June 4th: Monastery Morning Glories
Flowers are beginning to “take off” in our cloister garden, but we have some indoor flora as well. In some parts of the world morning glories are almost on a par with weeds, but in our high desert setting, they are welcome additions. Some years ago Brother...Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Scripture Readings: Book of Exodus 34:4b-6, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Gospel According to Saint John 3:16-18 Each year on the Sunday following Pentecost, the Church celebrates the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, our belief that God is One and yet Three Persons:...May 30th: Ordinary Time
The Easter season is now finished and we return to what the Church refers to as “Ordinary Time,” primarily meaning, we are not at present in the Church’s privileged seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter. Of course, no time is completely...May 28th: Pentecost Sunday
We have now arrived at the final day of Eastertide of 2023, with the Solemnity of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out after the Ascension into Heaven of Christ our Redeemer. Today is considered the “Birthday of the Church.” For a fuller...May 27th: Let the Land and All it Bears Rejoice
The title of this posting, borrowed from Psalm 95(96), expresses well what we in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing now with Spring in full swing. Our cloister garden is at present bright with the blooming of various colored irises, and not far behind are the...May 25th: Feathered Friends
Our fine flock of some forty hens (and one rooster) are doing fine. They are currently producing around three dozen eggs per day, which monks and guests can enjoy on a daily basis if they so choose. The flock is completely free range and spends the daylight hours each...May 24th: Light in the Desert
We continue to be treated to delightful landscapes in the Chama Canyon wilderness . Current modest rainfall is producing some memorable views. Today’s photo includes a rainbow over the cliffs above us. For the attentive eye, there is never a dull moment in...May 23rd: Late Spring
Our weather of late is more like July or August than late May. We’ve had thunder and lightening with intermittent rain over the past week or so. The moisture is most welcome and our fields are currently quite green, with no irrigation going on. Today’s...Pentecost Sunday
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23 The Solemnity of Pentecost is a splendid reminder of the universality of the love God has for us. At Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, the Church celebrates the powerful presence of God...May 18th: Ascension Thursday
Forty days after Easter the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, when Christ returned in glory to the heavenly realm, when he lives and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit forever. In modern times, this Solemnity is usually transferred to the Sunday...May 16th: Spring Surprises
In the midst of desert beauty, we never tire of the sights of Spring, nor of the other three seasons for that matter. Spring certainly carries a distinctive face and scent, which we always welcome in late April or early May. Today’s photo is from our cloister...Solemnity Of The Ascension Of The Lord
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 1:17-23; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 28:16-20 We celebrate our Lord’s Ascension, which took place forty days after his Resurrection. We recount with joy the day when Christ...May 11th: Rite of Spring
As we move through May, we are being treated with more flowering trees and blooming forsythia. Today’s photo was taken from outside the Abbot’s office. In the cloister garden, peonies will soon be ready to grace that space and to decorate the church....Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A
Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; First Letter of Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21 The readings for this Sunday are taken from the final days of Jesus’ earthly sojourn as well as the first steps of the infant Church after the death, resurrection and ascension of the...Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A
Readings: Acts 6:1-7; First Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12 We are drawing near to the Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension, forty days after Easter, just two weeks from now. Where does the time go? Like it or not, time tends to fly by quickly, even when we try to live...May 4th: Easter Continues!
We are now in the Fourth Week of the Easter Season, enjoying the arrival of Spring, as we contemplate the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection and the redemption of the human race. Christ is Risen indeed! The weather is very pleasant just now, with daytime...Mary’s Garden at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Join Abbot Christian for a quick tour of our garden between our church and some of the workrooms of the monastery, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.April 29: Spring Revival
True to form, the trees are now flowering in our cloister garden. The bees are flocking to the blossoming trees and we monks enjoy looking at this additional dimension of God’s glory in our midst. We continue our celebration of Eastertide, with Alleluias ringing...April 25th: Monks’ Corner
A very quiet corner of the monks’ quarters is called the “cloister garden.” Our rooms (in a monastery, called “cells”) surround the cloister garden, which changes in looks and colors throughout the year as the seasons change. We monks...Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41; First Letter of Saint Peter 2:20b-25; Gospel According to Saint John 10:1-10 This Sunday is usually called “Good Shepherd Sunday,” because of the focus of the Mass readings, especially the Gospel, where Jesus...April 22nd: Not Hot Yet
While Spring has definitely arrived, we are still a little cautious about putting some of our indoor potted plants outside, including the variety of amaryllis in today’s photo. Daffodils are blooming fine outside, and flowering trees are in bloom, so we will...April 20th: Oodles of Eggs!
With the return of warmer weather, we are being inundated with excellent eggs every day from our forty free-range hens. With a community of twenty monks and numerous guests, the henhouse is providing a very worthwhile service by enhancing our diet. When we first got...Third Sunday of Easter, Year A
Scripture Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-28; First Letter of Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35 Perhaps the first question we want to ask after hearing this Sunday’s Gospel text is: why did the disciples not immediately recognize the risen Lord? Had they not known...April 17th: Easter Greetings!
The Easter Season, often called Paschaltide, extends from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday, which this year occurs on May 28th. This means that the Liturgy of the Church, the Mass and Divine Office, is filled with the great Easter cry of “Alleluia,”...
"Let everyone that comes be received as Christ."
— The Rule of St. Benedict
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