November 27th: Silence Made Visible
We were happy to wake up the morning after Thanksgiving Day to freshly fallen snow. Moisture is much needed in this part of the world, and we have been praying for it. We now have another reason for giving thanks. In his book “The World of Silence,” the...Advent and Christmas Newsletter From the Monastery of Christ in the Desert 2023
Shepard The word “shepherd” is both a noun, as in a person who tends sheep, as well as a verb, as in the action itself of tending sheep. In other words, every shepherd has to shepherd his flock! Sacred Scripture is replete with references to shepherds and sheep,...November 16th: Nearing Completion
Construction of the new greenhouse in our lower pasture is nearly completed. It will provide a spacious place to grow produce and flowers throughout the year. A generous grant from the Catholic Foundation of New Mexico greatly assisted us in realizing the project. For...Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; First Thessalonians 5:1-6; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 25:14-30 As we draw near to the end of the Liturgical Year 2022-23, the Scripture readings this Sunday revolve around the familiar basic virtues of...November 11th: Saint Benedict’s Cave
Some forty-five miles from Rome, at Subiaco, Saint Benedict began his monastic journey around the year 500. His life as a hermit eventually blossomed into a community, then many communities, that to the present follow the “Rule for Monasteries,” composed...Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Matthew 25: 1 –13 The wedding customs being described in the Gospel today may strike us as very different from what we are used to, even strange. The familiar enough point of the parable, though, is “be...November 6th: Monastic Retreat
This week our community will be taking its annual retreat, days of greater solitude and prayer here, as well as listening to two conferences each day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Our retreat-giver this year is Brother Ernest Miller, FSC, a member of the...November 1st: Last Leaves
As the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1st and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed on November 2nd are being celebrated these day, we bid adieu to the glory of Autumn’s colors and begin to prepare for winter. For us monks, the daily routine does...Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of Exodus 22:20-26; First Thessalonians 1:5-10; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 22:34-40 In today’s Gospel, a Scribe, who would be considered a teacher of God’s Law and a moral guide of the people, wants to hear what Jesus believes to be the...October 22nd: Autumn Splendor
With Autumn now in full swing, we are being treated to a very splendid display of color in the Chama Canyon wilderness. Today’s photo was taken by one of our monks traversing Forest Service Road 151 that leads to the Monastery. The thirteen mile...October 20th: Ceaseless Amazement
As days grow shorter and temperatures cooler, we are being treated to some stunning night skies. Every season in the Chama Canyon wilderness has its beauty, and especially so during the months of Autumn. Abbot Christian has completed his days abroad, after the...October 18: Tre Fontane Abbey
A very austere but beautiful monastic church on the outskirts of Rome is the Cistercian Trappist Abbey of “Tre Fontane,” two words which mean “three fountains.” Tradition holds that this was the place where Saint Paul was beheaded in the First...October 14th: Subiaco Abbey
This past week Abbot Christian and seventeen other abbots, Priors and delegates of the monasteries of the English Province of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation, to which Christ in the Desert belongs, met at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Scholastica, Subiaco, Italy,...October 5th: Morning Light
We continue to enjoy mild temperatures and even some rain. The many cottonwood trees in the Chama canyon are slowly turning, always to a golden color, and shimmering in the sun with the occasional breeze. This week we were happy to welcome five Cistercian Benedictine...September 28th: Important Feast For Us
On this day fifty-five years ago, our Monastery church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was formally blessed as the place of worship for the monks of Christ in the Desert and its guests. We keep the day as a Sunday, with more solemn celebration of the Conventual...Twenty-sixth in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 18:25-28; Letter to the Philippians 2:1-11; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 21:28-32 Here at the Monastery Autumn is definitely “in the air.” Such is the case as well in many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The...September 20th: Roses Still Blooming
Throughout the Summer months we have been enjoying roses blooming in our cloister garden. Occasionally the flowers are used to decorate in church and at other times left to be viewed “in situ,” right where they blossom. We are staying well and keeping busy...Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 55:6-9; Letter to the Philippians 1:20-24, 27; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 20:1-16 This Sunday’s Gospel passage is taken from a section in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew where Jesus spells out some of the...September 19th: Welcome Rain
Of late we are getting rainfall, much needed and much appreciated. The threat of forest fires is greatly reduced now and the Chama Canyon is once again “turning green,” as it usually does in July and August. These days we are getting various landscaping...Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of Sirach 27:30-28:7; Romans 14:7-8; Gospel According to Matthew 18:2121-35 This Sunday’s Scripture readings are focused on the topic of forgiveness. It is something we probably regularly think about and actually do, when we forgive family or...September 15th: Bighorn Sheep
Not seen every day here, but more frequently than fifty years ago, Bighorn Sheep are another natural wonder in the high desert of New Mexico. Today’s photo was taken by one of our monks while on a trip to town on September 13th. The majestic ram in the photo was...September 11th: Fr Bernard Cranor, OSB, RIP
Today our dear confrere, Father Bernard Cranor, died peacefully at the Monastery . He was ninety-two years old and lived a very long and fruitful life, first for a short time as a Trappist monk in Utah, then as a Dominican friar for many years, then as a monk of...September 8th: Summer Subsiding
We are already feeling a definite “cooling down” in the mornings, with temperatures in the mid to low 50s. By afternoon, the mercury climbs to the low 80s. To everything, there is a season. We continue our daily round of prayer and work and welcoming...Twenty-third Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 18:15-20 This Sunday’s first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel and the Gospel passage both consider the difficult topic of “fraternal correction,” as it is often called; that is,...
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