Notes, Homilies, and News
Click here to subscribe to updates via email.
Guesthouse News: Renovations and Reservations
Current as of August 7 2026 Monastery Guesthouse Update: Renovations and Reservations The Monastery Guesthouse is currently closed to overnight guests as we undergo a full remodeling of our commercial kitchen and substantial upgrades for Guesthouse accessibility. We...
August 8th: So Many Saints
The month of August is replete with commemorations of important saints in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar. Today's photo is of just one of the many saints of August, Saint Clare of Assisi. This sacred image of the 12th century disciple of Saint Francis and founder of...
Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A Scripture Readings: First Books of Kings 19:9,11-13; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 9:1-5; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 14:22-33 This Sunday the Church offers us Scripture readings that touch on the topic of meeting...
July 31st: Benedictine Scholar in Our Midst
This past week we have been privileged to host the Benedictine scholar, Sister Colleen Maura McGrane, OSB, from the Benedictine Monastery of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri. She is the editor of the prestigious "American Benedictine Review," the foremost...
Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 55:1-3; Saint Paul’s Letters to the Romans 8:35,37-39; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 14:13-21 The Scripture readings being offered to us this Summer Sunday are well worth looking at more closely and applying them to...
Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: First Book of Kings 3:5, 7-12; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 8:28-30; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 13:44-52 As we all know, contemporary culture teaches us to seek the good life, at whatever the cost, literally. Happiness itself too often...
Summer Medical Appeal 2026
Medical Appeal 2026 Dear Friends, Peace and many greetings from the Chama Canyon wilderness. I write you to you as work continues here to update our monastery kitchen, in need of a makeover after more than thirty years of daily use. Upgrading is also taking place at...
July 11th: Solemnity of Saint Benedict
Belated, but heartfelt wishes for a blessed celebration of the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, Father of Western Monasticism! We keep the day with much festivity, including a Solemn Sung Mass and an extended recreation time for the monks. Today's photo is of a stained...
Fifteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Isaiah 55:10-11; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 8:18-23; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 13:1-23 The three Scripture readings offered to us this Sunday are cause for mediation on the mystery of birth, life and death. These...
July 4th: Work In Progress
Not yet finished, but here is a sneak preview of the main Guesthouse courtyard makeover. Access to the Common Room will be pleasant and easy for all. Yes, the walkway will not stay cement-color and serious landscaping is taking place as well. We are very happy with...
Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Zechariah 9:9-10; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 8:9,11-13; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 11:25-30 How can we possibly know the mind and heart of God? No easy task, but the best way is to listen to our Lord Jesus Christ,...
Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Second Book of Kings 4:8-11, 14-16; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 10:37-42 The Gospel passage for this Sunday, recorded by Saint Matthew the Evangelist, is the conclusion of what has been called...
June 24th: The Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, called the "Forerunner of the Lord," we also recount the founding of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert on this date in 1964. Today we rejoice in 62 years of existence as a "cenobium"...
June 22nd: Summer Time
With daytime temperatures now in the mid-80s (and around 50 at night), lots of flowers are blooming in our cloister garden, especially roses. Today's photo is of an arrangement at the icon of Our Lady in our church. Summer has officially begun, which also means the...
June 19th: Our Jade Tree
Less than three feet tall, bordering on being a bonsai, our jade tree remains indoors year round, easy to care for, requiring just an occasional watering, and not too often or it languishes. The tree is located near large windows, next to our reading room, with...
June 17th: Leap of Faith
Our neighborhood deer never hesitate to vault over fences, no matter how high, and they never miss the mark, stumble or fall. Our sheep, donkey and chickens, though, willingly share their pastures with the deer. Maybe a metaphor here, echoing the words of Psalm...
Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 20:10-13; Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:12-15; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 10:26-33 The New Testament, including today’s Gospel text, is clear that those who obey God are capable of giving witness or...
June 14th: Cloister Fountain
The fountain in the middle of our cloister garden is modeled on one at the Benedictine monastery of Silos in Spain, dating from the Middle Ages. Our cloister fountain is only 30 years old, and primarily serves as a decorative element in the garden, as well as home to...
Eleventh Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A
Scripture Readings: Book of Exodus 19:2-6; Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans 5: 6-11; Gospel According to Saint Matthew 9:36-10:8 I’d like to begin with a story from the Jewish Hassidic tradition: A man received a telegram telling him that a relative had died and left...
DID YOU KNOW you can search over 10 years of Christ Desert homilies and reflections by typing key words, phrases, scriptural citations, or dates into this search box?
"Let everyone that comes be received as Christ."
— The Rule of St. Benedict
If you have two minutes to fill in our website feedback form, we would love to hear what you think...