A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on January 15, 2025 in Kintore College, Toronto. The Gospel today from Mark 1:29-39, tells us about some of the sick that Jesus healed, and the demons that he expelled. We see this at the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Redemption. It is a year of hope, as described by the Bull of Indiction, Spes non confudit, established by Pope Francis. Music: Regi Stone, Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares, 2003 Straight Arrow Records. Released in 2003. Thumbnail: Pope F...
Jan 18, 2025•30 min
This is the last meditation of a retreat preached at Shellbourne Conference Centre in Valparaiso, IN, on December 31, 2024. Mark 6 : 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?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw tha...
Jan 01, 2025•33 min
A meditation preached at Shellbourne Conference Centre in Valparaiso, Indiana, during a retreat on December 27, 2024. Gen 2, 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”...
Dec 28, 2024•32 min
With all the Christmas cards we’ve received, and the emails, and our own nativity scene, it is easy for us to imagine what happened that evening, and to see the warm glow of the child giving off divine light, he is the light of the world, amidst that dark and damp and musty place for animals. Mary and Joseph are warmed by the glow too. Yet there is a tinge of reproach in John's description. John says it at the very beginning of the account of the incarnation itself. “ He came to his own people, ...
Dec 25, 2024•26 min
A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on December 20, 2024. With the scene of the annunciation to Mary, redemption has begun. But the last thing the angel mentioned was meant to show that the incarnation takes place within the larger context of the family, Mary’s family, but also Elizabeth's family. God decided that Elizabeth should bear a son. Mary would participate in this, to give support. The unity of the members of a family - and, with more reason if they are children of God t...
Dec 20, 2024•29 min
Preached on Gaudete Sunday at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, December 15, 2024. Phil 4, 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near . There are the surface aspects of our life, there are the edges. Some days were good, other days not so much. But deep on the river bed there is calm. Music: relaxing-piano-music-248868
Dec 15, 2024•29 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto on December 9, 2024, solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, her preservation from all sin, meant that not even a tiny shadow of darkness existed in her soul. Knowing this was the product of a process. First the Christian people realized it, then theologians discussed it, and gradually the Church became more and more aware of what it means to say she was full of grace, the holiness of...
Dec 09, 2024•28 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai peached this meditation on December 4th, 2024 at Kintore College. Today’s Gospel is from St. Matthew St. Matthew 15, 29-37, about the multiplication of loaves and fish. Crowds had followed him. So many people were attracted to him. And Matthew gives a brief description of these people: they were lame, blind, deformed, mute, and many others. These people with all these infirmities could not have gotten there on their own. They needed friends or family to get around, or to help th...
Dec 07, 2024•19 min
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on December 3, 2024 at Ernescliff College, Toronto. Jesus addresses a word of hope to His disciples: “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21, 28). During the time of advent, a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord, we may feel a faint whisper of sadness, maybe discomfort. The Lord invites us to stand erect. This is what the life of Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was like. What an example of zeal and apost...
Dec 03, 2024•26 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on November 24, 2024, the solemnity of Christ the King in Lyncroft Centre, Toronto. John 18, 33: ’Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Thinking it would placate Jesus, he had the inscription placed over his head on the cross: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. In Hebrew, Greek, and Latin: Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum … Different characters and languages...
Nov 24, 2024•23 min
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on November 20, 2024 at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto. J.R. R. Tolkien was chided by his contemporary fantasy writers for saying that the best fantasy has happy endings. For many them, the realism came in the dark, terrifying tales that ended in tragedy. But our faith tells us that death is a doorway to a happy ending, and we can prepare for it now, as we consider the kingdom of Christ. Music: Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares. From Catholic music Y...
Nov 21, 2024•34 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on November 2, 2024. Saint Josemaria faced a lot of opposition when he started his apostolic endeavours. In the Way he said: "God wants a handful of men 'of his own' in every human activity. And then... 'pax Christi in regno Christi — the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ'. " We have to help him reign really with our apostolate. He wants to need us. He wants us to be docile subjects. He wants us to go out there and s...
Nov 14, 2024•29 min
After the Solemnity of the Solemnity of All Saints, and the Feast of All Souls, we want to examine ourselves to see if Christ truly reigns in our hearts, if he is there at the core of our being. This meditation was preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on November 2, 2024. Music: Regi Stone, All Heaven Declares, from Catholic Music Youtube channel. Thumbnail: A stained-glass window of Jesus wearing a crown at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, photo/Gregory A. Shemitz.
Nov 10, 2024•31 min
A meditation preached at Lancemore centre in Toronto on November 4, 2024. In 2017, the Prelate of Opus Dei said this: “the current situation of evangelization makes it more necessary than ever to give priority to personal contact with people. This relational aspect is at the heart of the mode of doing apostolate that Saint Josemaria found in the Gospel narratives.” (Pastoral Letter, 14 February 2017, no. 9.) Personal contact leads to friendship, and friendship is an expression of charity. That c...
Nov 05, 2024•26 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on th Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2024. St. John the Apostle tells about his tremendous vision: After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to ou...
Nov 01, 2024•29 min
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on October 27 2024. The focus is blind Bartimaeus and the heart of Jesus. Mark 10:46-52: As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only...
Oct 27, 2024•33 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this recollection at Hawthorn School in Toronto on October 23 2024. We are preparing the centennial of Opus Dei, founded on October 2, 1928. It was a shower of grace, that Saint Josemaria received on that day. We must ensure that we maintain the beauty of this charism, to ensure that it never go stale, or lose its vibrancy. Music: Choir of the Roman College of Holy Mary. Thumbnail: Cover of The Way published by Doubleday.
Oct 24, 2024•33 min
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 18, 2024 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Luke the Evangelist was born a Greek and a Gentile from Antioch in Syria. Luke is symbolised by the ox, a symbol of strength and of sacrifice. But also Luke wanted to preserve the face of Mary for us. He is the painter of Mary: Tradition says he produced the first devotional icons of the mother of God. He preserved her yes to her vocation. He'll help preserve our yes to the vocation to Opus Dei. Music: C...
Oct 18, 2024•29 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai evokes the nature of the apostolate with young people in Opus Dei, which is entrusted to the intercession of the Archangel Raphael. It is known as the St. Raphael work. He gave this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on October 5, 2024. "I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tob 12:15) Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed" because of his healing of Tobias’ blindness in the Book of Tobit. He is the angel that heals. Our words must...
Oct 16, 2024•29 min
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on October 15th at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Lk 1, 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Since Zacharia doubted, unsure perhaps of his authenticity, needed more proof, as though seeing an angel were not enough, Gabriel had the power to si...
Oct 12, 2024•29 min
A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, on September 29, on the feast of the three Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. Today’s Gospel from the 26th Sunday of Ordinary time does refer to a man casting out devils, and these spirits are bad angels. They too were created by God, but then they disobeyed, freely, they chose wrongly, out of pride. St. Josemaria evoked them for the first time in October, 1932 while on retreat in Segovia. He established each one to intercede...
Sep 29, 2024•33 min
Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, September 25, 2024. Today we evoke the courage and resilience of these men and women who came to evangelize the New World: Jean de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues. They arrived in Quebec after a treacherous journey from France. They travelled to Georgian Bay and established a community among the Hurons. Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com
Sep 26, 2024•29 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation to a group of High School boys in the OneUp program at Ernescliff College, Toronto. Matthew 9:9-13: "As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him." By this short description, Matthew became one of the apostles of Jesus. Chosen specifically by Jesus himself. Jesus wants him to be part of this great adventure in the early church. He pointed at him, and Matt...
Sep 22, 2024•21 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on September 10, 2024, to a group of priests at Saint Aidan's parish in Toronto. The subject is the figure of Zacchaeus in Luke 19: “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Sep 21, 2024•25 min
A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, on the occasion of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, 2024. The cross is the instrument on which the Lord was executed. It was a Roman instrument of torture, state-sponsored terrorism. Jesus gave an explanation in mysterious words. Enigmatic, somewhat cryptic, evoking an image, a movement, a veiled, almost dream-like quality. John 3, 13-17: Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come...
Sep 14, 2024•30 min
In the Gospel of the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus takes the deaf man aside, away from the crowd. By the finger of God a real connection is made, and he can now hear the Word of God. It is by the finger of God that Jesus will write something in our hearts during prayer. This meditation was preached on September 8, 2024 at Ernescliff College in Toronto. Music: Original music by Michael Lee. Thumbnail: Orans figure from the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome.
Sep 09, 2024•32 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on August 29, 2024 at Kintore College, Toronto. Matt 14, 1-12: The account of Herod’s court, with the trendy crowd, an atmosphere of sensuality, a mood of decadence, the latest fashions, everyone vying for attention and positioning themselves in the right place to be noticed. Naturally alcohol was predominant for everyone. Certainly no self-restraint, and as a result, all judgment was disordered, immature, uncontrolled and even abusive. He was blinded by...
Sep 01, 2024•26 min
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on August 25th, 2024, the twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary time (year B). The focus is John 6, the denouement of the passages on the bread of life. John 6, 60-62: After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to w...
Aug 25, 2024•30 min
A meditation preached in the Madawaska Valley at Camp Caribou for Boys, August 20, 2024. Jesus invited the young rich man to follow him, but he turned around and left, sad. Here's Jesus' response. Matthew 19:23-3 0: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this the...
Aug 22, 2024•25 min
This meditation was preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to a group of counsellors at Caribou Boys Camp, near Barry's Bay, Ontario. It was August 18, 2024, the 20th Sunday of Ordinary time, Year B. John 6, 51-58: The tremendous discourse on the bread of life in Capharneum. Jesus said to the crowd: ‘I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’ Then the Jews started arguing wit...
Aug 18, 2024•28 min
