In Your Presence

John 5, 18: "I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing..." Jesus was not merely a wise teacher. He was intertwined with God the Father and sent by the Holy Spirit. He says these encouraging words: If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8, 31) To be...

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the ordination of Saint Josemaria, which took place on March 28, 1925 in the chapel of San Carlos, a 17th-century baroque gem attached to the seminary of Zaragosa. Fr. Eric Nicolai recounts the history and invites us to examine our own readiness to do God's will. Preached at Kintore College, March 28, 2022. Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia ch'io pian...

Lk 1, 35: The Holy Spirit will come upon you…and the power of the most high will overshadow you… We are always overshadowed by God's presence, but also interconnected by among each other through grace. A meditation on how to live this interconnectedness, this communion of the saints. Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft centre, Toronto, March 20, 2022 Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia...

Today is the ninth anniversary of the inauguration of the pontificate of Pope Francis. There are a number of keys through which he has sought to serve the church: Among them we have fraternity, Divine Mercy, the custodianship of St. Joseph, and youth. Being a protector was truly all about very practical decisions. St. Joseph, said the Pope, is an extraordinary figure, not because of any astonishin...

Gospel Lk 4: 1-13: Picture Jesus in the desert.  The desert is an inhospitable place. Dry sand, rocky, the occasional shrub, and no water. Hot in the day, freezing at night. I too want to be resolute during this Lent, these 40 days. But with your help Lord, we can. Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects here on our temptations. Jaime Sanz Santcruz wrote an amazing book, Reilusionate. https://www.amazon.ca...

Psalm 50: "Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me ...a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn..." In Latin: Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam... These are words on king David's lips after he sinned....

We began with the ashes on our forehead: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return" (cf. Gen 3:19). Pope Francis said: "The dust sprinkled on our heads brings us back to earth; it reminds us that we are dust and to dust we shall return." This is the itinerary we now embark upon: Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. All geared to inner conversion. Will this be the best lent of my life? The liturgical...

Mark 10:17-27 The young rich man This passage was used by JP2 for the first inaugural WYD back in 1985 in his letter "Dilecti Amici". Pope John Paul II explained that Jesus met a number of young people, but this meeting of Jesus with the young rich man was the richest in character, in content.  It has a universal and timeless character. How have I responded to this call? This is a meditation...

Matt 13, 44-46: The parable of the hidden treasure, and the fine pearl. If we found a great treasure, we would do everything possible to safeguard it. Our vocation is like that hidden treasure, but also like that pearl, it is unique to us,  and we were allowed to find it. God has been working at it for years, just like a tiny pearl in its shell. Fr. Eric Nicolai describes the beauty of our li...

A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Kintore College, Toronto, on February 14, 2022, the anniversary of the founding of the womens' branch of Opus Dei (1930) and the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross (1943). How do they all fit together? Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia ch'io pianga", arranged for guitar by Bert Alink. Photo of Saint Josemaria from 1967, from the Historical institute of...

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College: The dimensions of our apostolic task are outlined by two fishing scenes from the Sea of Tiberias, which offer a glimpse of the way Christians navigate through history. One is the Master’s forceful invitation to be daring – “Put out into the deep!” (Lk 5:4); and the other is the words of the Beloved Disciple, “It is the Lord!” (Jn 21:7), reflecting...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, recounted in Luke 2, 22-40. The aged Simeon said this child was "a light for revelation to the gentiles." Does Jesus really light up my life? Does this provide me with a unified narrative in everything I do? Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia ch'io pianga", arranged for guitar by Bert Alink. "You Light Up...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches at Kintore College in Toronto on January 31, 2022. A scribe, perhaps dazzled by all these wonders, comes up to Him and says: Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go (Mt 8:19). We only know Jesus’ answer: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Mt 8:20). What does this answer mean? Music: Claude Debussy, Clair D...

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary time (Year C). The first reading is from the prophet Jeremiah, sometimes called the weeping prophet. It recounts the beautiful description of his vocation. Then St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians (Chapter 13) describes the gift of charity and how we can live it to the full. Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia ch'io pianga", arr...

St. John tells us that Jesus assisted at a wedding as a guest. It took place at Cana. The Catechism says that the Church sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence. The wedding started with regular wine, but it ran out, and was left with water, and then came the really premium quality wine....

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on January 16, 2022, at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Luke 18:10: The pharisee and tax collector in the temple… Egotism has a lot in common with parasites... When it settles in the soul, there is no medication that can definitively expel it. It comes back again and again. It reproduces itself constantly. It reappears at the worst times and it takes us a while to realize...

A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai, preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, January 14, 2022. Mark 2:1-12: Today we have the friends of the paralytic. They were expecting a cure, they were not expecting that the Lord would forgive sins. If only God can forgive sin, it means that they all had a clear sense of the severity of sin. Music: Soledad, by Carlos Gardel, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Pope Francis speaks frequently of the need to generate greater unity between the different generations . The parable of the prodigal son, his older brother and his father, related by Jesus, can help us to delve into this topic. (Lk 15) Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto on January 12, 2022. Much of the ideas were taken from a Spanish article by Diego Zalbidea, "Agradar a Dios...

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to a group of priests in Toronto at St. Aidan's parish. Joseph Ratzinger said: Only through the Son could we learn what a Father truly is. He is the only son of God. But through baptism he has made us adopted sons and daughters. But only through the Son can we learn this truth. And this is a truth we must seek to contemplate more and more. How? By reading, by forming o...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Cedarcrest Conference Centre. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord, a dimension of Epiphany, closes the Christmas season and opens it outward into Ordinary time. Also the 120th birthday of Josemaria, born in 1902. Luke 3:15-16: A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared...

We are all well aware that the figures that are always placed in the extremities of the nativity scene, far off, sometimes even forgotten, are the magi . Sometimes with their turbans and elaborate clothing, at times with their camels, always with their rich treasures for the child. But why is Joseph often absent in these early representations? Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches to Lyncroft centre on Januar...

John was a native of Bethsaida, a town of Galilee on the northern shore of the Sea of Tiberias. His parents were Zebedee and Salome, and his brother James the Greater. The words of John the Evangelist, whose feast we celebrate today, resound in our hearts: " Et Verbum caro factum est - the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1: 14). Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches from Ernescliff College on why Go...

Luke 2, 1-14: The beautiful account of the decree of Cesar. He wanted to get an idea of the extension of his kingdom. We experience some of that fullness. Christmas is always a special day. A unique time. It often connects us with our childhood, the mystery and innocence of that time, and this is maintained by the numerous Christmas carols we learned. Sacred music that helps you to pray, as you st...

Fr. Eric Nicolai streamed this meditation from Ernescliff College on December 23, 2021, about the Magnificat of Our Lady (Lk 1, 46-56) In these days as we approach Christmas, we are filled with expectation. It is a combination of deep desire, and excitement at something apparently new, even though we know exactly what is going to happen. Let us never loose a sense of newness to our life. We really...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches on December 19, 2021 at Lyncroft Centre. Every year the liturgy leads us to Christmas with three guides: Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary. The first announced the Messiah from afar, the second showed him present in the world, the third bore him in her womb. The visitation of Mary to her cousin was done in haste, because she was deeply convinced of her mission. Music: Han...