Reflection from Friar Nicholas

FRIDAY, TWELVETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Kings 25:1-12; Ps 137:1-6; Mt 8:1-4 Death of a Soul without God The enemies besiege and conquer the city of God within us when we dwell in ignorance of what lies within us, the heavenly and spiritual riches with which God the Father has endowed our inner castle, which He built for the Only Begotten Son, the Eternal Word. There is nothing outside that suffices for the defence of the eternal city we carry within us; its defence lies within, in the name of the Lord our God. The interior city of God is kept safe only by the indwelling of the Eternal Word within us. Just as the Incarnation of the Son of God saved human nature objectively, his entrance into our interior, where he takes possession of his city therein, safeguarding it from enemies without. Late was the cry of Judaeans: “O how could we sing the song of the Lord on alien soil? If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my righthand wither!” The woes befell them because they failed to sing the ...

THURSDAY, TWELVETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Kings 24:8-17; Ps 79:1-5,8-9; Mt 7:21-29 Learning to build on the Solid Rock In accordance with our position that the Sermon on the Mount is our Lord’s solid foundation for Christian spirituality, he concludes his teaching by pointing out this fact. The Son of Man, as the Incarnation of the Son of God, teaches heavenly doctrines without any admixture of error; for he alone knows the Father completely. His humanity is our reception of the knowledge of God the Father in fulfilment of the purpose of our human nature. Thus, these fundamental teachings are foundational to our communion with the Triune God. He clarifies that our coming to God must originate from a deep sense of humility and simplicity, born of our knowledge of ourselves as nothing before His divine Majesty. This sentiment must also define our coming to the Son of Man as our Lord and Saviour. So, he says: “It is not those who say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' who will enter the ...

NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST Isa 49:1-6; Ps 139:1-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66,80 The Word and the Voice We celebrate the solemnity of the birth of John the Baptist. The celebration of his birth as a solemn feast is a privilege that the Church accords only to a few people, namely, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist. The celebration, therefore, shows the great honour accorded to the precursor of Jesus Christ. The celebration of the birth of John the Baptist highlights the goodness of human nature, created by God. As we have very often considered, our nature is made to house God Himself, who is goodness and the ultimate good and end of our nature. So, man is at his best when he is in total submission to God, our Creator. Subsequently, our nature comes to nothing when we turn away from God to creatures, which is what sin is. Sin, which is disobedience to God, renders our nature unfit for God and for his divine purpose. As Paul reminded...

TUESDAY, TWELVETH WEEK IN ORDERINARY TIME 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-36; Ps 48:2-4,10-11; Mt 7:6,12-14 Reverence for the Sacred Coming to the awareness of the sacredness of God and how that relates to your happiness and wellness in this life is not a mean achievement. Not many people seek to understand life and its meaning. Many people live like animals with eyes for sensible attractions alone. The Christian faith is a great gift we must cherish and thank God for. With the Christian faith comes the gift of self-awareness as we receive a new birth in God through Jesus Christ. The Son of Man lays the foundation of Christian spirituality in genuine self-discovery, which can only be given by the light of faith in Jesus Christ. We become aware of the holiness of God within the new and true self that Christ reveals within us. This knowledge is uncommon and must be guarded and cherished. We must make it our dwelling place and principle of our thoughts, words, and actions. The Son reveals ...

MONDAY, TWELVETH WEEK IN ORDERINARY TIME 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-15; Ps 60:3-5,12-13; Mt 7:1-5 Our Judgement of Others We continue on the Sermon on the Mount of our Lord Jesus, which we have considered the foundation of Christian spirituality. A foundation that is evidently more solid and deeper than that of the Old Testament and any other spirituality or religion. The foundation of Christian spirituality is laid deep within each person's interior. Such depth within each of us can only be accessed by the Son of Man through the Holy Spirit, for it is located in the centre of the individual person as the place of God within each of us. Thus, the spirituality arising from the Sermon on the Mount is unique to a Christian and cannot be imitated by any other religion or founded on any other name. Jesus Christ has the authority to lay this foundation as the Son of Man and the Son of God. As he affirmed himself in Jn 8:34-35, that the Son has freedom and authority in the House which no sla...

SUNDAY, TWELVETH WEEK IN ORDERINARY TIME Jer 20:10-13; Ps 69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Rom 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33 Our Declaration for Jesus Christ Our quest for God, for the kingdom of God where righteousness will be at home, is an uphill task for the obvious reasons. First is the weakness of our wills, which have been weakened by the original and actual sins. Second is the fact of our habituation to physical or sensible things; believing and sticking with unseen realities becomes very hard and difficult. Third is the gravitational pull of the throng of those who follow the way of the world, pursuing and sacrificing themselves for the riches and wealth of this temporal world or kingdom. Fourth is the presence and activities of principalities and powers, thrones and dominions of demonic spirits who rule over these throngs of people desiring temporal goods and wealth. Fifth is the difficulty of discerning the true spiritual path amidst so much confusion and confused preachers of the Gospel. ...