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Homily — Solemnity of St. Benedict

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We celebrate the Solemnity of our monastic Father, St. Benedict of Nursia, who, in the sixth century, gave us the Christ-centered Rule by which thousands of monks and nuns have lived through the centuries and by which we live here at St. Joseph’s Abbey. People might be tempted to ask what relevance a sixth century rule could have for the 21 st century. Pope Leo XIV seems convinced of its relevance not only to monks but to all people. In the recent (May 2026) encyclical On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, Pope Leo writes, (quote)“Since the emergence of her Social Doctrine, the Church has emphasized the protection of workers and the need to combat all forms of exploitation. Above all, the Magisterium has recognized in work ‘the essential key’ to understanding the entire social question, since it is through work that individuals develop many dimensions of their existence. In view of this, we can understand the great intuition of Saint Benedict of Nurs...
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Beginning and End

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Our reward lies with God who was the source of the gift of our being. He is beginning and end to us: the beginning to whom we come at last, the end that holds the primacy of importance; perfect beginning because of the end, infinite end because ever beginning. ISAAC OF STELLA Sermon 25.8
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To Love and Be Loved

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There is nothing in human life better than mutual love nor anything sweeter than holy fellowship. To love and be loved is a sweet exchange, the joy of one's whole life, the recompense of blessedness. What can be lacking in the sweetness of this good and pleasant dwelling, this place where God dwells and where he rests? 'God is in his holy place, God, who makes those of one mind to dwell in a house'. BALDWIN OF FORDE 
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The Soul's Growth in Love

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There are three stages of the soul's growth in love, of its advance toward perfection. First comes the forgiveness of sins, then the grace that follows on good deeds, and finally that contemplative gift by which a kind and beneficent Lord shows himself to the soul with as much clarity as bodily frailty can endure. The heartfelt desire to admit one's guilt brings a person down in lowliness before God, as it were to his feet; the heartfelt devotion of a worshiper finds in God renewal and refreshment, the touch, as it were, of his hand; and the delights of contemplation lead onto that ecstatic repose that is the fruit of the kiss of his mouth. ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX
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Who are you, Lord?

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My soul, say to God: ‘Who are you, Lord, that I may know you?’ You alone are what you are and who you are, that is, that than which nothing greater can be thought, nor anything better, nor more joyful. You are life, wisdom, light, truth, goodness, eternity, the one who all need that they may exist and be happy. My soul, you have found what you were seeking; you were seeking God and you have found him to be the highest of all, that than which nothing greater can be thought, and this is life, wisdom, light, truth, goodness, eternal beatitude, blessed eternity and all that is good. God the Father, this good is you, and this good is also your Word, that is, your Son; for you are simple, and what is born of you is yourself. There is one love and communion between you and your son which is the Holy Spirit who proceeds from you both. Nothing can proceed from that which is most simple other than itself. A 12th century Cistercian
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Goodbye to a Beloved Beech Tree

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Several weeks ago the Abbey was hit by a strong thunderstorm with very high winds, and a beloved 200+ year old beech tree with a 4½ ft. diameter trunk sustained major damage. On close inspection it became clear that the tree has been rotting from the inside for many years and needed to be completely taken down. This was a special tree with incredible character and presence in the courtyard which abuts two of the monk's dorms. It will be greatly missed. Fr. Simeon is pictured here with two sections of the trunk on the day of the tree's removal.
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Love Boils Over

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Love boils over, does not contain itself, overflows itself, rivals immensity, while it knows not how to set a limit to its affections. It is oil which cannot stop it's flow until no other container is available, except that not even then can it be checked. Love shows a characteristic of new wine which, by fermenting as it is born and by wantonness as it ages, bubbles up and overflows unable to contain itself, always seething and fermenting with fresh affection. In its infirmity, love does not excuse but accuses itself. Nothing is enough for love, nothing less than itself. Love cannot be satisfied with itself and yet love can feed only on itself; it is food delicious enough for itself. Love wants nothing more than to love. What will a person give in exchange for love? What will one give or will one receive? Nothing is impacted more graciously than love, nothing is experienced more gently. Love is delicious in desire and in enjoyment; love is delicious in joy and sorrow. Truly love i...
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