by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 10, 2024 | News
Abbot Christian has named Brother Elias Sanchez Chavez as the new Prior of the Monastery of Our Lady of Solitude (La Soledad), near San Miguel de Allende, in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico. Brother Elias succeeds Father Ezequiel Bas Luna, who has served as Prior of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 9, 2024 | Homily
Scripture Readings: First Samuel 3:3-10.19; First Corinthians 6:13-20; John 1:35-42 One of my favorite Old Testament stories is the calling of Samuel, an event which took place some one thousand years before the coming of Christ. Samuel’s call is the story of the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 6, 2024 | News
A young mountain lion from across the Chama River has been eyeing our flock of sheep and even gave them a “run for their money” in broad daylight. However, intrepid guard-donkey Matty chased away the predator for now, but that’s no guarantee the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 3, 2024 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-6; Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 2:1-12 The Solemnity of the Epiphany, literally the “manifestation” or “showing” of the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations, is...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jan 3, 2024 | News
It is still Christmastide, up to the Feast of the Epiphany (the visit of the Magi) on January 6th, and concluding on Monday, January 8th with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. After that we return to “Ordinary Time” until Ash Wednesday on February 14th...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 31, 2023 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21 The shepherds who “went in haste to Bethlehem,” as directed by the angel, can be understood as the whole human race seeking Jesus. The quick response of the shepherds to seek the new-born Lord is the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 27, 2023 | Homily
Readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 In our Catholic Liturgical Calendar, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas is always dedicated to the mystery of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This year “on the fifth...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 26, 2023 | News
The Savior reigns. Don’t forget: Christmas has just begun. Don’t cease from celebrating at least until the Epiphany on January 6th/7th. With assured of our prayers for a blessed Octave and beyond, the twelve days of Christmas. Abbot Christian and the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 25, 2023 | Homily
Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10; Letter to the Hebrews 1:1-6; Gospel of Saint John 1:1-18 The scripture readings assigned for the Mass of Christmas day emphasize an attitude of child-like wonder at all that is taking place. In the text from the prophet Isaiah, the city of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 24, 2023 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Letter to Titus 2:11-14; Gospel According to Luke 2:1-14 First, a blessed and Merry Christmas to all! The celebrations have just begun, and continue in earnest for nearly two weeks, for what are traditionally called the “Twelve Days...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 19, 2023 | News
On Sunday, December 24th, at 9:15 am, Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Same Day, at Midnight, Christmas Midnight Mass. On Monday, December 25th, at 11:00 am, Christmas Day Mass. May all have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! You are in our thoughts and prayers. Abbot...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 19, 2023 | Homily
Second Book of Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 11:16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 We could think of this Fourth Sunday of Advent as the “final lap” in the Advent journey of 2023. In fact, we’ve reached the final day of Advent, as this Sunday evening at First Vespers we begin...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 14, 2023 | News
We were happy to receive a dusting of snow over the night of December 13th. Moisture in any form is always welcome here, especially in these recent years of drought conditions. Often we’re asked if we get “snowed in” when it snows, but the answer is,...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 12, 2023 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Prophet Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; First Letter to the Thessalonians 5:16-24; Gospel According to Saint John 1:6-8, 19-28 The Church’s Old Testament “prophet of choice” for the Advent season is Isaiah, from the eigth century before Christ. And the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 8, 2023 | News
Our Brother Savio Vu made his definitive “yes,” by pronouncing solemn vows of obedience, stability and conversion of life, and receiving the monastic consecration as a Benedictine monk, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. In addition to his...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 6, 2023 | Homily
Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Second Letter of Peter 3:8-14; Mark 8:1-8 Every year on the second Sunday of Advent, the Church has us ponder the words and deeds of Saint John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the coming of the Lord. Our own monastery church is...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Dec 1, 2023 | News
We are now receiving more moisture in the form of snow in our canyon. We are grateful beyond words for this, and while it’s an inconvenience for those traversing Forest Road 151 leading to the Monastery, with the recommendation that only four-wheel or all-wheel...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 27, 2023 | Homily
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 63:16-17,19; 64:2-7; First Corinthians 1:3-9; Gospel According to Mark 13:33-37 The season of Advent always calls us to a sense of hope, that God loves us, has sent his Son to redeem us, and that no one is excluded from God’s loving care and...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 27, 2023 | News
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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 22, 2023 | News
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,...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 16, 2023 | News
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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 16, 2023 | Homily
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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 10, 2023 | News
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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 7, 2023 | Homily
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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Nov 5, 2023 | News
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...