Daily Reflections

  There is a famous line by Tertullian, the second-century theologian and historian, in defense of the persecuted Church. He quotes witnesses of his day looking at Christians and saying: “Look at those Christians, see how they love one another!” That was a powerful counter-cultural observation when Christians were a tiny minority in a largely…

  People on pilgrimage look out for one another. In ancient times, pilgrims to the Holy Land or other holy sites did not have a comfortable journey, but faced suffering along the way: lack of food, housing, and safety, and the weariness of walking on foot became part of their prayer experience. They shared their…

  When a person walks a long distance, they have plenty of time to think. We are left to our own thoughts. These are spiritually rich and even transforming moments. We need these transforming moments in which the Lord stirs the embers of our hearts to find new perspectives about the past and present. This…

  Today marks one week since we began our Lenten journey with ashes. Why ashes? The discovery of ashes probably goes back to the first discovery of fire. Already in prehistoric times, people were using ashes for decorations, even tattoos, the removable kind! I would venture to say that today the most common use of…

  The theme of a Lenten journey, which is meant to tie these reflections together, gives us some wiggle room. It allows us to use our liturgical readings of the day to illustrate some ideas about making any journey. Most of us would agree that when we travel, we tend to over-pack. “Just in case”…

  We all have had (or should have had) plenty of “Thou shall” or “Thou shall nots” in our life! It’s the rich and necessary heritage we’ve been given since childhood. We needed those “bumper barriers” as we careened through our formative stages. But as we grew older, and perhaps wiser, those external guidelines began…

  Welcome! My name is Fr. Daniel, and we, the monks of Conception Abbey, welcome you as we begin this spiritual journey through Lent. We welcome you, our regular fellow travelers, as well as newcomers who are serious about preparing for Easter. In a special way, we welcome you who are catechumens as you eagerly…

  If we take Lent seriously and truly desire a radical and fruitful time, we must pay attention to the readings today. Often, and for a good reason, we deny ourselves certain pleasures to help us focus on what is important to us. But if this is all we do, any gains we achieve during…

  Cry out, full-throated! We are used to calling out to God in times of need, of piously seeking the help of Jesus. This is all good, necessary, and beneficial. However, what of those moments of dire circumstances, moments of real tragedy in our lives, how do we respond? Are we meek and mild, or…

  “If anyone wants to be my disciple, take up his cross, and follow me.” These words sum up, radically, the Christian vocation: to become like Christ. The cross, which Christ took up, lead to his death on Calvary. We, too, in accepting the cross, must realize that it leads to our own death as…

    “Remember, you are dust.” Such stark and startling words mark the beginning of Lent, 40 days of journeying, with Christ, to both Calvary and Resurrection. The ashes we receive, remind us, dramatically, that we all share in the same human condition, that we are finite, that we suffer, and that we die because…