In Your Presence

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, on September 16, 2026. The Gospel tells us about the different reactions of the people to John the Baptist and to Jesus. He comments on the lack of coherence present in these responses. The impossibility of getting coherent responses in light of the lives of John and of Jesus.“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation? … They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.'” (Lk 7:31–32)Thumbnail: Eduard Manet, Young Flautist, or The Fifer, 1866, Musee D'Orsay, Paris.Music: enrique27naveda-cancion-triste-by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda Pixabay

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to priests at Saint Augustine Seminary in Toronto on September 15, 2026.Today's feast of Our Lady of Sorrows has an ancient and layered liturgical background. It is said to have started with the ancient Franciscan spirituality that meditated on Mary's sorrows. We know that St. Francis himself suffered the stigmata, reflecting his closeness to Mary, who suffered a spiritual stigmata. The Great Rood crucifix in Westminster Cathedral is the perfect image to contemplate across these two consecutive feasts: yesterday's Exaltation of the Holy Cross and today's feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellerton Centre in Toronto on September 14, 2026, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Yesterday we decorated with flowers the simple black cross in our oratories so that we could see it bloom today.The hymn of Philippians 2, 6-11: "...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. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."Thumbnail: Cross with garlands of roses from Ernescliff oratoryMusic: Audiio MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_Instrumental

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to High School boys at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on September 12, 2026.Last week we celebrated the birth of Mary, the dawn of our salvation. She is the stella matutina, the morning star. It is a time of hope, for the Sun of Justice is about to rise; today, 8 days later, the name of Mary, in line with the practice of the Jews who would impose the name on the child 8 days after birth. Thumbnail: Leonardo Da Vinci, Sketch of St. Anne with Mary and Christ child and St. John, 1503, Florence.Music: Lifting Dreams - Aakash Gandhi Youtube free

A meditation preached at Ernescliff College in Toronto on September 8th, 2026, by Fr. Eric Nicolai.Today is the birthday of Mary, she is described as the “dawn of our salvation”. The arrival of a new person into the world is always a sign of hope. Mary opens up new possibilities for us in this academic year, just beginning.Thumbnail: The Nativity of the Virgin, painted around 1400–1405 by Andrea di Bartolo, a Sienese painter.  Today housed in the National Gallery in Washington.Music: Audiio_MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_Instrumental

This meditation was preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on September 5th, 2026, at Ellerton Centre in Toronto.‘He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed' (Lk 5:16)What did it look like to see the Lord withdraw into the wilderness? It was described as wilderness, a wild place because it was hostile to man's control; there were no houses or comforts there. But it was a time of silent unity with God the Father. How can we pray like that in silence? It is hard for our generation to sit there without the comfort of devices. But we know inherently that if we sit there, alone with God, away from our notifications or the reels that make us laugh, we will still deepen in something we deeply need. We will come out of our prayer refreshed, rewired for the mission.Music: Audiio MULVEY Awakening Awakening Instrumental Sound effects: 11325622-police-siren-sound-effect-240674 on Pixabay. Nature sounds: Meditation forest sounds of birds singing relaxation - 4 minutes - Tim Irving. Tweeting-bird-sounds orangefreesoundsThumbnail: Ivan Kramskoy, Christ in the Wilderness, 1872 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on September 1, 2026, at the start of the new Academic year at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto.Picture Jesus now coming forward: “And there was handed to him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written…"Then with a sure voice:“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Isaiah 61:1–2) from Luke 4:17.God's gracious “year”—a jubilee of mercy, liberation, healing and restoration. We are now at the beginning of the academic year. A new moment of hope for all of us. How will we frame this hope?

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ellerton Centre in Toronto on the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, August 30, 2026.Jeremiah is in utter anguish. He feels that he has failed. He's in doubt. Maybe he has no vocation after all. He's in an inner crisis. Despite all the suffering he has experienced, he manages to complain to God and abandon himself to his healing.Jeremiah 20, 7-9: Seduxisti me, Domine, et seductus sum.You enticed me Lord, you persuaded me; you duped me, I felt duped. You overcame my resistance to your call, your all-encompassing vocation, your mission you have imposed on me. You chose me because you picked me out, you saw me like a wounded stag, and you loved me.Music: Lifting Dreams - Aakash Gandhi Youtube freeThumbnail: Rembrandt, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, 1630, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on August 17, 2026 at Parkhill Centre in Ottawa.Prayer in our life is an essential part of our existence of sons of God. It gives our resilience, and our purpose going. It is like the engine room of our interior life. In the Gospel, we have the Pharisees complaining about the company that Jesus kept. This prompted Jesus to reaffirm the truth of God's mercy through the most iconic parables of the Gospel: The conversion of the prodigal son.Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.comThumbnail: Rembrandt, The Conversion of the Prodigal Son, 1661.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Camp Caribou near Barry's Bay, Ontario, on August 25th, 2026.Today, the Gospel speaks about the distaste that Jesus had for those who relied on appearances, on image, on looking good to others. Those who spent time cultivating a public image. It is a rather blistering accusation.Matt 23, 24-26: Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.'Music: Regi Stone, All Heavens Declare.Thumbnail: Rembrandt, Jesus preaching. Etching, Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

A meditation on the feast of St. Bartholomew, preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College on August 24, 2026.He preached in India and Armenia. For Bartholomew: “he shed his skin”: both in martyrdom and spiritual transformation, putting off the “old self” so that the new person may emerge.Thumbnail: detail from Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, 1536.Marco d'Agrate's statue in Milan Cathedral, known as the San Bartolomeo scorticato:https://mainlymuseums.com/post/1174/the-anti-david-st-bartholomew-by-marco-dadrate-1562/Music: Lifting Dreams - Aakash Gandhi Youtube free

In 1975, Pope Paul VI told Blessed Alvaro del Portillo: "Collect everything that the Founder has written, because it is already a treasure belonging to the whole Church.”

Maximilian Kolbe had a vision of our Lady who offered him two crowns: a white one for virginity, a red one for martyrdom. Which do you want? I'll take both.that Mary is and a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way. 
(Assumption preface)Thumbnail: Esteban Márquez de Velasco (1652–1696) , Dormition of the virgin Mary, Art Gallery of Ontario.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on August 1, 2026 at Ellentor Centre in Toronto.Matt 14, 22-36: Jesus walks on the water, and calls out to Peter: Come!Water in the ancient world was always seen as a place of instability. It was a scary place when you had these rickety boats. But Jesus informs everything we do. It is our life of faith. Our faith must inform our vision, the way we think, the way we work. It leaves its fingerprints everywhere we go. There you will find the DNA of faith.Music: pulsebox-piano-music-free-music-552725 pixabay freeThumbnail: Walking on Water, by Ivan Aivazovsky (1888), private collection.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on August 1, 2026 at Ellentor Centre in Toronto. John 6:1-15 tells of the account of the feeding of the 5 thousand. Lots of people. A real problem. A multitude had followed him. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to himHe looked up with mercy, with compassion. In front of the problem, the numbers, the money, the few pieces of bread, we hear about that little boy. 10 or 12 years old. Not with his parents. Free to help.One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, John 6, 9-10: “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?”  Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellentor Centre in Toronto, July 31, 2026."Don't forget that sometimes it is necessary to have smiling faces." (The Way, 657)

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Chipnee camp in Port Burwell, Ontario, July 22 2026.Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared and he entrusted her with announcing the Resurrection to the Apostles themselves. She is the apostles of Apostles. Pope Francis elevated her memorial to the level of a feast.Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722Thumbnail: Antonio Canova, Penitent Magdalene 1808, St. Petersburg Museum.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Chipnee Camp in Port Burwell, Ontario, on July 21, 2026.We reflect on the famous story of the young rich man who approaches Jesus to ask him something.(Mt 19:16–22; Mk 10:17–22; Lk 18:18–23) It's a key text, one of the most memorable encounters that Jesus had. It is full of youthful horizons, yet mystery and a bitter dissolution too.What does it mean to live a full life?Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722Audiio_MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_InstrumentalThumbnail: Crucifixion from France, 12th century, St. Louis Art Museum.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Chipnee Girls Camp in Port Burwell, Ontario.The disciples of Emmaus shared an intense run home after having seen and heard the Lord. When we are together, we cease to be fragile.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on July 14, 2026. Sitting in front of the Saint Lawrence River, seeing all that water pass by, sometimes calm, other times more agitated. All that water is going to a hydroelectric dam, where it will go through turbines to generate much energy.  That daily flow looks peaceful, even tranquil, yet carries with it great energy. All our activities in our life, our work, our stress- they are like that river, flowing, but they must all go through turbines to serve as sources of good supernatural energy. It is an image of what we see in the account of Martha and Mary, in Luke.Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722Thumbnail: Hydroelectric Power Dam

A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellerton Center in Toronto, preached on July 4th, 2026.Mt 20:1-16: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. From that early moment, he went out many times after. 9 a.m., He went out again about noon and about three p.m. Then again about five p.m. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' “‘Because no one has hired us,' they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.' Even at the end of our life, God calls us.Thumbnail: Jean-François Millet, les Glaneuses, Musée d'Orsay 1857Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 8th, 2026, at Kintore College, Toronto.Today's Gospel gives us a glimpse of that luminous moment in which Jesus entrusts his apostles with the most important responsibility of their lives. Nobody has ever been entrusted with a mission as important as this, with such decisive consequences for world history.The account of Jesus' choice of his 12 apostles from Matt 10, 1-7: "Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him."Thumbnail: Massacio (Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone), "Peter Healing the sick with his shadow", Florence, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, 1424-1425.Music: pulsebox piano music-cinematic-552722

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on July 6, 2026.From today's gospel, Matthew 9, 18-26: "...Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again.' Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, ‘Courage, my daughter, your faith has restored you to health.' And from that moment the woman was well again."The 12 years of hemorrhage was humiliating; it weakened her, and it depleted her resources. But she reached out, discreetly, with a humble faith, just to touch the very fringe of his garment. As though she wanted to go unnoticed. It was a humble faith. It must be present in our initiatives as well. It will be rewarded, but we have to stay humble.Thumbnail: Fresco of the Healing of the woman with the issue of Blood, in the Catacomb of Sts Marcellinus and Peter, Rome, 4th century.Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 28, 2026 at Ellerton Centre, Toronto.Matthew 10:37-42: Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College in Toronto, on July 1, 2026. (new audio file with proper editing uploaded July 2)An account of the two demoniacs of the Gerasenes in Matthew 8:28–34. Jesus intervened and restored them to normality, but it meant that the herd of pigs was lost. Jesus has restored something authentic in this place, but the villagers are too desensitized to see it, to perceive it. This is really about the authority of Jesus on this earth, in our work, in our day-to-day. He must really be there. Yes, he can expel the demons of indifference. Of lukewarm norms, of lack of care in fraternity.Thumbnail: The Gerasene Demoniac by Sebastian Bourdon (1653)Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722 no copyrigh t

A meditation preached on June 24, 2026 at Hawthorn School for Girls on the solemnity of John the Baptist. From the very womb of his elderly mother, John was inundated by the Holy Spirit so as to prepare the manifestation of Jesus to the people.  He grew and lived in the desert.  He was preparing himself for his mission through solitude and prayer. Isaiah 40, 1-5: A voice of one crying in the desert. Prepare the way for the Lord.All the prophets before him anticipated the Messiah; John actually points Him out directly (“Behold the Lamb of God”)That can sometimes be your life, a voice crying out in the desert of secularism, immoral conduct, ideologies that go against nature, and the dignity of man. It ends up with strange fabrications, rejection of God, and distortion of the faith. As Saint Josemaria said: “We certainly need to convert anew, to be more fully loyal and more deeply humble, so that our selfishness decreases and Christ can grow in us. For illum oportet crescere, me autem minui, “he must increase and I must decrease.” (Christ is Passing By, no. 58)

A meditation preached at Ellentor centre in Toronto, on the feast of Saint Josemaria, on June 26, 2026.It's the legacy that we have the responsibility to maintain, to care for. We know sound elements of doctrine, but it comes out in unique ways in our apostolate, in our family prayer, our interest in others. What is the origin of this legacy?Music: pulsebox-piano-music-cinematic-552722 Free copyright on Pixabay.

A meditation preached at Kintore College, Toronto, on June 25, 2026.Matt 7, 21-29: ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.'A building may appear beautiful and impressive, yet if its foundations are weak, sooner or later cracks will begin to show. The same is true of our spiritual lives. Much of what sustains us remains hidden from view: our prayer, our relationship with God, and especially our sense of divine filiation.Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on June 19, 2026 at the Manoir de Beaujeu, at Coteau du Lac, Quebec.As we do our prayer, we consider that it is especially our heart that has been set aflame even more, rejuvenated, cleared of any arterial sclerosis, any build up over time, so that may may always live freely, purely and sincererly, as we consider that we are here in this place because we have given everything to God. Ancient tradition of the church reveals that she has seen numerous Christians that observed celibacy for the kingdom. Propter regnum coelorum. Apostolic celibacy is a testimony, a witness, but only if our heart is truly transparent to the love of God.

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellentor Centre in Toronto, May 29, 2026. Today is the memorial of Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, a man of courage in a time of upheaval.Gen 12, 1-16: God speaks to Abraham: leave your country, your family, and go to the country I will tell you. So he responded by going to that unknown country. He was open to what God wanted. It took courage and fortitude and magnanimity to undertake such a massive task, to be the father of a nation.We need this human virtue of fortitude, but it must also be supernatural, done out of love.Music: Mulvey Awakening

In preparation for the solemnity of Pentecost, we have been trying to see all the things that can happen if we really become docile to his presence in our souls. For the apostles, it was manifested by a powerful wind that shook the house that they were in. Like a powerful tornado, a divine presence that no one could ignore. The result was that their lives were imbued with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. A meditation preached on the eve of Pentecost at Kintore College, Toronto, May 23, 2026.Music: Audiio MULVEY Awakening Instrumental.Thumbnail: Bernini's Holy Spirit in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto on May 21, 2026. As we prepare for Pentecost, let us consider the first gift of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, which enables you to see how good and great the Lord is and, fills our life with flavour, so that, as Jesus said, you may be “salt of the earth”.Music: Audio MULVEY Awakening InstrumentalThumbnail: St. James the Greater Catholic Church, Concord, NC. Wikimedia

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto on May 20, 2026. During the month of May we prepare for Pentecost and also increase our devotion to our blessed Mother, Mary. There is an intimate connection between Mary and the Holy Spirit.  Mary attracted the Holy Spirit like a magnet at the Annunciation, and when she was at the centre of the apostles at Pentecost.  Two moments in which she served as a powerful attraction to draw down the Holy Spirit onto the world, onto the church, unto us and our priesthood. The two are connected.We need Mary, we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit.Music: Audiio MULVEY Awakening Awakening InstrumentalThumbnail: Juan Bautista Maíno (1581-1649), La Pentecôte 1615, Prado Museum.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ellentor centre in Toronto on the solemnity of the Ascension, May 17 2026.This is a feast, but it is often under-celebrated. Even the iconography is odd. It shows the apostles standing in a circle, looking up, with Jesus out of the picture, as he floats up to heaven. You can only see his feet. It's like the feast of the feet of Jesus.Music: Audiio_MULVEY_Awakening_Awakening_InstrumentalThumbnail:

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Kintore College, Toronto, on May 14, 2026. John 19, 25-27:  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. It is one of the most oft-represented scenes in art: Jesus on the cross, with Mary and John below, weeping, in pain.It was right after the soldiers had divided his garments into four parts, one for each soldier, as though they were getting precious relics in that moment, but they were seeing these garments as pieces that they themselves might wear, or sell. He is saying to us now, before Pentecost: Behold your mother. Stay with Mary in the month of May so that you might truly be touched by the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is coming. 

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, Toronto, on May 10, 2026.This is the month of Pentecost, and we can picture the scene as these flames of fire, these wisps over the head of each apostle. Remember the speech that Cardinal Bergoglio gave in the conclave back in 2013.He spoke about the Church's temptation to withdraw into self‑protection, regulations, and control rather than trusting the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, by contrast, breaks open that fear: the Spirit falls on them, they receive courage and understanding, and they are thrust out into the streets to preach Christ to all nations.Music: MULVEY Awakening Awakening Instrumental

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College on May 10, 2026.In 1932, Our Father wrote in his Intimate Notes, in a time of youth, a time with little experience, and uncertainty, and unsure of himself: Don't speak: Listen to him. This was his attitude to the Holy Spirit. This applies to us. Some people speak a lot, and figure things out as they speak. But how actively do we really listen? To others, to the HS, to our own conscience? Have I fallen to the brain fog, this dissipation, not aware that inside that cloud of unknowing, there is God, the Holy Spirit is pointing at something.Music: Audiio MULVEY, Awakening Awakening Instrumental

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on the anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's election, on May 8, 2026 at Ernescliff College, Toronto.Today's antiphon on the anniversary of the election of the Pope, takes on special resonance for us.Matt 16, 16- 19: 6 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Christ, the one were expecting, the one we had hoped for, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.They are words that resonate with us, as we fortify our love for the Pope.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with license.

Meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai on May 4th, 2026 at Ernescliff College, Toronto.John 14, 23-26: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him.The image that we, our soul, is like a dwelling place for God. The Lord says we shall come to dwell in us, like in a home, a castle, a mansion. He desires to find a beautiful place, a oul made for him, a soul that is fit for him, with an interior cleanliness. He sees you and me now, in our purpose, our inner person—mind, heart, desires, conscience, wounds, and hopes—not just outward behavior. He says we want to come. That action of the holy Trinity that comes to defend us, to be our advocate. He has many things to tell us.Music: Vienna Philharmonic OrchestraThumbnail: Neuschwanstein in winter in Germany

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at the new Ellerton Centre in Toronto, on Avenue Road on May 2, 2026.In this very moving passage in St. Paul's letter to the Romans, God helps us see the divine interlacing of the three theological virtues which form the backing upon which the true life of every Christian man or woman has to be woven.Romans 5, 1-5:   Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.These virtues are alive in us. They are not dead or dormant, or like dead batteries. Lots of power to them, it drives us to energy. This is the battery that makes us grow in the life of grace.

John 21, 2: Simon Peter said, ‘I'm going fishing.' They replied, ‘We'll come with you.' They went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.John says it is the Lord. Clearly, the recognition as a Eucharistic “seeing‑Jesus”: the disciples' first proper confession of the Resurrected Lord at the dawn‑shore meal. He recognizes because he was a contemplative. Because he loved Jesus, was close to him, so close, so faithful. He was humble. In December of 1976 , Blessed Alvaro said: "Be convinced that humility is always a starting point"(Family letters II, 113)Music: Heartbreaking by Kevin MacLeod incompetech chosic.comThumbnail: James Tissot, Christ on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias, 1886-1894. Opaque watercolour over graphite, Brooklyn Museum.

This is the first meditation from a year end retreat at Saint Augustine's Seminary in Toronto, begun April 13, 2026. We begin with the account of the discouraged disciples of Emmaus.Preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Saint Augustine Seminary.Thumbnail: MS VisualsMusic: Kevin Macleod, White Lotus.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto.The last thing we remember from Good Friday was that he was buried. Without commentary. You only bury someone when you're absolutely clear that he is dead. He fully participated in the human destiny of death. Jesus travelled the path of death right to the bitter and seemingly hopeless end in the tomb. The first shock began with the empty tomb. On its own, this is not enough to prove the resurrection, but it is the essential premise. Lets see how the early church framed this.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Thumbnail: Rembrandt, The supper at Emmaus, 1648, Louvre, Paris.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on April 2, 2026, Holy Thursday. Two Masses today: the Chrism Mass, which commemorates the institution on the Priesthood, and the bishop blesses the Holy oils.  Then the Mass of the Lord's supper. The day is called In Cena Domini, “At the Lord's Supper.”The meaning of the oils, the last supper, and the command of charity.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.Thumbnail: Leonardo Da Vinci, Last Supper, 1595, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.

A meditation preached at Kintore College, Toronto on April 1, 2026, Wednesday of Holy Week.Matt 26:14-25: One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on, he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.What are you willing to give me? That was Judas' calculation: How much is Jesus worth? He is asking them: How much is he worth to you, so that I make this be profitable, he is saying… He was not even sure how seriously they would take him. This question, What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?, came from Judas, but it can also come from Jesus himself to us. He says to us: How much are you willing to give me? How much time, all your dedication, your reputation, your future plans, your time, your comfort…Thumbnail: Rembrandt, Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, circa 1629, at the Morgan Library & Museum, New York.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on Palm Sunday, 2026, to a group of boys at a camp in Port Burwell, Ontario.Palm Sunday is our entry into Holy Week. We are invited to contemplate the Passion. We remember that Pope Francis' last Palm Sunday focused on the figure of Simon of Cyrene.As we look at the faces of the soldiers and the tears of the women in the crowd, our attention is drawn to an unknown person whose name suddenly appears in the Gospel: Simon of Cyrene. He was the man seized by the soldiers who then “laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus” (Lk 23:26). At that moment, he was coming in from the countryside. He happened to be passing by when he unexpectedly found himself caught up in a drama that overwhelmed him, like the heavy wood that was placed on his shoulders.Thumbnail: Sarcophagus of Domitilia, in the Museum Pioneers Clementino, Rome, 4th century.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Kintore College, Toronto, on March 25, 2026.There is something there that we must learn about this gift of hearing in the annunciation. Paintings of the scene often show words that come forth from the angel's mouth, floating through the air to Mary, while she is in a receptive position, the contrapposto, this bending of her body, as though the very words touched her. But paintings are silent. We don' t actually hear the words of the angel. What was Mary's disposition to these sounds?Pope Benedict said: To see this active hearing, a hearing which attracts the Word in such a way that it enters in me and becomes Word in me, reflecting on it and accepting to the depths of the heart. Thus, the Word becomes incarnation. (Pope Benedict XVI, Q&A With Priests of Rome, 26 Feb 2009).There is something for us here to learn about the art of listening.Music: Vienna Philharmonic OrchestraThumbnail: Columba altarpiece of the Annunciation by Roger Van der Weyden, 1455, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ashlar Centre in Toronto, on March 22, 2026.In the year 2001 it was exciting because we were entering a new millennium. Pope John Paul II invited us to launch out into the deep, in Latin, Duc in altum (Apostolic letter, Novo millennio ineunte, 2001): He said: Duc in altum! These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb 13:8).This is tied to Jesus' call to Lazarus in the tomb: Lazarus, come out! Veni foras!Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.Thumbnail: The Jonah Sarcophagus, 300. Vatican museum.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ernescliff College, March 19, 2026.There is a passage from Colossians that appeared in yesterday's vespers to Saint Joseph. It applies to him, and to us. Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving."The response says: "The virtuous man will bloom like the lily."As we woke up this morning, on our knees, we renewed our dedication, our yes. We want to bloom like the lily today. We call it renewing, but we might also call it refreshing, face our call with a fresh face, a luminous gaze, full of awareness of God's presence. 1 Samuel 16: We have the stirring account of the call of David, his vocation, and his anointing by Samuel. David was the youngest; he was gone, he was not even in the list. He was not even on the list of nominees. "Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing."Music: Vienna Philharmonic OrchestraThumbnail: Bartolome Murillo, Saint Joseph with the child, 1670. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on March 12 at Kintore College, Toronto.Today's Gospel from Luke 11:14-23, tells us that Jesus was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke and the people marvelled.Those who opposed him said that he had done this through the power of Belzebul, through the devil. But Jesus easily responds that this would be the devil working against himself, divided against his own interests. Jesus heals because it is a sign of his power; he is able to heal in a way that no human power could. But he heals out of compassion, like when he healed the man born blind. The sacraments are channels of his mercy, of his healing: like annointing, like confession, like the nourishing power of the eucharist.Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.Thumbnail: Stainedglass, Meung sur Loire 19th century.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on March 8, 2026 in Ernescliff College, Toronto. It is similar to the previous day's meditation in Lyncroft centre, titled "Begone Satan!".Conversion, like Jesus at the well, is first and foremost an initiative of God. We respond with our freedom. It's in that most intimate part of ourselves, where the image of God deep within us, needs to be awoken, brought back to life, as though it had remained dormant but now is brought forth into the wild.We have the freedom now to exercise penance through Lent in a way that leads to conversion, and to defeating the toxic presence of the evil one. It's what Jesus does in the desert (Matt 4), the Land of Mordor, this dark motif that sets the tone for all of Lent. A time of penance that purifies us, that awakens in us an interior struggle, that reminds us that we will never really convert if we just coast along, if we drift through life, if we just go with the current.Music: Carlos Gardel, Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink.Thumbnail: The Temptation Of Christ, by Duccio Di Buoninsegna, 1308, Frick Collection