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In Your Presence

In Your Presence

By Eric Nicolai

Meditations by Fr. Eric Nicolai, a Catholic priest of Opus Dei in Ernescliff College, Toronto. They are times of prayer addressed to men or women, with the intention of providing a personal dialogue with the Lord Jesus Christ present in their midst. They are usually preached in oratories of Opus Dei.
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The Lamp of Your Body is Your Eye

In Your PresenceJun 17, 2022

00:00
29:14
Palm Sunday and the Passion: It's all Redemptive

Palm Sunday and the Passion: It's all Redemptive

A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on Palm Sunday, 2024.

All the witnesses of the events that occurred at the Passover of that year in Jerusalem preserved the searing memory of the most significant events suffered by the one whom they confessed as the promised Messiah. They recorded all this that was suffered by the Lord with the specific intention of extracting the salvific power, the sheer redemptive content and redemptive message of every word, every gesture, even the very braying of the donkeys, and the distant sound of the cock and a unique moment. It all had meaning.



Mar 24, 202428:44
Joseph Takes us By the Hand to Face Pain

Joseph Takes us By the Hand to Face Pain

A meditation preached on March 20, 2024 at Hawthorn School for Girls.

We are closing into the end of Lent. Yesterday we celebrated the solemnity of St. Joseph. We have been meditating on this figure during Lent. Sometimes seen as the silent type in the corner, who doesn’t say much. He may have taught Jesus the art of carpentry, yes. But that does not mean he was silently stepping back in the background all the time.

Jesus did know how to speak quite eloquently in public. He captivated people with his parables, and his images. Humanly hu must have seen that in Joseph.

Perhaps Joseph was not just the silent type who doesn’t say much at the cocktail party. Maybe he also learnt from him great eloquence and language, and images.

Crosses are covered now so that we can integrate the meaning of the cross in our life, more interiorly. That means understanding suffering and pain. Joseph guides us.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com

Thumbnail: Commercial print of Joseph, from Sanctified Souls Shop


Mar 22, 202429:49
Joseph Rose and Did as the Angel Bid him

Joseph Rose and Did as the Angel Bid him

March 19, 2024 is the solemnity of St. Joseph, the foster Father of Jesus. On this occasion, Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to Ernescliff College, Toronto.

Today we go from the Trinity on earth, Mary, Jesus and Joseph, to the Trinity of heaven, Father, son and Holy Spirit.

Matt 1, 20: But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.


There, with this vision, we can immediately renew our vocation renew our yes to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, hand in hand with Joseph, who prompts us to do this, because he was so used to doing this in his life, it was a yes that coloured everything he did, a response to a call, a correspondence to a divine invitation, summons from the father to be there for his mission on earth.

Matt 1, 24: …And Joseph awoke from sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, taking his wife to himself…

Obedience made it possible for him to surmount his difficulties and spare Mary.


Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com



Mar 19, 202430:01
Letting God Work

Letting God Work

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College on March 13, 2024.

John 5:17-30: Jesus said to the Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.

He gives signs of his divinity, indicating that his actions are the work of the Father.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented this passage in 2002 on the occasion of a congress on Ordinary life, during the canonization of Saint Josemaría Escrivá in Rome. There were a number of articles published in Osservatore Romano, and his was the best: Letting God Work.

He was struck by the name, Opus Dei. Our Father said he didn’t want to be founder of anything, that he had not invented anything, that the Lord had simply made use of him. Thus it was not his work, but Opus Dei. He was only an instrument with which God had acted.

He let God work.

Thumbnail: James Tissot, Christ Reproving the Pharisees, 1836-1902, in Brooklyn Museum.

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com



Mar 13, 202424:24
You Can't Face Temptations with ChatGPT

You Can't Face Temptations with ChatGPT

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College, Toronto on March 10, 2024.

We started Lent with the figure of the devil tempting Jesus in the desert.

First , this is an opportunity today to ask for conversion. Like the 40 years of the Jews in the desert, or 40 days of Moses on the Mountain, or Elijah 40 days too. It must lead to conversion, we can’t just roll on and on and stay the same person without real change, without deep conversion. That is the first goal, but ultimately we already know the result: that Jesus conquers this evil, and we too will overcome our demons.

Thumbnail: Juan de Flandes, Temptation of Christ in the Desert, 1500 collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com


Mar 10, 202430:03
Like a Tree Planted by a Flowing River

Like a Tree Planted by a Flowing River

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to a group of priests at the Manoir de Beaujeu, near Montreal on February 27, 2024.

In one of his letters, St. Paul reflects his deep solicitude and his joy at seeing and experiencing the growth of the faith in the Ephesians. It moves him to thanksgiving and prayer.

Eph 1, 15-20: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, (...)

Thumbnail: Rembrandt, Three Trees, etching, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 1643.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com


Mar 05, 202430:41
The Chair of Peter

The Chair of Peter

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, on the Feast of the Chair of Peter, February 22, 2204.

Today’s feast is like the result of the prayer of Jesus, or better, the testimony that Jesus gave of his own prayer to the Father for Peter:

The Lord says to Simon Peter: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and, once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Lk 22, 32)

That prayer was immensely efficacious. How could it not? God the Son, addressing God the Father.


Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.


Feb 23, 202420:23
Who Will Remove the Stone in My Life?

Who Will Remove the Stone in My Life?

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to a group of diocesan priests at the Manoir de Beaujeu, near Montreal, on February 1, 2024.

Easter Vigil Gospel: Mark 16, 1-7 The women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, had an important task.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

What are the things that are stressing us, and what are the stones in our life that are impeding our faith from moving forward?

Photo: Fra Angelico, Fresco of the Holy Women ant the Tomb.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.


Feb 23, 202431:39
I Want to be an Apostle, Not a Mere Version of Myself

I Want to be an Apostle, Not a Mere Version of Myself

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on February 9, 2024 at Kintore College in Toronto. Base on the gaze of Jesus on the crowds. Mark 8, 1-10: A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’

Here we see his mercy for the crowd. Mercy because they were unattended. They lacked food, but this was an image of the starvation of their souls, that they needed to fill themselves more with his salvific truth: the truth of the Gospel.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.

Thumbnail: Limbourg Brothers, from Tres riches heures du Duc de Berry Flemish, c. 1411, Musee Conde, Chantilly MS 65, fol. 168v

Feb 11, 202427:49
Being Salt, and Being Light

Being Salt, and Being Light

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto.

Matt 5, 13-16: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world."

And he warned us of losing our tastiness, our virtue of bringing out the good, the winder, the humour of life. Or even the spice. 

The Nunc dimittis prayer by the aged Simeon can open our hope to being that light. (Lk 2, 25-32)

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com

Thumbnail: Simeon in the Temple by Rembrandt, 1669, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

Feb 04, 202429:33
Distraction and Dissipation

Distraction and Dissipation

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation as the introduction to a retreat for priests of various dioceses at the Manoir de Beaujeu, near Montreal. It was preached on February 28, 2024.

Mark 1:21-28: Today’s Gospel about the authority with which Jesus spoke in the synagogue of Capernaum. It was a place of quiet, to read the Word of God, and to pray.

Jesus simply spoke. That is the power of his word. Just like with his word he could create the heavens and the earth. No need for special incantations, or long prayers, or formulas.

But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. He tells him to be quiet. There is no way the devil could say or speak anything of value. In a certain way he is telling each one of us to be quite too, we need to stay silent, because he has much to tell us.

Thumbnail: Jesus expels demon in Possessed man in Synagogue, by James Tissot, 1886. In Brooklyn Museum.

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com


Feb 02, 202424:11
Facing the Storms in Our Life

Facing the Storms in Our Life

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to High School boys at Ernescliff College in Toronto on January 27, 2024. It is a commentary of Gospel of Mark 4:35-41 about Jesus calming the storm from the boat of Peter. He mentions how we may have dark storms in our life, but we must confide in God's providence, who is always present next to us, even if he seems to be asleep.



Jan 27, 202428:13
St. Francis de Sales and How to Transmit True Peace

St. Francis de Sales and How to Transmit True Peace

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Kintore College, Toronto on the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales, and the memorial of Our Lady of Peace, the advocation for the Prelatic Church of Opus Dei in Rome. This is where St. Josemaria rests, beneath the main altar. Peace can be sewn in our soul through ongoing formation. St. Francis de Sales excelled at this in a time of upheaval in Europe, during the 16th and 17th century.

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com

Thumbnail: Portait Francis de Sales, by Attilio Palombi, 1898, Chiesa del Sacro Cuore di Gesu, Rome.

Jan 25, 202425:59
Lord, I am a Leper

Lord, I am a Leper

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this Introduction to a retreat for High School Boys at Cedarcrest Conference Centre, north of Toronto, January 20, 2024.

Saint Fabian and St. Sebastian. Two early Christian martyrs.

Luke 5, 12-16: The story of the leper. He lived in isolation, cut off from normal contact with others. Unable to interact normally. Looked down upon because of his contagion. He was forced to do weird things, like wear bells, and holler out warnings to others, unclean, unclean…Many thought he was like this because he must have sinned. He was getting his just rewards.

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean”.

Jesus stretched out his hand before even answering. Of course I want you to be clean. Of course I want you to be part of the community. He is not afraid of him. He is filled with mercy and compassion.

Thumbnail: J. Kirk Richards Christ among the lepers.

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com



Jan 23, 202425:59
Christian Unity: Jesus Healed then and Now

Christian Unity: Jesus Healed then and Now


Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Kintore College in Toronto, on January 18, ant the start of the Octave of prayer for Christian unity.

Mark 3:7-12: Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. From Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordania and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. And he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he warned them strongly not to make him known.


This is the account of the healing ministry of Jesus, and his universal mission to all those ailing people, physically damaged and hurting, but also afflicted by the demons, whose attacks were constant, divisive, agitated, pitting one against the other, loquacious and constantly seeking to break down the unity of Jesus’ plan.

These words are good for us today as we begin the week of Christian unity. After this healing he chose his apostles to continue this task, in unity with Christ and among each other. We too continue.


Music: 'Adrift among the infinite stars' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com

Thumbnail: Healing of the demoniac. Morgan Library Museum Medieval illustration from Strasbourg, 1430.


Jan 19, 202421:30
Formation: Being Arable Land

Formation: Being Arable Land

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to a group of priests in Toronto, on January 16, 2024.

Like brother Lawrence's experience in the 17th century, he saw a tree in the winter, and it was just branches, without leaves or flowers. But upon looking at it, he received the grace to realize that within just a few months that tree would be totally in bloom. This gave him a deep view of the providence of God which would never be faced from his soul.

Formation is “self-cultivation”.  This is like irrigating and cultivating a piece of arable land so that it will produce good crops. 


Jan 17, 202430:35
Holy Innocents and Facing Drudgery

Holy Innocents and Facing Drudgery

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on retreat at the Manoir de Beaujeu, west of Montreal, on December 28, 2023.

Today the Holy Innocents. The priest’s vestments are red, the color of martyrs, in memory of those Innocents who gave testimony to Christ, as the opening prayer says non loquendo sed moriendo, not by speaking but by dying, as first fruits for God and the Lamb.


The children die without knowing what is happening; mothers see their innocent lives cut short without knowing why. There is no apparent explanation. The children’s suffering at first glance seems useless and unjust. Their lives bear witness to a truth they aren’t even aware of. But God rewards their total self-sacrifice with eternal glory, with the enjoyment and direct vision of God, And the little ones, wrenched from their mothers arms and made co-redeemers with Christ at such a young age, enjoy in heaven the fruitfulness of their sacrifice: These innocent children were slain for Christ. They follow the spotless Lamb, and proclaim for ever: Glory to you, Lord.
sanctification


Peter


Dec 28, 202329:54
Mary Sings the Magnificat
Dec 23, 202327:09
Mary went with Haste

Mary went with Haste

Mary went with haste, and did not procrastinate.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on December 20, 2023 at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto.

Luke 1:39-56: Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

What is the real meaning of that haste. How do we apply it to our life when focused on God's will?

Music: Adrift among the infinite stars, Scott Buckley, chosic.com


Dec 21, 202330:56
Built on Rock (corrected version)

Built on Rock (corrected version)

A corrected version of the meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Dec 7, 2023.

Matt 7, 24-27: Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.

Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Eugene Burnand, House on Rock, 1890s.

Dec 16, 202314:20
The Vocation to Opus Dei

The Vocation to Opus Dei

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to a group of young men at Ernescliff College in Toronto, on December 9, 2023. The Gospel of Mark 10, 17-31 tells the account of the young man who presented himself to Jesus and asked what he must do to obtain eternal life. A challenging exchange ensued. To dig into this, we must have a deep understanding of what a vocation is. Here's one definition: "The vocation is the providential thought of the Creator for each creature, it is his idea-plan, like a dream found in God's heart, because the creature is found in his heart. God the Father wants this to be different and specific for each living person."

Music: Komm, süsser Tod, BWV 478, Guitar arrangement by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Cyprien Tanguay (1819-1902) portrait by Antoine Plamondon, painted c. 1832, Quebec, Canada.


Dec 09, 202329:49
I Will Make You Fishers of Men

I Will Make You Fishers of Men

We have just begun today the novena to the Immaculate Conception. It starts with the feast of St. Andrew, the brother of Peter. The two became the most effective apostles ever, and they remained faithful to the end, both of them dying by crucifixion. Peter in Rome, Andrew in Greece. The novena has this tone of apostolic zeal. This sense of fervour that we want to be faithful apostles, and truly evangelize. Bring souls to Christ. Today it starts with the most iconic phrase from Jesus: I will make you fishers of men (Matt 4, 19). He did not say you will do certain things. You will do certain apostolic activities. Meetings, and invitations, clubs. No, you will be apostles, in every moment.

This is a shot meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Kintore College, Toronto, November 30, 2023.

Music: Handel, Rinaldo Opera, Aria "Lascia che io pianga" Arranged for guitar by Bert Alink. 

Thumbnail: Raphael cartoons of the miraculous Draught of Fish, 1515 in Victorian Albert Museum.

Dec 01, 202316:57
Magnanimity Through Spirit of Service

Magnanimity Through Spirit of Service

St. Josemaria had a magnanimous soul, he drew beauty, and great dreams of ambition to sanctity out of others. What is our greatest ambition? He said: The greatest ambition of the children of God in Opus Dei . . . must always be to serve.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation in Ernescliff College, Toronto, on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Music: Lauda Jerusalem (Psalm 147) - Choir of Blessed Pier Giorgio – Aumônerie de Nantes

Thumbnail: Mihail Alivizakis Icon painter.

Nov 26, 202329:15
Zacchaeus needed to Grow in Formation

Zacchaeus needed to Grow in Formation

Yesterday we had the passage from Luke about the blind man who is healed by Jesus also in Jerico. From Matthew we know the blind man’s name, Bartimaeus. Today Luke 19 tells us about another man, also in Jerico, but on the opposite side of the social spectrum. Not a poor blind man without power, money or standing. But a publican, a tax collector who worked for the Roman occupation, and his named is Zacchaeus. Both could not see Jesus: Bartimaeus because he was blind, Zacchaeus because he was too short. To be able to see Jesus he took initiative. This is an analogous to taking our formation more seriously.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College on November 21, 2023.

Music: Handel Rinaldo, Aria Lascia che io pianga, adapted for guitar by Bert Alink.


Nov 23, 202331:20
The Blind Man: Discover the Layers of Meaning Present

The Blind Man: Discover the Layers of Meaning Present

Today's reading is from Luke 18:35-43, about the blind man of Jerico, healed by Jesus.

This passage lends itself to our prayer, because we can easily conjure up the image, the sounds, the atmosphere, the smells, that the blind man was experiencing. We weren’t there, and we too are blind, in a way. And he reacted.

Saint Josemaria has a long commentary on this passage in Friends of God, from a meditation he preached on October 12, 1947.

How do I really read the Word of God, Holy Scripture, to its fullest meaning?

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College on November 20, 2023.

Music: Handel, Opera Rinaldo, Aria Lascia che io pianga adapted for guitar by Bart Alink.

Thumbnail: Anna and Tobit by Rembrandt, 1630, National Gallery, UK.

Nov 20, 202329:17
Flanders Fields: Pray for the Dead

Flanders Fields: Pray for the Dead

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached today November 11: at the 11th hour, the 11th day, the 11th month in 1918, the bugle sounded to announce the ceasing of all hostilities. Today we remember the fallen.

Now Poppy is emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. 


In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead.

Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields.

Nov 12, 202319:16
Dedication of St. John the Lateran: You are a Temple

Dedication of St. John the Lateran: You are a Temple

After the 313 edict of Emperor Constantine which conceded to Christians the freedom to practice their religion, Pope Silvester dedicated the Basilica of St. John the Lateran as the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. It was dedicated in 324. What does this mean to us today? Fr. Eric Nicolai gives a brief explanation at Kintore College, Toronto, on November 9, 2023.

Music: Julia Florida played Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Basilica of St. John the Lateran, from Catholic News Report.


Nov 10, 202316:16
Build the Tower of your Sanctity

Build the Tower of your Sanctity

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches in Kintore College from today's Gospel:

Luke 14, 25-33: ‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.”  We are building a tower in this life. It must be well-built to resist the storms. We have begun on the foundations of discipline, order, and human virtues. But we must keep going up, and persevere. We count on our will and God's grace.

Music: Waltz No 1 from Op 121 by Ferdinando Carulli Played by Cristian Garcia.

Thumbnail: Gallica BnF of the Eiffel Tour building process. gallica.bnf.fr



Nov 08, 202330:04
Are Your Labouring in Vain?

Are Your Labouring in Vain?

Psalm 127: Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum, in vanum laboraverunt, qui aedificant eam. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, frustra vigilat, qui custodit eam.


Psalm 127: Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

We must build on the solid foundations of interior life for us to discover the new Mediterraneans of apostolate in our life.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 20, 2023 at Cedarcrest Conference Centre.

Music: Antonio Vivaldi, Nisi Dominus, RV 680, Cum demerit...(Tim Mead)

Sands of Time, Juan Sanchez, on Pixaabay music clips Royalty free.

Thumbnail: Château de Foix, France, 9th century.

Nov 02, 202323:51
The Treasure of Forgiveness
Oct 31, 202329:54
Charity Expressed as Understanding

Charity Expressed as Understanding

It pains us to see such hatred exploding now in the world, from the divisons in politics, the screams, the demonstrations, the protests, and the denunciations. Women against men, left against right, liberal against conservative. The divisions go on. We are not really in a position to offer political solutions. People have been trying for years.

But as Christians, we can seek to refresh and stabilize how we ourselves live out the New Commandment that our Lord gave us. Our Lord  foresaw that there would be hate against the disciples continuing his work. He knew it would be painful.

John 15, 18: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. (…) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).

A meditation preached on October 20, 2023, by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Cedarcrest Conference Centre in Belfountain, Ontario, located north of Toronto.

Music: Bert Alink, Mossy Garden.

Thumbnail: Original text of the Mandatum Novum, the New Commandment, from the DYA Academy, installed in 1932 by St. Josemaria in Madrid.


Oct 20, 202331:33
St. Luke and Our Vocation

St. Luke and Our Vocation

St. Luke, evangelist and apostle, responsible for the Gospel and for Acts of Apostles.

A native of Antioch in Syria and a physician, and one of the early converts from paganism. He accompanied St. Paul on a considerable part of his missionary journey. He was also his companion while in prison at Rome. He was in the thick of it. He saw the growth of the Church. He saw the drama. But he remained faithful because he had converted to Christ. It had deep roots in his soul.

Luke's Gospel is, above all, the Gospel of the Merciful Heart of Jesus. It emphasizes the fact that Christ is the salvation of all men, especially of the repentant sinner and of the lowly. He also preserved some of the most touching of our Lord's parables, for example those of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. We thank him for having left such a beautiful witness of the life of Jesus. He wrote it down, with exquisite detail, especially about the infancy, also the prodigal son account.

Luke felt that one of the most powerful events in the Bible is a response to God’s call.  What does man say? Simple: Here I am, Lord. Mary said: ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. This is a word he expects to hear from all.

Thumbnail: Detail of St. Luke Drawing the Virgin by Rogier van der Weyden, 15th century; in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Music: Recordações do passado (Souvenirs from the Past) a Valsa for piano (1885) by Ernesto Nazareth arranged by Bert Alink.


Oct 20, 202332:28
Enter The Great Banquet with the King

Enter The Great Banquet with the King

Matthew 22:1-14: The King who sought to invite people to the wedding feast of his son, but nobody would come. What is to be done? There is nothing for it but to send out into the streets and lanes of the city, the highways and hedges of the countryside, and bring in the poor, the lame, the halt, and the blind, and fill up the vacant seats with guests less favoured, guests who cannot afford to refuse such generosity. Those people are us, and we have been invited, despite our poverty.

Fr. Eric Nicolai peached this meditation at Kintroe college in Toronto on October 15, 2023.

Music: Bert Alink, Mossy Garden.

Thumbnail: Abraham van Beyeren, Banquet Still Life, 1667

Oct 18, 202328:54
God Pours Grace into Your Soul

God Pours Grace into Your Soul

Luke 11:15-26: Today’s Gospel has words of Jesus speaking about the devil, and the attempts of demons to overtake us. But if the devil is divided, he falls apart. Unity in the church is what keeps it together. Grace also gives unity to our soul. St. Therese of Lisieux recounts how one of her earliest memory was that of a dream. She saw the fiery looks of two devils staring at her in the garden at Alencon. But her gaze made them scamper away. She said the devil is a coward, and he flees from the simple gaze of a child, in the state of grace.
We too are filled with joy when we realize that God pours his divine grace into our souls. All we have to do is open ourselves to this grace, and we are transformed.

Music: Carlos Gardel, Amores de Estudiante, arrange for guitar by Bert Alink (2018)

Oct 14, 202329:11
Building the Foundations of Thanksgiving

Building the Foundations of Thanksgiving

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 9, 2023 at Ernescliff College in Toronto.

Psalm 116, 12-13 sings: What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

What a question. What can I render to the Lord, for all that he has really given me? For all he has done? The psalmist feels indebted to God and he resolves to repay him by an act of worship. Regardless of what we do and think today, somewhere there has to be a deep vow of gratitude, of thanksgiving. An openness to acknowledge all that I have really received in my life, in my vocation, my limbs, my sight, but even my suffering, my pain, my tiresome work, because the Lord God has given it all meaning.
That the blows we receive in life "are necessary to hack away what is superfluous from the huge block of marble." Like what happened to Michelangelo when he sculpted the David.

Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

Thumbnail: Etty Hillesum 1939.


Oct 09, 202329:11
Divine Filiation: Going from Spreadsheet to Reality

Divine Filiation: Going from Spreadsheet to Reality

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft centre, Toronto, on October 7, 2023.

Way 267: We've got to be convinced that God is always near us. We live as though he were far away, in the heavens high above, and we forget that he is also continually by our side.

We are sons with a vision because we work in the world that is his world, created by him.


Like Henri Nouwen’s account of the prodigal son, based on the Rembrandt painting from 1669, two years before his death.


Oct 08, 202326:09
Feast of the Archangels: They defend us, announce to us, and accompany us in our vocation.

Feast of the Archangels: They defend us, announce to us, and accompany us in our vocation.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preaches in Ernescliff College of the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, September 29, 2023. It is a special day in the archdiocese of Toronto, dedicated to St. Michael the archangel, thanks to Bishop Michael Powers who came from Montreal in 1842

In  October of 1932 Saint Josemaría made a retreat at the Carmelite convent in Segovia. There he received the inspiration to structure the apostolates of Opus Dei into three works, each under the patronage of an archangel: the Work of St. Raphael, for the Christian formation of young people; the Work of St. Michael, for those who had received a calling to live celibacy in the midst of the world; and the Work of St. Gabriel, for married people.

Thumbnail: An angel, from the retable of Cedarcrest Conference Centre, painted by Jose Ochoa.

Music: Cathedral Music by Oleg Kirilkov from Pixabay.



Sep 29, 202331:01
What Have I done with my Talents?

What Have I done with my Talents?

Matthew 25:14-30. The Parable of the talents.

The man going abroad. The servants with different talents. The one with one talents digs a hole in the ground. To the others he says good, well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.


priests on the need to have an adventuresome spirit regarding the gifts we have received.




Sep 28, 202330:25
Are You Listening to the Holy Spirit?

Are You Listening to the Holy Spirit?

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Cedarcrest Conference Center north of Toronto on September 17, 2023. The focus is some notes of Saint Josemaria Escriva from 1932 in which he writes down a conversation with his spiritual director, Fr. Sanchez who spoke to him about listening to the Holy Spirit. "Don't speak, just listen."

Music: Waltz No 1 from Op 121 by Ferdinando Carulli Played by Cristian Garcia.


Sep 19, 202326:26
Like the Friends of the Paralytic

Like the Friends of the Paralytic

Fr. Eric Nicolai gives this meditation to High School boys that are part of the OneUp program of Ernescliff College. It was preached on September 9, 2023.

Luke 5:17-26 The account of the paralytic lower down the roof by his friends. The Lord was moved by their faith. They asked him for the healing of another. Not simply for themselves. A group of friends that ask for their friend. Who took the initiative?

My sense is that one loved him especially, and had more faith, and then he led others along with this power request, that he had the initiative to open the roof. How can we help our friends?

Music: Tears Keep Flowing Tarrega lagrima, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink, 2015.

Thumbnail: Christ healing the paralytic at Capernaum, engraving by Bernhard Rode 1780


Sep 11, 202321:46
Keep Going Higher

Keep Going Higher

Fr. Eric Nicolai welcomes the staff at Hawthorn School (Toronto) to a new academic year, with an appeal to embrace the new challenges with magnanimity and humble joy. St. Peter was called the rock by Jesus, even though he was often emotional and unstable. But with God's grace he became the support that others needed.

Music: Waltz No 1 from Op 121 by Ferdinando Carulli Played by Cristian Garcia.

Thumbnail: Jimmy Stewart from the movie, Its a Wonderful Life (1946).

Sep 08, 202328:25
What is the Tripod of Love?

What is the Tripod of Love?

A meditation preached deep in the Ontario woods to counsellors at Camp Caribou on a lake near Barry's Bay, August 25, 2023.

It is based on the three commandments of love mentioned in th Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 22:34-40: When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

On Youtube, see all the visuals:

https://youtu.be/AHba7XdIDjg


Aug 30, 202325:54
What it Takes to be a Humble Worker in the Vineyard of the Lord

What it Takes to be a Humble Worker in the Vineyard of the Lord

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai early in the morning in the woods at Camp Caribou for Boys, on August 23, 2023. The camp is located near Barry's Bay in Ontario.

You can see the filmed version here:

https://youtu.be/aUJSaYEuSdM?si=WoTHCscs5wlq9zMV

Aug 26, 202329:03
The Humour in Jesus Healing a Blind Man

The Humour in Jesus Healing a Blind Man

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in a parish in Fort Alexander, Manitoba on August 7 2023.

There are traces of subtle humour in the Gospel. There is a touching moment when the Lord heals the blind man, somewhat gradually, testing him like a doctor might.

Matt 8, 22-36 Do you see anything? Looking up, the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking”.

Trees walking? What did he actually see?

Music: Bert Alink, guitar arrangement, Mossy Garden.

Thumbnail: Rembrandt, "Jesus Heals Blind Man", ink drawing, 1655. Rotterdam, Museum Boymans van Beuningen.

Aug 21, 202324:03
Our Formation and the Parable of the Sower

Our Formation and the Parable of the Sower

Mt 13:1-9: “A sower went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

With the different types of soil that the seed falls on, Jesus sums up the various types of people in the world. Different hearts. This is the real meaning of the formation we receive: it is meant to be an ongoing self-cultivation, like the irrigation of a field, or arable land that will lead us out of ourselves, out of the shell of our own selfishness, like a seed that breaks out and brings forth a plant: as we grow and mature, we thus grow in a capacity for sorrow, and for joy.




Jul 20, 202328:41
I Have Not Come to Bring Peace, But the Sword

I Have Not Come to Bring Peace, But the Sword

A meditation preached at Kintore College by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 17, 2023.

Matthew 10:34–11:1: Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set/ a man against his father,/a daughter against her mother,/ and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;/ and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

We think of the Lord as the king of peace. Peace on earth and goodwill to men. He heals and brings calm, after the agitation created by the devil.

But then these strange words that seem like there was a typo in the transcription. What does this really mean?

Thumbnail: Joseph John Rosenthal, The raising of the Flag at Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945.

Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink. Public domain.



Jul 18, 202326:03
The Enemy that Sows Weeds in Us

The Enemy that Sows Weeds in Us

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto in July 2023. It's all about the details of the parable of the sower who went out to sow.

Matthew tells us: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. (Matt 13, 24-29)

The weeds in our life. The danger of becoming toxic to others by our attitude and behaviour Rather we should have the qualities of good vitamins for the system.


Music: Chiquinha Gonzaga, Lua Branca, Arranged for guitar Bert Alink.


Thumbnail: Jean-Francois Millet, The Gleaners, Musée D'Orsay 1857


Jul 12, 202329:09
True Meaning of Rest

True Meaning of Rest

A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai on rest, preached at Lyncroft centre, Toronto, on July 2, 2023.

Mark 6, 30-32: "The apostles came back to Jesus. They told him all they had done and taught. Jesus said to them, `Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.' Many people were coming and going. They could not even eat. So they went away in a boat to a lonely place by themselves."

This articulates the promise of Jesus. Matt 11, 28: “Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest”.

It was important that they not stay with his teaching superficially, or remain on the surface. He wanted them deeply formed. To make the Good News truly deeply integrated. They will later have to transmit it to others.  They have to be good transmission lines. What really is the significance of rest? Are we habitually resting? And do we do it well in a way that restores us truly? When burnout is so prevalent, we need to see the true meaning of rest and leisure, and examine its relation to work.


Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink

Thumbnail: Masaccio The Tribute Money, 1424, Brancacci Chapel, Florence.


Jul 02, 202328:57
Funeral Homily for Fr. Joe Escribano (1933-2023)
Jun 30, 202327:50
Saint Josemaria's Spiritual Paternity

Saint Josemaria's Spiritual Paternity

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on June 26, 2023 at Kintore College in Toronto. We know that Saint Josemaría Escrivá died in 1975: after stepping out of that elevator, looking at an image of our Lady, and at that moment he had accomplished his mission here on earth. Going up the elevator was like the first step towards heaven.

Days after his passing, Don Alvaro had to gear himself up for what was coming, and he wrote a long letter to all of us: Nuestro padre en el Cielo. Our Father in Heaven. I remember reading it often. God granted our founder a spiritual paternity that embraced everyone he came into contact with. And since this paternity was completely supernatural, it has only been strengthened by his going to heaven. Here's an account of what it should look like.


Music: Tears keep flowing, Tarrega, played by Bert Alink, 2015


Jun 28, 202332:18