In Your Presence

We are in preparatory phase: The octave to Christmas. Fr. Eric preaches about today's Gospel from St. Matthew on the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1, 1-17) For Matthew, two names are of key significance if we are to understand Jesus’ provenance: Abraham and David. The story of the promise begins with Abraham, following the dispersal of mankind after the building of the Tower of Babel. Abraham points ah...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches at Pavillon Soulanges in Quebec on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Today Mexicans all over the world will be singing las mañanitas, with their sombreros, guitars, and violins. Here is the account of Juan Diego and his vision of our Lady. Plus words that connect this to the Eucharist. Music: Recordações do passado (Souvenirs from the Past) a Valsa for piano (...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches about the mystery of the annunciation, an event, a moment in time. It was a direct communication between God who came in the form of an angel, and transmitted himself directly in the Holy Spirit. What does this tell us about Mary's vocation, and our vocation? Preached on December 2, 2021. It can be thought of as a precursor to pentecost.: The HS comes upon Mary and impart...

On Day 2 of the Novena to the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches at Ernescliff College on the birth of Mary, and her realization of her divine vocation. Music: Adeste Fideles by John Francis Wade (1711-1786), arranged for guitar in 2017 by Bert Alink For more meditations, check my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricNicolai/videos www.ernescliff.ca www.opusdei.ca

Fr. Eric Nicolai begins the Novena to the Immaculate Conception at Ernescliff College, on November 30, 2021, feast of St. Andrew, the brother of Peter. The two became the most effective apostles ever, and they remained faithful to the end, both of them dying by crucifixion. Jesus made them fishers of men.  How does this fit into the Novena? Music: Adeste Fideles (John Wade Francis), arranged...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches about how we can be actively engaged in the Holy Mass: to do so worthily, attentively and piously. Music: Amores de Estudiante (Carlos Gardel) Arranged by Bert Alink 2018 Public domain in Canada. For more meditations, check my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricNicolai/videos www.ernescliff.ca www.opusdei.ca

Luke 19, 45-48: My House shall be a house of prayer, you have made it into a house of thieves… God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where he would dwell among the Israelites (Ex 25:40). King Solomon, also in obedience to a divine instruction, built the Temple of Jerusalem (1 Kings 6-8), where people went to render public worship to God. Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff...

The meaning of commitment is seen in the story of the farmer who had breakfast a pair of fried eggs with Iberian bacon. Well, in that splendid breakfast involved the contribution of the hen. But the pig however, was truly committed. Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches about freedom and commitment at Lyncroft Centre, on November 17, 2021. Lk 14, 28: For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first...

From a meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre, November 12, 2021.  Today's Gospel is filled with apocalyptic language: the story of Noah and the ark, the image of Lot fleeing from Sodom and his wife perishing as she looked back; and how the Son of man will be revealed. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it . (Luke 17, 27) Music: Handel O...

In this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on November 10, 2021, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on aspects of the famous book "The Spirit of the Liturgy," by Cardinal Ratzinger (Ignatius press, 2000). It is strongly influenced by German theologian, Romano Guardini, who wrote his book of the same title in 1918. It is a deeper way to understand the nature of Christian worship, and in particular the...

Ignem veni mittere in terram (Lk.12,49) “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. .. What is this fire that the Lord speaks about? A mediation preached by Fr....

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches at Kintore College on November 1, 2021, solemnity of all saints. Psalm 145, 10-11.  ”All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord, and Thy saints give thanks unto Thee: they show the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power.” Today’s Office of reading in the breviary, from St. Bernard of Clairvaux: “The Saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the...

Today is the 31st Sunday of Ordinary time (B), in which Jesus emphasizes the most important commandment of the Law of Moses: In Hebrew, the "Shema", the command to love God, and to love your neighbour as yourself. Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches today (Oct 31, 2021) from Lyncroft centre in Toronto, outlining the 3 aspects of that love: Love of God, love of others, and love of self. Which one of those ne...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches a meditation to Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on October 27, 2021, on the notion of having sound judgement, sound criteria. How to develop it, and what it means. We see it in an introductory passage of The Way, a book of aphorisms by St. Josemaria Escriva. Music: Adagio in C major, K. 356 - Guitar Arrangement - Bert Alink. For more meditations, check my channel: https://www....

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches on Oct 25, 2021 at Kintore College, on the healing of the woman bent over in the synagogue (Lk 13, 10-17) An encounter with Jesus always brings great healing and dignity. That is because Jesus does not see us as we see our selves or as others see us. In his eyes, we all have great value because we are beloved of God and made in his image. The woman whom Jesus healed had b...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches a meditation from Lyncroft Centre on October 20, 2021. Luke 11, 1-14: When the apostles saw the Lord go off to pray, I’m sure they wondered what he was talking about. They could see he was not in some sort of private monologue, just thinking things to himself, much less stewing over something that the pharisees had said. He was not brain storming on his own. He was clearl...

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches this meditation in Lyncroft centre, Oct 17, 2021. Jn 6, 25-27: When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”  Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  Do not labour for the food which perishes , but the food which...

A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai during a retreat at Cedarcrest Conference, outside of Toronto. It was preached on October 8, 2021. It is about being ready for death. Music: Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935), "Lua Branca" (white moon), played on guitar by Bert Alink. Thumbnail: Rogier Van der Weyden, Descent from the Cross (1435) Prado Museum in Madrid.

Today is the 19th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Josemaria in 2002. John Paul II and a massive crowd of 300 thousand faithful. 500 from Canada. The Pope pronounced very solemn words, the text of the canonization decree:  "In honor of the Blessed and Undivided Trinity, for the uplifting of Catholic faith and the increase of Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ an...

Our Pope decided to take his name. This was not a superficial gesture. Saint Francis’ radical desire to be poor lead him to become one of the most beloved Catholic saints of all time. On pilgrimage in Rome, threw a large sum of money at the tomb of St. Peter and traded clothes with a beggar, after which he began to ask for alms. He wanted not only to give alms, but wanted to see what being poor wa...

A meditation preached in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on Oct 1, 2021 by Fr. Eric Nicolai. We begin October with the feast of St. Therese. She inspires us because she had such deep desires for sanctity. For living out the call from God in her life. This does not mean that it was easy for her, or that she even found it easy to discern her vocation. She came to discover that she could be like the beati...

Today is a great solemnity in Toronto, as our Cathedral is dedicated to St. Michael the archangel. There used to be a feast day dedicated to St. Michael, but after the reform they were all united into one feast. But that’s ok that they be a unity, because they are interceding for us to keep us very united in the church. What do their names actually mean, how real are they? Preached by Fr. Eric Nic...

Preached at Kintore College, by Fr. Eric Nicolai, Sept 27, 2021. Luke 9, 51-56 Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.  And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him;  but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to some Toronto priests in St. Lawrence, martyr parish on Sept 14, 2021, feast of the Exalatation of the Holy Cross. Today we read those stunning words from the hymn of the morning prayer: He endured the nails, the spitting, Vinegar, and spear, and reed; From that holy Body broken, Blood and water, both proceed: Earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean By that...

At the end of Chapter 24 of Matthew, the Lord speaks about his second coming , about eventual judgement, and therefore that we will have to give an account of everything that we have received in this life. Things may go well, we may be humanly considered a success, get prizes, recognition, but he is the one who will really be the one to give the real prize, eternal life. It is a stirring call to r...