Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: mystery

Merton: The Value of Self-Knowledge

To live well myself means for me to know and appreciate something of the secret the mystery in myself: that which is incommunicable, which is at once myself and not myself at once in me and above me. From this sanctuary I must seek humbly and patiently to ward off all the intrusions of violence… Read More ›

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Vatican astronomers unlock the mysteries of the universe…sort of

Rome, Italy, Jan 8, 2015 / 04:03 am (CNA).- Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno was 30 years old and just starting his career as an astronomer when he faced a personal crisis. “I couldn’t justify my life,” he told CNA in a recent interview. “I said ‘Why am I doing astronomy when people are starving… Read More ›

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Psalm 45(44): Listen my daughter

1. The sweet feminine portrait that the liturgy has offered us forms the second scene of the diptych which makes up Psalm 45[44]. It is a serene and joyful nuptial song that we read in the Liturgy of Vespers. Thus, after meditating on the king who is celebrating his wedding (cf. vv. 2-10), our gaze… Read More ›

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The hidden one

I hide, so those who seek will walk the road of faith and not surety.  For my essence is infinite and the mysteries of the Universe will lead to my reality, an intelligence beyond vast, infinite, wherein shadows of its immensity  can be found over large stretches of time, as mankind slowly learns of its… Read More ›

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We celebrate the presence of Christ in our world

. . . the Church in preparing us for the birth of a “great prophet,” a Savior and a King of Peace, has more in mind than seasonal cheer. The advent mystery focuses the light of faith upon the very meaning of life, of history, of man, of the world and of our own being. In… Read More ›

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Divine Mercy

It is easy to talk about the mercy of God, but difficult to understand the depth of the mystery that we are dealing with. The human understanding of justice has to do with righting of wrongs, bringing the scales back into balance, which of course is impossible. For justice and revenge are first cousins, often… Read More ›

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Jesus took his place

After having undergone the humiliation of his passion and death, Jesus took his place at the right-hand of God; he took his place with his eternal Father. But he also entered heaven as our Head. Whereupon, in the expression of Leo the Great, the glory of the Head became the hope of the body. For all… Read More ›

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Faith

We too often forget that faith is a matter of questioning and struggle before it becomes one of certitude and peace. You have to doubt and reject everything else in order to believe firmly in Christ, and after you have begun to believe, your faith itself must be tested and purified. Christianity is not merely… Read More ›

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The Wheel

There can be deep personal experiences that can be existentially transforming, the world shifts, a new depth is reached…..then things settle and a period of dryness sets in, and the search continues.  No permanent state is allowed, or final resting place, just a taste of what could be, or perhaps what is, but the long… Read More ›

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Psalm 67(66): “the earth has yielded its fruit” (v. 7)

1. “The earth has yielded its fruit”, exclaims Psalm 67[66], one of the texts inserted into the Liturgy of Vespers that we have just proclaimed. The sentence calls to mind a hymn of thanksgiving to the Creator for the gifts of the earth, a sign of divine blessing. This natural element, however, is closely interwoven… Read More ›

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