Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Today is Good Friday, the day we stand before the Cross. After forty days of Lent, of prayer, fasting, and sacrifice, we arrive here. And it’s tempting to ask: Have I done enough? Have I become better? Holier? Worthier? But as we look at Christ crucified, those questions begin to fall away. A Gospel passage from early in Lent tells of the call of Levi, the tax collector,…
Word to Live By: John 13:1-15 There’s much in the Gospel story or words of Jesus that we can’t immediately understand. He says little about the meaning of the washing of the feet except that it is about service, that we should do it too. By doing something in the example or name of Jesus, we often find its meaning. For the first time on Holy Thursday evening, Jesus offered his Body and Blood, the same body that would be…
Based on a homily by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB There are moments in the spiritual life that feel luminous, moments when everything becomes clear, when faith feels alive, and when God seems almost tangible. The Gospel account of the Transfiguration is one of those moments. On that mountain, the disciples witnessed something extraordinary. Jesus was transfigured before them in glory. The voice of the Father was heard. Moses and Elijah – two towering figures of Israel’s faith…
Based on a homily by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB We never enter a new year empty-handed. We arrive carrying everything the last one has laid upon us. Losses we didn’t choose, disappointments that altered us, truths that stripped away our illusions of control. Trust has been shaken. Institutions we leaned on have faltered. Grief has left some of us without words. Fear, at one point or another, has found us all. Scripture does not deny this. Saint…
Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Every first Sunday of the quarter, our community pauses for what we call an orientation-themed reflection. For some, it is an introduction. For others, a reminder. For all of us, it is an invitation to begin again. That phrase, begin again, sits at the heart of Christian meditation as taught by John Main. No matter how long we have been practicing, we are always beginners. Meditation does not…
Based on a homily by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Every Advent, the Church asks us to stay awake, to be alert, to pay attention, not just to the world around us, but to the quiet terrain within. Last Sunday’s Gospel set the tone with a call to watchfulness. This Sunday adds the next step: repentance. And for many of us, that word arrives carrying heavy baggage. We tend to imagine repentance as a moral clean-up, a spiritual…
Based on an Advent recollection talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Advent has always carried a peculiar tenderness. While the world prepares for Christmas with noise, glitter, and speed, Advent itself prefers a quieter register. Gentle, muted, and contemplative. It is the season that invites us not into frenzy, but into stillness; not into spectacle, but into silence. There is a somber beauty to Advent, a subdued mood that asks the heart to slow its pace. In…
Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB There are words that refuse to give themselves away too quickly. In Tagalog, salawikain comes close. A proverb, a riddle, a poetic whisper – its meaning shifts depending on who hears it. We sit with it, let it linger, and only over time does it begin to shape our understanding. Buddhist tradition treats the koan the same way: a statement that eludes instant comprehension, inviting the meditator to…
Based on a formation talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Every few years, the world witnesses something remarkable. A gathering of millions of young people from every nation, waving flags, singing hymns, and walking long roads together in the name of faith. World Youth Day has always been a testimony that the young, despite the noise and distractions of the age, still hunger for God. Beneath the fascination with gadgets and fashion, there is a spark that…
Two years ago, I said yes to something I did not understand. I had no idea what Heartspace was. I did not know what it meant to meditate, let alone what Christian meditation even looked like. I went because a friend gently suggested it might help. And I said yes because, at that time, I was desperate. I was in a dark place mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I couldn’t see the way forward. I just needed something to help me breathe…