In Your Presence

A recollection for priests at Saint Aidan's parish in Toronto, preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on July 16, 2024. Based on the parable of the pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9-14). Two men in a temple, praying, doing a good thing, but with different results. A security camera might have made them appear as two men praying with their own style, or culture. But Jesus sees below the surface, and wants us to recognize ourselves in these men. Only one went home justified. Music: Original track by Michael Lee from Toronto. Thumbnail: Gustave Doré engraving from the illustrated Bible, published in 1866.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on July 16, 2024 at Ernescliff College in Toronto. Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite, on July 16, 1251, and promised a special protection to those who would wear the habit, later the scapulary. All you had to do was wear this garment. Like a protective clothing, and stay faithful. This promise of our Lady boosted the Carmelites street cred. Our Lady became associated with one protecting. They’d emphasize Marian protection, her intercession, the importance of living a life of prayer and service. Music: Original track by Micheal Lee of Toronto.

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Chipnee camp for girls in the Durham region north of Toronto on July 11, 2024, the Feast of St. Benedict of Nursia. Music: Original track by Michael Lee of Toronto.

A meditation preached on July 8, 2024 by Fr. Eric Nicolai at a camp for girls in the Collingwood area, Ontario. Matthew 9, 18-26: While Jesus was speaking, up came one of the officials, who bowed low in front of him and said, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and her life will be saved.’ Jesus rose and, with his disciples, followed him. Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a haemorrhage 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. Michael

A meditation preached on July 1, 2024, Canada Day, at Tour des Pins Centre in Montreal. The Gospel of the day is from Matthew 8: “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” This is after the centurions faith, several amazing cures, people possessed by demons, healed of terrible illnesses. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. What is Jesus asking us about our availability and our project of life? Thumbnail: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Last Supper from 1480, in Florence. Music: Original music from Michael Lee of Toronto.

This meditation was preached in Ernescliff College by Fr. Eric Nicolai on the feast of Saint John the Baptist, June 24, 2024. He was a voice crying in the desert, the prophecy of Isaiah 40, 3: Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite in solitudine semitas Dei nostri. A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Byzantine icons show him with a thinner cross, symbolizing his role as the Forerunner of Christ, a parchment, with a set of wings, to show he was like an angel of God, sending a message, the angel of the desert: The wings symbolize his ability to communicate between the divine and humans, similar to angels. These icons also show him with his own head on the ground, testifying to his future martyrdom by King Herod Antipas. We too have to be precursors. Guide others in their freedom. Thumbnail: Iconostasis Cephalonia; John the Baptist from 9th century, Vatican museum. For more images see https://www.christianiconography.info/johnBaptist.html Original music by Michael Lee of Toronto.

This meditation was preached on June 19, 2024 at Hawthorn School for Girls in Toronto. Josemaria opened his homily saying "we must realize all the richness hidden in the words, “the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Let’s not lose sight of these riches. Like all the feasts and solemnities, there is something here to enrich us. There are many layers we must tap into in order to discover the love of Jesus. Music: Original soundtrack by Michael Lee of Toronto, with birds from pixabay.com, SSPsurvival. Thumbnail: Pompeo Batoni, Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1767 in The Iesu church, Rome.

This meditation was preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai to a group of priests at St. Paul the Apostle parish in Toronto on June 11, 2024. Today is the feast of the apostle St. Barnabas. Who was Barnabas? Acts says he spoke boldly, and effectively, and defended St. Paul. We imagine them both speaking with lots of self-confidence. Saint Josemaria dreamt about the responsibility of ordinary Christians in the world playing their role of being salt and light. Matt 5, 13-16: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.

A meditation preached at Kintore College in Toronto, by Fr. Eric Nicolai, on May 30, 2024. Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz was elected Prelate of Opus Dei in 2016. In the Old Testament book of Samuel there is a text that foreshadows the priesthood in the church and the role of the priest: 1 Sam 2, 35: "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always." Music: Original music by Michael Lee of Toronto.

A meditation preached on June 1, 2024 at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto by Fr. Eric Nicolai. John 6 has this powerful discourse. Words of our Lord, speaking slow, articulating each word, speaking clearly, enunciating, people listening as the warm wind blew and the birds chirped. He probably said something that underlined that this was not all symbolism. This was real. The Jews asked "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:52), and his disciples said "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" (John 6:60) Music: Original guitar track by Michael Lee of Toronto, Ontario.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on May 24, 2024 at Cedarcrest conference Centre in Belfountain, Ontario. Luke 10, 5: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. Music: Original music on guitar by Michale Lee, of Toronto Museum: Jean-Francois Millet, The Sower, 1850. Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Cedarcrest Conference centre north of Toronto, on May 21, 2024. We read in the prayer of consecration to the Holy Spirit, there was a description of the nature of the Paraclete himself, the consoler, the spirit of truth. It talks about the gifts he leaves in us, and then all the fruits that are left behind, that are noticeable in a person who has truly been touched by the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, longanimity, meekness, faith, modesty, continence, and chastity. He leaves his mark, his stamp on us. But the mark he leaves in us, is not his own. He leaves the embossed mark of Christ in everything we do. In what we say and what we do. Does this show? Music: Original music by Michael Lee of Toronto. Thumbnail: Rembrandt, The Hundred Guilder Print, 1647, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

A meditation preached on April 1, 2024 by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Serra House in Toronto. Serra House accommodates seminarians for the Archdiocese of Toronto in the initial stage of formation. Music: A. Vivaldi_ Nisi Dominus, RV 608 - IV. Cum dederit (128 kbps)

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached the meditation at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto on May 4th, 2024. Our lady will teach us, she will nudge us, because she is teacher of prayer. When we pray, we ask her ut loquaris pro nobis bona, to speak well on our behalf before the Lord.  She speaks well of us. Intercedes while we pray, while we work, while we keep our minds occupied. Original music intro by Michael Lee of Toronto. Thumbnail: Sassoferrato Virgin in Prayer, 1640-50 National Gallery, London.

Domina ut sit. Mary, may it be. Fix it. Fr. Eric Nicolai begins with a pastoral letter by Archbishop Leo of Toronto: "When faced with uncertainty and perplexing events in her own life, Myriam of Nazareth did not “wonder” but “pondered,” not fully understanding, yet always remaining faithful (Lk 2:19). A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto, preached on May 5, 2024. Thumbnail: Our Lady of El Pilar, Zaragoza, Spain. Music: Guitar by Bert Alink, from Handel's Opera Rinaldo, Aria "Lascia che io pianga."

And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3, 16) Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on May 2, 2024 at Kintore College in Toronto about divine filiation. Music: Adrift among the infinite stars by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com Thumbnail: The Baptism of Christ, by Piero della Francesca 1439-1460, National Gallery, London.

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation in a retreat at Kintore College on May 1, 2024, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector. But it was meant to be a way for all to see work through a different lens. Not one of class struggle, but in the light of God’s plans for us in Work, in our study, our human formation. Imagine, this could be a time of spiritual awakening, an encounter, a surprise. God is the God of surprises, as Pope Francis says. Joseph can intercede for us so that we discover this surprise during this retreat. Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com Thumbnail: Saint Joseph the worker, from the retable in the shrine of Torreciudad, Spain, sculpted by Juan Mayné. https://torreciudad.org/en/

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on April 28, 2024, the fifth Sunday of Easter at Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Acts 9:26-31: Barnabas explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul on his journey. Barnabas convinces the apostles about the newly converted Paul. Why are they convinced? Because Paul had spoken boldly in defence of the Lord. What does it mean for us to be bold, to be daring in defence of the faith? Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com Thumbnail: Raphael di Sanzio, Study for St. Paul preaching in Athens, 1515, chalk sketch, in Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy Public domain.

This is a meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai on March 15th 2024 at Ernescliff College. It is based on Wisdom 2, 12-20: Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.He professes to have knowledge of God,and calls himself a child of the Lord.He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;the very sight of him is a burden to us,because his manner of life is unlike that of others,and his ways are strange.We are considered by him as something base,and he avoids our ways as unclean;he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.Let us see if his words are true,and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God’s son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries." This reality of what is to come serves as a principle of hope in our life. A principle of stability, a guiding post for meaning and purpose in all that will happen. Music: 'First Snow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com Thumbnail: Disputation of the sacrament by Raphael, 1509, Apostolic Palace, Vatican city.

Fr. Eric Nicolai peached this meditation at Lyncroft centre in Toronto on April 6, 2024. What is God’s will? Before the Lord was arrested, the apostles were with him, ostensibly to protect him, but they couldn’t stop the soldiers from arresting the Lord. Judas came with the chief priests. But the Lord was praying, and abandoned entirely to the Lord. Jesus is kneeling, he is sweating blood of anguish. But he said yes to God's will. When I work, I must be acting out of love and confidence on God’s will for me.