Based on a homily by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB We often hear about the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for his flock, and we instinctively think of Jesus. And rightly so. The image is powerful: a shepherd who does not run at the first sign of danger, but stays, protects, and ultimately gives everything for the sake of others. But what if that image is not only meant to be admired? What if…
Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Let me begin with a simple but often misunderstood truth: learning to meditate is not merely about mastering a technique. It is not a skill to perfect, nor a method to optimize. At its heart, meditation is a relationship. Our living, dynamic relationship with God. This changes everything. When meditation is reduced to technique, it risks becoming self-centered, another personal practice aimed at self-improvement or inner calm. But…
Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB On this celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, a quiet question rises: How do we truly encounter mercy, not just as an idea, but as a lived reality? One surprising answer is this: through stillness. The invitation beneath the noise We often think of mercy in action. Acts of forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation. But before mercy becomes something we give, it is first something we receive. And we receive it…
Based on a homily by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB The disciples were gathered behind locked doors, fearful, uncertain, and perhaps deeply disillusioned. The One they had followed was crucified. Their hopes, once alive with promise, now seemed shattered. In that closed room filled with anxiety and defeat, something unexpected happens. Jesus comes. He does not break down the door. He does not rebuke them for abandoning Him. Instead, He stands among them and offers peace. This is…
Based on a talk by Rev. Fr. Pachomius Ma. San Juan, OSB Black Saturday is the quietest day of the Christian story. The noise of Good Friday has faded. The cries, the darkness, the final breath. And the joy of Easter Sunday has not yet arrived. We are left in between. In this stillness, the question lingers: What does love look like when nothing seems to be happening? What does mercy mean when God feels silent? Mercy as entering chaos…
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…