In Your Presence

Eric Nicolai
  • 0.0 (0)
  • CRISTIANISMO
  • CADA SEMANA

Meditations by Fr. Eric Nicolai, a Catholic priest of Opus Dei in Ernescliff College, Toronto. They are times of prayer addressed to men or women, with the intention of providing a personal dialogue with the Lord Jesus Christ present in their midst. They are usually preached in oratories of Opus Dei.

  1. The Annunciation is about the Gift of Hearing, truly listening

    HACE 6 DÍAS

    The Annunciation is about the Gift of Hearing, truly listening

    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 Orchestra Thumbnail: Columba altarpiece of the Annunciation by Roger Van der Weyden, 1455, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

    28 min
  2. Lazarus and our Apostolate

    23 MAR

    Lazarus and our Apostolate

    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.

    30 min
  3. Saint Joseph Keeps our Vocation Fresh

    19 MAR

    Saint Joseph Keeps our Vocation Fresh

    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 Orchestra Thumbnail: Bartolome Murillo, Saint Joseph with the child, 1670. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida.

    29 min
  4. How Jesus Heals Us

    13 MAR

    How Jesus Heals Us

    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.

    27 min
  5. Jesus is Tempted in the desert, and so are we.

    9 MAR

    Jesus is Tempted in the desert, and so are we.

    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

    30 min
  6. Begone Satan!

    8 MAR

    Begone Satan!

    A meditation preached at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, on March 7, 2026. The devil tempts Jesus in the desert. Jesus is impeccable (unable to sin) in virtue of the hypostatic union, yet truly tempted from without in His human nature, in the sense of being really “assaulted” by the devil, not in the sense of interior consent or moral peril. Traditionally, this scene in the desert is a contrast with Adam. New Adam motif: The desert scene is read against Genesis, where Adam fell in a garden amid abundance, Christ triumphs in a wilderness amid hunger and weakness. Thumbnail: The Temptation of Christ by Simon Bening, Flemish, 1550 Getty Museum, Los Angeles Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

    29 min
  7. The Rich Man did not Listen to Lazarus

    6 MAR

    The Rich Man did not Listen to Lazarus

    Luke 16:19-31: Dives and Lazarus. Jesus tells this account of the rich man who feasted and seemed to enjoy life, but was oblivious to the poverty and the suffering of Lazarus, the poor man. It is an account that is full of details that fills us with revulsion, with shock and the callousness of the rich man. We are particularly grieved by his lack of empathy. He seems so unconcerned to help, to alleviate the poverty of Lazarus. He seems to be living in a bubble. He is unaware and unconcerned by the state of the poor man. The problem was not his wealth but his lack of sensitivity. The poor man was not at all on his radar. He was not even aware of this guy. He would not have even remembered him. We must have others on our radar. Aware of them. Connect with them. Care about them and especially have the ability to listen carefully. Pope Francis spoke of listening on January 26, 2022. Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Thumbnail. Jean Pichore Workshop, The Rich Man at Table, Lazarus Barred at the Door. From a Book of Hours. French (Paris), c. 1500, Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France.

    26 min
  8. Jesus transfigured: Overcome your Fear

    5 MAR

    Jesus transfigured: Overcome your Fear

    A meditation preached to priests at the Manoir de Beaujeu, east of Montreal, March 1, 2026. Mt 8:26: "It is good to be with you here, Lord." For the apostles, this moment involved all their senses: the sudden otherworldly luminosity, the towering figure of Jesus together with Moses and Elijah, the thundering voice of God the Father, the cloud covering them, the fragrance in the wind, and the peace of being with Jesus in all his divinity. Below is the upheaval caused by the curing of the epileptic boy. There are moments of darkness with fear, and others of light. Like the painting by Raphael Sanzio of the Transfiguration from 1520, the last of his life. Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Thumbnail: The Transfiguration by Raphael Sanzio, 1520, in the Vatican Pinacoteca, Rome.

    31 min
Ver todo (459)

Acerca de

Meditations by Fr. Eric Nicolai, a Catholic priest of Opus Dei in Ernescliff College, Toronto. They are times of prayer addressed to men or women, with the intention of providing a personal dialogue with the Lord Jesus Christ present in their midst. They are usually preached in oratories of Opus Dei.

Información

  • Creador
    Eric Nicolai
  • Años de actividad
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodios
    459
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © Eric Nicolai
  • Mostrar sitio web
    In Your Presence

También te podría interesar