presence to God. Jesus assures us, ‘I am with you always’: past, present, future.”
Br. Curtis Almquist turns our eyes to those cousins – faith and trust – for proof of God’s presence with us in every time.
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Present Alongside – Br. Luke Ditewig
“If you don’t feel the alleluias, or if you are blind and weighed down in grief, you are not alone. Many of us feel the same. Jesus is alive and present alongside including when we don’t see. So like the two companions on the road, speak your grief. Jesus is persistent, surprising, and personal, coming with love to comfort, console, and confirm.”
As we – like the disciples on the road to Emmaus – wander through the wake of Easter feeling grief and fear, Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to pray our grief and our gratitude.
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St Mark the Evangelist – Br. Sean Glenn
“I think there is no hyperbole in saying we live during an apocalyptic moment. No, not the end of the world (though, surely the end of a world), but an apocalypse in the purest sense: an unveiling or uncovering. Innumerable dimensions of a great global illusion now appear uncovered, revealing arrangements born of what proves to be an unsustainable way of life.”
Br. Sean Glenn looks to Mark’s Gospel for a reminder that, in times of apocalypse, when the veil is pulled back, we see afresh how God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
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A Word of God
In an article in the most recent issue of Cowley Magazine, Br. Sean Glenn proposes: “We are each a word and a song of God.” What song are you offering in these challenging times? Read Br. Sean’s article >
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The Beauty of Holiness
Might beauty be a balm to you during these strange, challenging days? In the most recent issue of Cowley magazine, Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to explore the beauty of holiness and the holiness of beauty.
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Easter Sunday
The Great Vigil of Easter is the most solemn and ancient liturgy of the entire year. It is the culmination of Lent and Holy Week, and the Triduum. Listen to excerpts from the celebration of Sunday of the Resurrection at the Monastery.
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