A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 25, 2025, the feast of St. James, at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Jesus called James and his brother John as they mended their nets on the Sea of Galilee. Their mother approached Jesus, asking that her sons be seated on either side of him in his kingdom. Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking.” Jesus turned to the brothers: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” “We can,” they declared. James was, in fact, the first apostle to share in the cup of martyrdom, under Herod Agrippa around the year 44. Saint Josemaria loved that readiness to follow Jesus, to go all the way. He underlined their response, "Possumus". We can frame this in terms of our readiness and openness to be well formed: to have the piety of children and the doctrine of theologians.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: James the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto.
Matthew 13:1-9: A sower went out to sow. Jesus at the lakeside. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables. He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
The beauty of the hundredfold sown in souls. The Lord seems to speak with urgency, and with joy at the thought that his grace can indeed be sown in souls who will give many fruits, hundredfold. We have the desire to be that good soil, to make for a large tree, where the birds of the air can rest.
The seed fell into a mystical soul of Saint Bridget of Sweden, that brought many visions, a deep contact with the infancy of Christ.
The seed fell iinto the souls of these great saints. But it can fall into our soul too.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: Nativity, by Gerard David, 1495, Vienna Art History Museum
A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, on July 20, 2025.
In Genesis 18 we have the account of the appearance of the Lord to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. It is a wonderful account, in the heat of the day, with the cicada and the grasshoppers buzzing and the heat haze. Then we get a mirror image of this with the account of Bethany, and Jesus being treated, with his apostles by Martha and Mary. (Luke 10:38-42)
It's all about where we can contemplate God and serve him in our life. Framing our stresses, anxiety, our multiple tasks in the light of God's love.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: Andrei Rublev Icon of Three Angels at Oaks of Mambre, 1410 in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto.
The verse from the psalm: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2). To thirst like that is a deep desire nestled in the recesses of our heart. Our prayer now is an occasion to explore the inner chambers of our lives. We should do so with sincerity and simplicity.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto, Ontario.
Thumbnail: Jan Van Eyck, The Lamb of God, Ghent Altarpiece, 1432
Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation in ernescliff College on July 11, 2025, the feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
The Lord sent out the apostles, his ambassadors, he sent them out, telling them to heal, to resurrect the dead. That they should bring their peace upon the houses they visit. Your peace will fall upon them.
This is a meditation preached on July 9, 2025 at Kintore College in Toronto, after having spent almost a month in Germany.
First reading is from Genesis 41. Our dramatic story of the terrible famine in Egypt. The origin of the phrase, go to Joseph.
Joseph of the Old Testament had been mistreated and even hated by his brothers, now they come to him for help. It is a deeply emotional moment for Joseph, as he recognizes his brothers, those whom he had grown up with, and who had been so jealous of him, and had often mistreated him. Yet something inside told him that they were his brothers, and that he had a providential role with them. We know that these brothers were the 12 tribes of Israel, and that they would foreshadow the 12 apostles.
Let us look at the role of memory in our resentments and how memory must be purified for us to be men and women of hope.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: Bas relief fragment portraying Cleopatra
A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, June 7 2025.
There is this incredible line in St. Paul in which he speaks of having the same sentiments that Christ Jesus had (cf. Phil 2:5).
“Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
To empty ourselves like Christ, we must step down from our throne of self-importance.
Music: Original track by Michael Lee of Toronto.
Mary was there at Pentecost, she was at the centre in the early community, so she plays her role in our life too. The Holy Spirit is like the active principle in our sanctification. Mary is called the spouse of the Holy Spirit: It was to her that the Holy Spirit went.
Johnny Nash sang that hit tune in 1972:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day
He speaks about the pain is gone, bad feelings disappear, here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for.
He was praying to the Holy Spirit.
Music: Suspended In Amber WSR596 Unanswered Prayer
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto on May 28, 2025.
Jn 16, 12-15: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.
Music: Creg Riley Westarmusic. Suspended In Amber WSR596 Unanswered-Prayer_FULL_WSR59641
Thumbnail: Detail from Pentecost mosaic, Rosary Basilica in Lourdes, France.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College on May 18, 2025. Upon entering the oratory, I notice the holy water font had a large artistically inscribed text just over the font itself, you can see it in large letters just as you dip your finger into the water: Domine, si vis, potes me mundare. Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean (Matt 8, 3). These are the beautiful words of a leper, who on his own initiative, elbowed his way through the crowd, he came up to Jesus and made this humble petition.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: Jean Marie Melchior Doze Jesus Healing the Leper, 1864, housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, located in Nîmes, France
A funeral homily for Mr. Peter Rebello at the church of St. Clement in Toronto on May 20, 2025. Peter died from Leukemia on May 13, the feast of our Lady of Fatima. He was 77.
Music: Be not afraid by Bob Dufford with choir.org
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on May 18, 2025, at Lyncroft Center in Toronto.
The Lord took care to leave a deep impression on the disciples, the apostles, when he gave them the mandatum novum. (John 13)
It was like a special legacy that he wanted to leave behind. They remembered the words, his tone, but they especially remembered his gestures of tenderness and the warm tone of his voice when he knelt in front of them and washed their feet.
They never forgot that night. It stayed imprinted on their brain.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on a day of recollection in Ernescliff College on May 11, 2025.
I saw photos of Pope Leo XIV visiting Santa Maria Maggiore, praying in front of the Icon of Our Lady, Mother of God. She is showing us the child. She is showing us her son during the month of May when we have recourse to her.
We can ask him to stir up the fire of our faith. Put little twigs and branches into the fire. The best twigs to get that faith raging is the devotion to our mother, as mother.
It may be small now, but little aspirations, glances at images of our Lady are there to awaken something within us.
Josemaria would as to “Stir up that fire of faith. Christ is not a figure that has passed. He is not a memory that is lost in history.” Mary seems to stir up devotion in us. She awakens our faith and makes us strong.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
Thumbnail: Icon of Mary in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lancemore Centre in Toronto on May 11, 2025. We all must grow in fraternity. If the centres is like a garden, all the flowers need light, all need water. There is always somebody caring for the cleanliness, showing interest in people coming. Let us examine how we cultivate this special atmosphere around us.
Music: Regi Stone, All Heavens Declares. Straight Arrow records, 2003.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on April 27, 2025 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto.
John 20, 21-23: After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive,they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’
He had to breathe on them to give them that power. The breath of the Holy Spirit, like a sweet aroma that touched them, that they breathed in, and somehow stayed in them as a supernatural power.
Music: Original track by Michael Lee of Toronto.
A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at St. Aidan's parish in Toronto, on April 22, 2025.
The nature of the Easter Octave is that it be filled with joy. This year it is mingled with a sorrow, and upheaval in which we feel orphaned, but also weighed down by the urgency of the moment. The Church really needs a shepherd. It needs its vicar. We are forlorn.
Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via?
Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.
A big concern had been who would remove the stone. We must nurture the optimism that is proper to Easter, and maintain it all our life.
The joy of Easter Monday, is mingled now with the sorrow from the news of the death of Pope Francis. He has been called back to the Father. A man who gave himself totally to the service of the Church. It happens at the end of the UNIV congress in Rome, and when the Ordinary General Congress of Opus Dei begins. We will offer the Mass for the repose of his soul. This meditation was preached on April 21, 2025 at Lyncroft centre in Toronto, minutes after hearing about the death of Pope Francis.
Music: Michael Lee of Toronto.
A meditation preached at Kintore College on April 15, 2025, Holy Wednesday.
Matt 26, 25: One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him. Such painful words, at an agonizing time for our Lord. He was chosen as one of the apostles. One for who he had dreams. The most painful realities are not physical. It is the weight of abandonment, betrayal and rejection.
Music: Michael Lee, of Toronto
Thumbnail: Giotto, Betrayal of Jesus, fresco in Padua, Scrovegni chapel 1304.
A meditation was preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on March 30, 2025. The story of the Prodigal Son is a story of conversion, an account of the role that bonds have in our life, and how we must be more aware of them, and strengthen them.
Music: Regi Stone "How Can I tell You", Experience Music 2002, released 2015.
Thumbnail: Pompeo Batoni prodigal son (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
A meditation preached in Ernescliff College, Toronto, on March 28, 2025.
Its been 100 years since that day in which a young 23-year Josemaria Escriva was ordained to the priesthood in the Basilica of Our Lady of El Pilar in Zaragoza, Miguel de los Santos.
There are things that we invite into our soul that leave us with a permanent imprint, a mark, an impression, like a long-lasting, expensive perfume that can become attractive to those around us. This is the story of the expansive grace of a man's ordination to the priesthood.
Thumbnail: Josemaría Escrivá
as a seminarian in Saragossa.
Music: Original track by Michael Lee of Toronto
