Paraclete Press Blog

By Sr. Spero I picked some zucchini from the garden this morning. As I decided which squash to pick and which to let grow for another day, I realized that God is the great gardener. Sometimes it’s best to pick zucchini small … Continue reading →

“The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you  as a gift from His inmost heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with … Continue reading →

By Sr. Fidelis This week we celebrate the Solemn Feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Here in our Benedictine Community this is an especially significant day. We begin the service of Vespers with a beautiful hymn written by Saint Peter … Continue reading →

By Sr. Spero I learned about St. Benedict from his Rule, imagining him as a fatherly abbot caring for the souls of his monks. Until a recent study trip on St. Benedict with the Mount Tabor Centre in Barga, Italy, … Continue reading →

By Sr. Fidelis We begin and end the office standing. Standing is a sign of reverence to God. As shown in paintings on the walls of the catacombs in Rome, the early Christians used to pray standing, with their arms … Continue reading →

By Sr. Spero Deep calls to deep “in the roar of the waterfall.” (Psalm 42:10). God calls to us from the depths of his love to the depths of our soul. Psalm 42:10 says he calls “in the roar of … Continue reading →

By Faithful Friar Today I read in my devotional book about the benefits of Praise. It said that praise lifts up the spirit, builds up faith, defeats the enemy’s stratagems, and joins our prayers to heaven, where saints are already … Continue reading →

by Sunset Septuagint  Yesterday was the funeral celebration of one of our Clergy whose family had moved to the community 40 years ago. Ed was a farmer at heart and he loved taking care of the vegetables, flowers (roses were … Continue reading →

By Sr. Spero A wise abbot recently described lectio divina as taking a bite of scripture and chewing on it, like gum. I tried this with a verse from Lauds this morning, Psalm 42:7, “deep calls to deep in the … Continue reading →