Notes, Homilies, and News
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May 21th: Meet Us In Chama!
This Friday afternoon, May 21st, a variety of our handmade products will be for sale at the Chama Valley Farmers Market, near the village of Chama, New Mexico. Our Brothers Andre and Isidore will be at the Market from 3:00 to 5:00 pm this Friday, with our soaps,...
April 20th: From Our Weaving Workshop
We still have 2 rugs left to present for purchase from the Monastery Workshop. Each rug is made with prayer and care by one of our monks. The wool, both warp and weft, is 100% Navajo-Churro and hand-dyed. The rugs for sale are one-of-a-kind and nearly identical in...
Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 9:26-31; First Letter of Saint John 18-24; Gospel of Saint John 15:1-8 Maybe few or none who read this have grown grapes, though perhaps some have. Even if we have not grown grapes, we are familiar with the notion of a tree...
April 15th: Spring’s Arrival
We are always delighted with the arrival of Spring. The fact that it coincides with the liturgical season of Easter is an added plus. Today's photo is from our cloister garden, the area where we monks have our rooms, technically called "cells". The fountain in the...
Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12; First Letter of Saint John 3:1-2; Gospel of Saint John 10:11-18 Our Lord Jesus Christ, during his earthly ministry, knew very well how to speak to the people about his person and his mission, using simple and direct...
April 9: Easter Continues
We are still basking in the light of the mystery of the Lord's Resurrection. Flowers are blooming in the cloister garden, trees are beginning to bud, the grass is turning green again and the weather is decidedly Spring-like. The monks are staying well, thanks be to...
Third Sunday of Easter, Year B
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 3:13-19; First Letter of St John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48 Today’s first reading, from an address of Saint Peter to the Jewish people after he had cured a man in the Temple, refers to the showing forth of God’s saving power in Jesus...
Second Sunday of Easter, Year B (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 4:32-25; First Letter of John 5:1-6; Gospel of John 20:19-31 We continue our yearly celebration of the Passover of Christ, whose triumphant resurrection from the dead is our hope and joy. Today the Gospel account describes...
Blessed Paschaltide!
We continue our celebration of Paschaltide (Easter!), coinciding with the arrival of Spring in the Chama Canyon wilderness. The triumphant Alleluia is chanted throughout the day, both at Mass and at the Divine Office (Opus Dei). Today's photo is from our cloister...
Easter Octave 2024
Easter Day was on Sunday, March 31st, but the Church continues to celebrate this Great Day with an Octave, that is, eight days of rejoicing to prolong the joy of the Lord's Resurrection. And after that, we still hold on to the Easter festivities right up to Pentecost...
Easter Sunday 2024
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 10:34, 37-43; Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians 3:1-4; Gospel According to Saint John 20:1-9 One of the clearest messages of this holy day is contained in the words of the angel at the empty tomb, which is heard at the...
Easter Sunday 2024
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Happy and holy Easter to all our families, friends, benefactors and oblates! Abbot Christian and the monks of Christ in the Desert
Good Friday
"It is finished," are Christ's words from the cross just before He "bowed his head and gave up His spirit" (John 19:30). What is finished? On Good Friday the old creation, of sin and separation from God, has ended, is finished, and a new creation has dawned. God so...
Holy Thursday
Scripture Readings: Book of Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; First Corinthians 11:22-26; Gospel According to John 13:1-15 Each Holy Thursday the Church recounts the evening when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his closest disciples. At that meal Jesus inaugurated the...
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year B
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7; Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11; Gospel According to Saint Mark 14:1 - 15:47 Each year on the Sunday before Easter, Christians around the world celebrate and commemorate what is traditionally called Palm or Passion Sunday, when we...
Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year B
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33 This is the final Sunday before Holy Week, which begins next Sunday with Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Today we focus our attention on the nearness and coming of the hour of Jesus’ glorification....
Holy Week Schedule of Services 2024
Good Friday, March 29th: Afternoon Liturgy of Good Friday at 3:30 pm Holy Saturday, March 30th/31st: Solemn Vigil and Mass of the Lord's Resurrection at 12 Midnight Easter Sunday, March 31st: Easter Day Mass at 11:00 am
Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B
Scripture Readings: Second Book of Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21 This Sunday’s Gospel passage is part of the dialogue of Jesus with Nicodemus, a Jewish Pharisee and religious leader, who had come to Jesus expressing a sincere, though...
March 4th: All You Winds, Bless the Lord
A sure sign that Spring cannot be far off in this part of the country is the arrival of regular daytime winds, sometimes gusting to twenty or more miles per hour. The beautiful canticle from the Old Testament Book of Daniel, chapter 3, is an invitation to recognize...
Third Sunday of Lent, Year B
Scripture Readings: Exodus 20:1-17; First Corinthians 1:22-25; Matthew 2:13-25 This Sunday's Gospel recounts Jesus “cleansing the Jerusalem Temple,” as it is often called. This event took place at the approach of the annual Passover celebration, which recounts God's...
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