In Your Presence

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 8th, 2026, at Kintore College, Toronto. Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of that luminous moment in which Jesus entrusts his apostles with the most important responsibility of their lives. Nobody has ever been entrusted with a mission as important as this, with such decisive consequences for world history. The account of Jesus' choice of his 1...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on July 6, 2026. From today's gospel, Matthew 9, 18-26: "...Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again.’ Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to h...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 28, 2026 at Ellerton Centre, Toronto. Matthew 10:37-42: Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyon...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College in Toronto, on July 1, 2026. (new audio file with proper editing uploaded July 2) An account of the two demoniacs of the Gerasenes in Matthew 8:28–34. Jesus intervened and restored them to normality, but it meant that the herd of pigs was lost. Jesus has restored something authentic in this place, but the villagers are too desensitized t...

A meditation preached on June 24, 2026 at Hawthorn School for Girls on the solemnity of John the Baptist. From the very womb of his elderly mother, John was inundated by the Holy Spirit so as to prepare the manifestation of Jesus to the people.  He grew and lived in the desert.  He was preparing himself for his mission through solitude and prayer. Isaiah 40, 1-5: A voice of one crying in the deser...

A meditation preached at Ellentor centre in Toronto, on the feast of Saint Josemaria, on June 26, 2026. It’s the legacy that we have the responsibility to maintain, to care for. We know sound elements of doctrine, but it comes out in unique ways in our apostolate, in our family prayer, our interest in others. What is the origin of this legacy? Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722 Free copy...

A meditation preached at Kintore College, Toronto, on June 25, 2026. Matt 7, 21-29: ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 19, 2026 at the Manoir de Beaujeu, at Coteau du Lac, Quebec. As we do our prayer, we consider that it is especially our heart that has been set aflame even more, rejuvenated, cleared of any arterial sclerosis, any build up over time, so that may may always live freely, purely and sincererly, as we consider that we are here in this place because we...

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellentor Centre in Toronto, May 29, 2026. Today is the memorial of Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, a man of courage in a time of upheaval. Gen 12, 1-16: God speaks to Abraham: leave your country, your family, and go to the country I will tell you. So he responded by going to that unknown country. He was open to what God wanted. It took courage and fortitu...

In preparation for the solemnity of Pentecost, we have been trying to see all the things that can happen if we really become docile to his presence in our souls. For the apostles, it was manifested by a powerful wind that shook the house that they were in. Like a powerful tornado, a divine presence that no one could ignore. The result was that their lives were imbued with the fruits of the Holy Sp...

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto on May 21, 2026. As we prepare for Pentecost, let us consider the first gift of the Holy Spirit, wisdom , which enables you to see how good and great the Lord is and, fills our life with flavour, so that, as Jesus said, you may be “salt of the earth”. Music: Audio MULVEY Awakening Instrumental Thumbnail: St. James the Greater Catholic Church...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto on May 20, 2026. During the month of May we prepare for Pentecost and also increase our devotion to our blessed Mother, Mary. There is an intimate connection between Mary and the Holy Spirit.  Mary attracted the Holy Spirit like a magnet at the Annunciation, and when she was at the centre of the apostles at Pentecost...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellentor centre in Toronto on the solemnity of the Ascension, May 17 2026. This is a feast, but it is often under-celebrated. Even the iconography is odd. It shows the apostles standing in a circle, looking up, with Jesus out of the picture, as he floats up to heaven. You can only see his feet. It’s like the feast of the feet of Jesus. Music: Audiio_MUL...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, on May 14, 2026. John 19, 25-27:  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that tim...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on May 10, 2026. This is the month of Pentecost, and we can picture the scene as these flames of fire, these wisps over the head of each apostle. Remember the speech that Cardinal Bergoglio gave in the conclave back in 2013. He spoke about the Church’s temptation t o withdraw into self‑protection , regulations, and control r...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College on May 10, 2026. In 1932, Our Father wrote in his Intimate Notes, in a time of youth, a time with little experience, and uncertainty, and unsure of himself: Don’t speak: Listen to him. This was his attitude to the Holy Spirit. This applies to us. Some people speak a lot, and figure things out as they speak.  But h ow actively do we re...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on the anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's election, on May 8, 2026 at Ernescliff College, Toronto. Today’s antiphon on the anniversary of the election of the Pope, takes on special resonance for us. Matt 16, 16- 19: 6 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Christ, the one were expecting, the one we had hoped for, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus...

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai on May 4th, 2026 at Ernescliff College, Toronto. John 14, 23-26 : ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him. The image that we, our soul, is like a dwelling place for God. The Lord says we shall come to dwell in us, like in a home, a castle, a mansion. He desires to find a beautiful plac...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at the new Ellerton Centre in Toronto, on Avenue Road on May 2, 2026. In this very moving passage in St. Paul's letter to the Romans, God helps us see the divine interlacing of the three theological virtues which form the backing upon which the true life of every Christian man or woman has to be woven. Romans 5, 1-5:   Therefore, since we are justified...

John 21, 2: Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night. John says it is the Lord. Clearly, the recognition as a Eucharistic “seeing‑Jesus”: the disciples’ first proper confession of the Resurrected Lord at the dawn‑shore meal. He recognizes because he was a contemplative. Because he loved Jesus, was...

This is the first meditation from a year end retreat at Saint Augustine's Seminary in Toronto, begun April 13, 2026. We begin with the account of the discouraged disciples of Emmaus. Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Saint Augustine Seminary. Thumbnail: MS Visuals Music: Kevin Macleod, White Lotus.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. The last thing we remember from Good Friday was that he was buried. Without commentary. You only bury someone when you’re absolutely clear that he is dead. He fully participated in the human destiny of death. Jesus travelled the path of death right to the bitter and seemingly hopeless end in th...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on April 2, 2026, Holy Thursday. Two Masses today: the Chrism Mass, which commemorates the institution on the Priesthood, and the bishop blesses the Holy oils.  Then the Mass of the Lord’s supper. The day is called In Cena Domini, “At the Lord’s Supper.” The meaning of the oils, the last supper, and the command of charity. Mu...

A meditation preached at Kintore College, Toronto on April 1, 2026, Wednesday of Holy Week. Matt 26:14-25: One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on, he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. What are you willing to give me? That...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on Palm Sunday, 2026, to a group of boys at a camp in Port Burwell, Ontario. Palm Sunday is our entry into Holy Week. We are invited to contemplate the Passion. We remember that Pope Francis' last Palm Sunday focused on the figure of Simon of Cyrene. As we look at the faces of the soldiers and the tears of the women in the crowd, our attention is drawn...