In Your Presence

John 21:1-14: Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias. One senses in Peter’s return to fishing that he is invaded by discouragement. As though all had gone back to normal . No real sense yet of what the real meaning of the resurrection was. It had not sunk in. But they captured 153 fish. What does this mean? Preached at Lyncroft Centre, April 22, 2022. Music: Han...

This night’s Vigil is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities. Augustine said his wounds were the badges of his victory, the same wounds now decorate him, now embellish the beauty of his risen body. Faith in the truth of the resurrection of Christ can imbed itself in us so that we live always with a true, deeply-rooted supernatural vision. Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Cedarcrest Conferen...

There are many places in the Bible that speak of the generosity of the people of God . In Exodus 36:1-7, we are told that Moses built the sanctuary of the temple sumptuous and grand. Mary of Bethany broke open the alabaster jar over Jesus' feet. Paul is amazed at the generosity of the Corinthians: "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generous...

The ancient church took up the practice of the adoration of the cross. Then added the singing of the Reproaches  (Improperia), an ancient and haunting chant that the Church does on Good Friday. "My people, What have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me!" (Popule meus, quid feci tibi? Aut in quo contristavi te? Responde mihi.) Fr. Eric Nicolai helps us to prepare to live Good Frid...

Numbers 21:4-9: Tells us about the Israelites left Mount Hor. They are in the wilderness and complain to Moses about their food, about their discomfort. God sends these fiery serpents and they are bitten. Moses intercedes for the people, but God asks him to fashion a bronze serpent and put it on a standard. Then a connection with the Gospel of John, 8, 21-30: They failed to understand that he was...

Jn 13:1: " Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." These words of the apostle can rekindle in us a deeper love and awareness of what happened at the Last Supper. Fr. Eric Nicolai goes through the details of this central event: St. John narrates the washing of feet (vv. 4-11) and Jesus’ explanation of why he did it (vv. 12-17). It then mentions the denunciation of the...

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...