Habemus Papam
- By Fr. Peter
- 14 March, 2013
- 3 Comments
Yesterday, for the first time in about four years, we monks got out the television to watch the news after we heard the reports of white smoke. We had just … Continue Reading →
The Church as Human and Divine
- By Fr. Peter
- 7 March, 2013
- 1 Comment
In the Creed that we recite most Sundays, we profess belief in each of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, but that is not quite all. In addition, the … Continue Reading →
If you desire true and eternal life [Prol. 17]
- By Fr. Peter
- 6 March, 2013
- Comments Off
When I was younger, this section of the Prologue of Benedict’s Rule struck me as a ‘no brainer’. “Is there anyone here who yearns for life?” St. Benedict quotes Psalm … Continue Reading →
Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God [Prol. 9]
- By Fr. Peter
- 4 March, 2013
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The Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict is largely borrowed from the earlier ‘Rule of the Master’, though shortened quite a bit. The Rule of the Master (abbreviated RM) … Continue Reading →
‘Lumen Gentium’: Paragraphs 1-6 and Some General Thoughts
- By Fr. Peter
- 2 March, 2013
- 2 Comments
The document Lumen Gentium is called a ‘constitution’ in its official title. We should be cautious in interpreting this word too literally and with modern political categories in mind. In … Continue Reading →
True Knowledge…or Mere Information?
- By Fr. Peter
- 1 March, 2013
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The promise of the internet is the possibility of quick access to all ‘knowledge’. But what we really get is mere information, even when a search engine arranges it in … Continue Reading →
‘Lumen Gentium’: Paragraphs 1-5 on the Mystery of the Church
- By Fr. Peter
- 28 February, 2013
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(Note: This is a very long and complex document. I highly recommend reading the text itself, found here, as we go along. However, the translations will be my own, as … Continue Reading →
Freely accept the advice of a loving father and fulfill it zealously [Prol. 1]
- By Fr. Peter
- 27 February, 2013
- 1 Comment
The Rule of Saint Benedict is an eminently practical document. This is not to say that it contains no spiritual doctrine at all; rather, Saint Benedict teaches doctrine through his … Continue Reading →
Hope and Suffering
- By Fr. Peter
- 26 February, 2013
- 1 Comment
We struggle to understand the theological virtue of hope. Why is this? Is it perhaps because we do not know how to be still in the midst of sufferings? For … Continue Reading →
My Son
- By Fr. Peter
- 12 January, 2013
- 2 Comments
In the Prologue to the Rule of Saint Benedict, the speaker addresses his audience as a ‘son’. This is more significant than it might appear to us at first. The … Continue Reading →
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